The spirit of old Chania

I woke this morning to the sound of bells followed by heavenly chanting - a rich bass voice with tremendous soul - and felt truly uplifted. My room in Chania old town is very close to the cathedral, so whilst my main view might be of a ruined building, the sound accompaniment from the early service is a reward and when I sit out on my tiny balcony, I can see the cathedral tower with the White Mountains far away in the distance.

With such a spiritual start to the morning, it seemed a good time to visit the remains of a Minoan site that is right in the heart of the city. This was not the site of a temple (known as palaces) but of houses and it was very moving to see the clear layout of a house where Minoan people would have gone about their daily lives with that lovely energy that pervades their art.

From here I went straight to the archaeological museum to see the artefacts that were found on the site, which was excavated and preserved thanks to a Swedish team working with the Greek authorities. Again it was great to get so close to the actual clay and paint, the flowing designs with their spirals and bulls' horns, so full of meaning and life.

The joy and grace of Minoan life is such a sad contrast to the underlying crisis in Greek life right now. Thanks Colm for tipping me off to this article by Tony Parsons, published today, on how the Greek tragedy affects us all http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/tony-parsons-opinion-how-the-greek-839514

I really hope and trust that the Greek stance, together with the shift of mood in France, will bring not tragedy but a breakthrough in awareness of how we have all been ripped off by the banking cabal, who have created an unnecessary economic crisis and climate of fear. Perhaps, led by the Greeks, we can prompt a huge, fundamental empowerment and change. We don't have to believe that there is no other way through this crisis than impoverishment and suffering and I will steadfastly hold a vision for a much more positive outcome.

 As Julie observed the other day, it seems that it's when you dare to ask for the seeming impossible that your vision is most likely to come to fruition. That's what brought me here to house-sit for four weeks when she thought that nobody would ever be able to come for more than two...