During the summer I am able to get to daily Mass. There is nothing that I like more than walking into our parishes around town; smelling the candles, and seeing the altars in traditional style. The candles, altar, Tabernacle, votive candles, the Crucifix in prominent display, statues of our Blessed Mother, and the Stations of the Cross.
These images invite us to holiness.
You are absolutely right. "Smells and bells". The aroma of incense also helps to draw us into prayer. When you consider the cost of building a 'cathedral' today, the bishop would be better off restoring the original structure.