Evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral

Today I went to evening service, called 'Evensong', at St. Paul's Cathedral. Attending the evening prayer service (I think it's the equivalent to 'Vespers' in some Catholic circles) is a free way to get inside the cathedral and walk around a little, because otherwise you get charged £9, which is a bit pricey. The interior of St. Paul's is the most beautiful church I have ever visited.
Most historic churches/cathedrals/abbeys feature varying shades of gray and perhaps brown in the interior in modern times. At one time they were brightly painted and colorful, but the paint has been worn from hundreds of years of disrepair and lack of maintenance and restorative work. While the cathedrals are incredibly stately and majestic, they're still... gray.

The interior of St. Paul's, on the other hand, is set in a stunning black, white, and gold motif. The stonework is white marble, the floors resemble a diagonally-oriented chessboard with black and white squares. Tombs and statues are in black. The contrast is breathtaking, and we haven't even gotten to the golden crowning and dome yet.
Normally, when I've seen gold in churches, I tend to think it is a little overdone and gaudy, or at least that's what I will think now that I've seen St. Paul's. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart, on Notre Dame's campus, for example, has gold features that seem very heavy compared to its tasteful yet ornate use in St. Paul's. Add to this the dark wood in the quire and the large amount of light let in through the mostly unstained windows, and the view inside this massive cathedral is truly breathtaking.

I'll be heading back there sometime soon to actually pay the entrance fee and get up into the giant dome, as I've heard the view is amazing from up there. The good view isn't a coincidence: the City of London has strict zoning requirements restricting height anywhere near St. Paul's so that it remains a prominent part of the landscape, which is what drove all the skyscrapers to the Canary Wharf area. This happens to also create wonderful views from St. Paul's dome.
I've also heard that you have to see St. Paul's before you go see St. Peter's in Rome, otherwise it's anticlimactic. I'll be travelling to Rome in a couple of weeks, so I'm pumped!