OT thought on a contradiction

Here's something I wonder from time to time: How can anyone have a spiritual experience among what looks like a crush of humanity at Sistine Chapel, etc.? For how many people is it merely superficial? Most? If so, why bother? It seems like a lot of trouble and expense to travel to popular destinations to just go through the motions of seeing the sights. Do they like being in a crush of humanity or just want to say "Check, been there done that!"?

Or perhaps it's one of those contradictions between the seen and unseen. On the outside it looks like a swarming crowd but yet there could be many people for whom the experience is more than just a sightseeing tour. I don't know. For me, it's hard to have a true experience when I'm being moved along. I prefer time and space for absorption and reflection, much like in an uncrowded art gallery, museum or library.