Thoughts flash through my mind.

What did the creators of the cathedrals and churches we have observed want to say to us, now in 2018? (Did they think about us at all?) As you walk in, the ceilings are arched high above you, with gold and colors and grandeur, so are we we meant to become small? That was what I thought as a child.

OR – and this is what I hope is true – did they hope to make beauty to last a long time? Do we see the work of individuals and groups of people, humans, creating different truths, together, beneficial for many, leading us to their idea of greatness? Leaving their marks on the world, even if their names are no longer remembered?

When I see the statues, the stained glass, the fountains, I think about the artisans who created them. Some probably worked for years on one artifact. The churches shout “hooray” to architects and engineers who were involved in their fabrication. These are gifts that humans centuries before us created – why? For us? For God? To express their own yearnings? To be remembered?

I don’t know. But I like thinking about this.

• Europe 2018