815 Sacred Paris; Newgrange Solstice; Finnish Sauna; Christmas in Estonia, Rome, Venice

0:00Step inside a grand church in Paris on a sunny afternoon to see for yourself why it's called the City of light. Suddenly, the sun came out, and it came through the clorestory windows, which are up at the high point of the cathedral, and it was dazzling. Marvel at a rare celestial event on the winter solstice in one of Ireland's most sacred ancient sites. If you're one of the lucky few, you might get to witness it from inside the burial chamber at Newgrange. The central chamber was always in darkness, you see, and then when the sun would go in, a laser beam of light would go up the central chamber and illuminate it.

0:35walk through magical holiday lights in the streets of Rome. The lighting displays, they get more beautiful and more ornate, and every year is a little bit different. And take a look at Christmas traditions in Venice and in Estonia. Step into the light with us in the hour ahead on Travel with Rick Steves.

1:00As the days of December darken and the temperatures dip, it's no wonder that so many winter traditions invoke light and warmth. Coming up today on Travel with Rick Steves, an Irish friend tells us how he was able to enter inside Ireland's Newgrange Burial Mound on the winter solstice to await the illumination from the rising sun, much like people did more than 5 ,000 years ago. Fred Plotkin invites us into the steamy comfort of a traditional sauna the way they do it in Finland. And we'll wander through Christmas markets in Tallinn before heading to Venice and Rome. for some holiday light displays.

1:36Paris has some amazing churches. You can view them as historic buildings with impressive architecture. You can view them as great places to go for a concert with wonderful acoustics. Or you might regard Paris' venerable places of worship as quiet refuges where you can escape the hubbub of the streets and take a moment to get close to God. Susan Cahill has identified 30 great churches as well as synagogues in Paris and the city's Grand Mosque as a way to showcase the city's spiritual, artistic, and cultural history. She joins us now on Travel with Rick Steves to talk about what she features in her book.

2:12It's called Sacred Paris, a guide to the churches, synagogues, and the Grand Mosque in the City of Light. Susan, thanks for being with us. Thank you for having me. So Paris is the City of Light. What does that mean to you? Well, in the very early church in the 3rd century, they considered light the presence of God. So God was light. And that's the first line in the Gospel of St. John. And actually, it made sense to me because when I walked into the Cathedral of Saint-Denis in northern Paris, suddenly the sun came out and it came through the clerestory windows, which are up at the high point of the cathedral, and it was dazzling.

2:56I could hardly see. And I understood how they felt that way. And Susan, people have got to remember that the Basilica of St. Denis is where Gothic architecture was basically invented, right? That's it. By Abbott Souge. Absolutely, right. So that's 800 years ago. And the big deal about Gothic is what? How was Gothic different from Romanesque? Well, for one thing, it was constructed so that the light would come in. It wouldn't be blocked by thick stone walls. and there were many more windows and they highlighted just the fact of the architecture with color. So it was absolutely different from Romanesque, which was the early church architecture.

3:39You know, I often think about that, Susan. If I was a Christian going to church in 1100, the church would be dark and you could hardly read because it's so dark. Right, right. So it must have been so dazzling to have light coming into the churches and when we go to these great places of worship, these churches in Paris, where are some moments? If you're walking around Paris, it's a great city for walking around, you stumble into a church you didn't even know the name of and you go, whoa, what a discovery. Your book is a great handbook for somebody who's going to be walking out in the streets and stumbling into these churches.

4:14What are a couple churches that really struck you as, whoa, more people should check this place out? Well, my favorite church is Saint-Germain-des-Pres. Saint-Germain, he was a bishop. Desprez of the fields because it was open country back then. And it was founded in, I think, about the 7th century. And then it has changed. And now they've just done a massive reconstruction. And it's absolutely gorgeous. They've also found some 12th century statuary in garbage dumps nearby. And the thing that they found that just stuns me is a statue of the Virgin and the Smile, Sourire. It's stunning. And they keep changing its location in Saint-Germain-de-Pres, I think, to show it off at its best.

5:08You know, I love this idea about approaching Paris as a collection of surprises and discoveries. Yes, absolutely. And the city is speckled with these churches. They're open, they're free, and they're filled with surprises. When you think, as you research your book, tell me just a surprise that hit you when you stepped into a church. Well, I was told that Saint-Germain de Chiron, which is out in Chiron, it's not actually a suburb. It's just on the edge of Paris. It has paintings, and that's one of the things. Lamont ran an article about, during the pandemic, churches were the place to go to see art, because all the museums were closed.

5:50But the churches were open, and their art is spectacular. You know, they've got Delacroix, they've got Tiepolo, they've got Leonardo da Vinci. I mean, it's incredible to see, and I never expected it. So that is a big surprise. So art can be a surprise when you step into a church? Yes. Music can be a surprise also. What's a musical moment you've enjoyed in a church? Oh, my. Well, to me, they're best concerts. featuring the Orchestra de Paris and the great choirs have been for special holidays and feast days. For instance, the Verdi Requiem was sung and played for the anniversary of the end of World War I, November 11, 1918.

6:37So I saw it, 2018. I couldn't believe it. For one thing, the acoustics of these old churches are magnificent, and this rendition of Verdi's Requiem, I've heard it in New York, but I never heard it like this. And Paris, they sit still, they don't cough, you do not see a phone, and at the end, they just clapped and stood and were so happy. Another one that had the same kind of electricity was the anniversary of D-Day. There was not an empty seat, and in fact, it was held in San Ostock, which is a very large church. It was filled. You know, you need to take initiative to find out about those events, those concerts, those special services.

7:26I mean, you can find that online. Absolutely. You can find it in the Periscope. One of my favorite musical moments was in San Sulpice, and after the Mass, traditionally, a little door in the back of the church opens up and organ lovers can scamper up the spiral staircase and go into the organ law. and actually be there with the organist as he performs a little concert between the masses. And talk about acoustics. All of them. This is Travel with Rick Steves. We're talking with Susan Cahill, and we're exploring the great religious architecture of Paris. She's identified about 30 places of worship that she writes about in her book, Sacred Paris.

8:02I was talking, Susan, about surprises, and there's a little church just across the river from the Notre Dame in the left bank in a park right next to the oldest tree in Paris. I think you know the church I'm talking about. Right. The church of Saint-Julien-le-Pauve. Yes. And I've walked into that church many times, and it's usually been very quiet and lifeless, frankly. Yeah. And on my last visit, I walked in, and it was filled with incense and candles and mystery. And then I realized it's been adopted by the Eastern Orthodox community in the city. Right. And now it's filled with life. And it reminded me, we need to step into these churches to appreciate them.

8:42I agree. I put in my book the Russian Orthodox Church, St. Aleksandr Nevsky, which is up in the 8th Arendizmo. So that's near the Ark to Triumph. Exactly, right. And I have to say, there were times when that was my favorite, because it was so reverential. It was very quiet, but there were plenty of people there. And I was shocked by how mystical that felt. And I'm not looking for that. If you put yourself in the mindset of somebody from a different denomination or a different religion altogether, it can really be a great travel experience. In Paris, you also featured synagogues and the Grand Mosque.

9:27Tell us just briefly about the synagogues in Paris and then the mosque. There are several, yeah, there are quite a few synagogues, and I chose two. One is the oldest, La Victoire, on Rue de La Victoire. But I was shocked because I had been warned in New York, they'll never let you in, you have to be Jewish, da-da-da-da-da. Well, I got there on a Friday night for Shabbat, and other people, we were all waiting, we became friends. And then the usher came in, asked where we were all from, New York, the greatest city in the world. I thought, wait a minute, buddy, we're standing in the greatest city of the world.

10:04But he didn't check our pocketbooks. He didn't take our passports. We just went in. And the liturgy was so gorgeous. And the place is ravishing. It has, you know, those deep blue windows like they have in Notre Dame and gold everywhere, red velvet liners on the pews, white marble gleaming, and all these happy people. Nobody looks sad in a synagogue. And then I went to another one, Nazareth, which is the oldest synagogue on Rue de Nazareth near République, smaller than La Victoire, but it's so pretty and charming. But they did interrogate me at the door. They kept saying, are you Jewish? Are you Jewish?

10:50And I have to say I lied because I really wanted to see this synagogue. And not only that, I'm a New Yorker, lifelong. All New Yorkers are part Jewish. That's what we all tell one another. So it was a joke, and they knew I was lying, and it was funny, and they offered me some of the Kaddish. But it's charming, a beautiful place, but not as big and as grand as Slavitoire. But this beautiful place that is still in action, and people are still going there. And you can tell they're proud to go there. I just loved it. Susan Cahill is the author of Sacred Paris. It's an illustrated neighborhood guide to the city's grandest religious architecture.

11:32She's also written Hidden Gardens of Paris, and her book The Streets of Paris follows famous Parisians through the city's history. Her website is susancahill.net. That's spelled C-A-H-I-L-L. You know, Susan, when I was paging through this book, and it's just so full of little insights, inspiring me to want to go back to Paris and pop into some of these churches. I was almost sort of jealous, thinking how much time you've had to be able to go into these churches and appreciate them. What is one moment, one magical, spiritual, or personal moment you've had in a church in Paris? Well, this was not exactly, I don't know if you'd call it a church, but it's a sanctuary.

12:14I was just blown away when I walked into the mosque, the grand mosque. It is so beautiful. It is stunning. It's turquoise tiles and water flowing everywhere, palm trees up to the ceiling, everyone reverential, no one shouting. And that really did stir me. I don't know that much about Islam, but the place when you walk in and just you want to know more. And it's impressively welcoming to people who are just kind of curious, people that don't know much about Islam and you're welcome to go in. There's a garden. There's a tea room nearby. Right. It's near the Institute of the Arab World. It's just, it's a fascinating dimension of Paris that I think savvy travelers, thoughtful travelers, recognize is an important part of Paris.

13:08Susan, I wish we had more time, but we've got to wrap it up. I want to thank you for writing Sacred Paris, and thanks for joining us. My pleasure. Coming up, we'll find the light of the winter solstice at Newgrange in Ireland. And we'll warm up in a Finnish sauna and get you in the Christmas spirit like they do in Italy and Estonia. It's Travel with Rick Steves. Our favorite pleasure activist, Fred Plotkin, helps us shake off winter's chill at a Finnish sauna in just a bit. And we'll start out our holiday season in Estonia and Italy. But first, let's stop over in Ireland to observe the solstice.

13:47The sun is once again the star attraction, if you'll pardon the pun, every winter solstice at Newgrange in Ireland's Boyne Valley. It's a burial mound created thousands of years ago during the Stone Age. It was designed to allow the angle of the sunrise on the winter solstice to enter as a shaft of light right into its burial chamber. Stephen McPhillamy takes dozens of tour groups to Newgrange every year. He was selected to be one of a handful of people who actually got to go inside the burial chamber on the morning of the winter solstice. Stephen's here to tell us what happened. Thanks, Rick.

14:21Explain to us what Newgrange is, actually. I mean, I gave a little quick overview there, but what's the story about this amazing site that's just about an hour outside of Dublin? In my opinion, it's the Blockbuster site in Ireland. It's 5 ,000 years old. We like to always remind visitors that it's even older than the pyramids and it's older than Stonehenge. It's one hour from Dublin, and it's this glorious big mound of earth and rock on top of a hill that stands out, and it's got this beautiful white front. You can spot it from two miles away as you're approaching it. Just a very popular visitor attraction, but it's 5 ,000 years old.

14:51Our ancient ancestors used to believe that on the morning of the winter solstice, as the sun would go in, this central chamber was always in darkness, you see. And then when the sun would go in, a laser beam of light would go up the central chamber and illuminate it. And there's these big stone urns inside that used to contain the ashes of our dead cremated ancestors. And as the sun would go back down the chamber, we believed, our ancestors believed that the sun would take the souls of our ancestors to the next world with them. So 5 ,000 years ago this was designed knowing there'd just be a few minutes out of the year when the ray of sun would come in, illuminate the burial chamber and as it crept in it brought access to eternal life and then as it crept away it took the souls of those.

15:32Would that just be any Sean or Paddy or would that be actually leaders or kings or something like this? Because 5 ,000 years ago in Ireland. We have no records or any written records of what, you can only guess, but you'd imagine that anybody who got to be buried inside Newgrange must have been a pretty prominent chieftain or king or queen or spiritual leader. The sun moves on then, of course, and it returns to darkness inside for 365 days of the year. And this has been going on for 5 ,000 years. So it's only eight minutes. There's only eight minute window of opportunity for it to be lit inside.

16:04But now if it doesn't happen, it's because it's cloudy. And in Ireland, that's more likely than not. Exactly. So on the day that I went there during the lottery... So first of all, there's actually a lottery and tell us what that is. Yeah, so every year around 40 ,000 people apply. And when you go to visit the burial chamber at Newgrains, the visitor centre there, there's a nice little box and it says if you wish to be picked to come here in the winter solstice, write your name down and put it in the box. So I've been to Newgrains with tours probably 50 times that I've applied a lot and I never ever expected to win.

16:33But on this occasion this year, actually, my bus driver, Dennis McArdle, I'll have to give a shout out to him. He asked me what I was doing when I was filling out the form. I said, I'm filling in the form to win the lottery to get to Newgrange. And I said, you should do it as well. I suggest you apply as well. So he applied. It was actually him that won. So he invited me to come along because he had never heard of it before. So you get to take your favorite buddy with you. Two people get to go and only 20 people get selected to be inside out of 40 ,000. 40 ,000. So you've got a lucky bus driver.

16:59Yeah. And for me, like people sometimes say, oh, you should have played the lottery that week. For me, this was better than winning the lottery because you can't buy access to Newgrange on the winter solstice. That was priceless. For me, it's absolutely priceless. So you were there with 20 people? 20 people inside. They switch off the lights and it's complete darkness. You can't see a thing. And there's 20 voices there sort of whispering and nervously saying this and that. And there's an archaeologist there and she's explaining what's about to happen. And there's a really dramatic buildup. And she's saying, you know, any minute now, at two minutes to nine, the sun is going to come up and it's going to illuminate and we will see each other's faces because there will be this brilliant golden light.

17:39She said, nobody look at your watches, no one turn on any phones. So we didn't know what time was, but nothing actually was happening. We could see the light come in at the bottom of the chamber a little bit. We're standing in the central chamber, which is about 10 meters from the door. Eventually, I suggested that the time had passed and she took a look at her watch and the time had passed. Nothing actually happened that morning because it was too cloudy. So you won the lottery and you got up early and there were 20 people in the middle of this big 5 ,000-year-old Stone Mound, and nothing happens.

18:09This is Travel with Rick Steves. We're talking with Stephen McFelemy about his experience celebrating the winter solstice, whether it's sunny or not, at Newgrange. Nothing happened, but there was people there from Mexico. There was two people there from the Netherlands. Imagine traveling all the way from Mexico to that chamber and nothing happened. But the point is, people said to me, were you disappointed? And I just did not feel any sense of disappointment whatsoever, because it just felt it just almost felt perfect, because that's what may have happened 5 ,000 years ago. You can't predict how nature's going to be.

18:40Right. And I just really felt part of something enormous. And it cost you to, yeah, to respect what happened 5 ,000 years ago. We have no idea how sophisticated these people are. We only guess what they were building and what they were thinking and why. Yeah, and I like to put myself in the shoes of my ancient Irish ancestors and think, how would they have felt that day when the people left the central chamber and said to the people outside, the gods did not speak to us, the universe has not spoken to us this year. So you'll have to wait. Maybe there's a lesson in that. Oh, wise one. Be patient.

19:09I took some crystals with me because I have a friend who's a druid back in Ireland. And she was really overjoyed for me that I got selected. And she said, I have one request. And she said, would you take some crystals into the chamber for me? To charge them up? To get them charged up and energized with the sun. So I wasn't skeptical that the sun was going to come in, but I just didn't want to take a chance. So I left them down at the front door so that they definitely would get hit with the sunshine. So I had a huge, big, long obelisk of crystal, of quartz, and I had about 10 other little small pieces, and they were energized and blessed.

19:43And I actually have one to present to you just here. You've got one? So this is a piece of crystal, rose. And this has been energized by the sun at Newgrange? In Newgrange. As has been going on for 5 ,000 years. Yes. I will take this, and I will put it in my top drawer, and I will probably forget it. That's okay, but just before you do that, just hold it. And it's all about intention. It's intention. Okay, I will hold this. It may bring you some very positive energy. Stephen McFillamy, this is something I'm thankful for because American travelers can go to Newgrange, one hour north of Dublin now.

20:15They can make reservations online and they can go to visit this amazing edifice almost any day of the year without winning the lottery. Absolutely. And they have a little light system that replicates the... They do. ...the winter solstice anyway. So you could use your... It's intention. Yeah. Stephen McFillamy, it's always good to talk to you and connect a little bit with the beautiful and evocative Emeril Isle. Thanks, Rick. Stephen McPhilomy's website is stephenmcphilomytravels.com.

20:48When I was in Finland, my guide took me to the rooftop of a restaurant with a nice balcony overlooking the town, and below me, on the roof just across the way, there was the top floor of a business, and it was filled with well-fed businessmen cook like red lobsters in their sauna, and she said every business provides a sauna. I realized later that at the National Finnish Opera House, there's two saunas that are kept fired up all the time for musicians and patrons of the arts to enjoy a little soak. I'm joined by Fred Plotkin for an insight into the sauna of Finland. Fred, thanks for joining us.

21:20Thank you. When I was talking about that little introduction to the sauna, what was your response? Is it Finnish? Is it Swedish? Why is it such a big deal? Well, it was born in Finland, and sauna to them is sacred, and I mean that very seriously. In ancient times, childbirth took place in the sauna because it was warm and it was hygienic. When people died, they were dressed for burial in the sauna. There is an expression in Finland, first build the sauna, then build the house, because the sauna is what is life-giving. People can often keep food in there. It is the place where everything is maintained through the cold winters, and it's the place where you clean yourself.

22:03And then after that, you go for a dunk in the Baltic, in the swimming pool, in the shower. And assuming you don't have a heart condition, that is the best thing to do. Anyone who goes to Helsinki should go to the Finnish Sauna Society, where you can learn about the different types of sauna. with five degrees of humidity, the cold soaks, the hot soaks, and then the pièce de résistance, you can be scrubbed. You have not lived until you've had a kindly old Finnish woman scrub you like you're a little baby, and you feel so content after that you go right to sleep, the best sleep of your life. Now, Fred, correct me if I'm wrong here, but I'm trying to analyze the economics of the sauna, and my hunch is in a less affluent time, there were more public saunas, and today, in an affluent age, when the tourist goes to Finland, the saunas that he or she will be able to enjoy are either in the hotel or on the cruise ship coming in, but most people are wealthy enough to have a sauna in their home.

23:06Consequently, there's not so many corner saunas anymore, but if you go to a poorer or a working-class neighborhood in the suburbs away from the center, that's where you might find a traditional public sauna. There are a few left. My favorite is Iron Katu, right in the middle of Helsinki from 1928. But there's another one called Koti Haru, which is a wood-fired sauna, the last one that's public in Helsinki. And this is where working-class people go because once upon a time, they did not necessarily have showers in their homes. So they went to clean themselves at the public sauna. There is no whiff of sexuality the way there is in lots of other countries with sauna.

23:47To the Finns, it's purely something about hygiene, about pleasure, about relaxation. Now, I took the bus out to Koti Haru one afternoon, and it was quite a powerful, interesting experience for me. There wasn't any English there. It was definitely a working-class, functioning sauna filled with people who were there to do their soak and their relaxation. And I went in, and I remember being kind of awkward. I felt sort of like a naked Woody Allen without his glasses. And I was sitting on this concrete step surrounded by steam and knotty wood paneling and rusty railings and naked Finns. And everybody had long, stringy blonde hair pasted to their face.

24:28And I remember looking out and thinking, wow, I have no idea what century I'm in, but it's definitely Finland. It was a fascinating, wonderful experience. It's genuine. And in a time when so many things are created as prepackaged experiences, when you find something genuine, you do everything you can not only to be a part of it, but do everything you can to save it. These are landmarks that are part of our culture, not just Finnish culture, but world culture. And then afterward, I decided in the spirit of Fred Plotkin to embrace the sensuousness of it all to get that rub down you talked about.

25:04and this woman who was wearing like a fisherman's plastic bib, she put me on her table. I felt like a salmon being gutted. She knew how to hold my slippery arm with all the suds and so on so she could pull me up and scrub me. Dirt was coming off me in Tootsie Rolls with her Brillo pad mitts and she worked me over and I was, I couldn't, I can't explain how relaxed and clean I felt after that. That's the scrub down you're talking about? Yes, but also as Americans, we're taught to be in control of our situations. Everything we learn in school is about control, and this is about giving up all control and just being completely treated as an object of love and affection and not having any means of giving it back.