April 2025 – because i said

History Lessons in Chania, Crete

Good Friday service just before the Procession. Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas, in Chania.

I just finished reading The Shortest History of Greece, which is 242 pages in length. My favourite paragraph is about the hard-fought 1920 national election:

“To general amazement, the [monarchist] opposition won. Perhaps it was resentment at the continuing violation of Greek sovereignty by the Great Powers. Perhaps it was the sudden death of King Alexander from a monkey-bite and return of his popular father, Constantine.”

Excuse me, monkey bite? A little context, please? Such as, what was the monkey’s name? What exactly did King Alexander do to provoke the monkey? And, was the monkey wearing a fez?

Chania, Crete. Days 2 to 4 2/3

As we entered To Mikro Karavi (The Little Boat), a bookstore on Daskalogianni Street, Maria Callas — I assumed it was Maria Callas — was deep into some aria. I could see her at stage front, shattered, bloodied, defiant. Callas was cranked up so loud you couldn’t hear yourself think.

Chania, Crete. Day 1 1/2

On the thirty-five-minute flight from Athens to Chania, the young and pretty flight attendant pushes the refreshments trolley down the aisle. When she gets to my row, she leans over and holds out a bottle of water and a snack. We have been travelling for nearly twenty-four hours — exactly twenty-four by the time we check into our hotel about an hour later.