Hello, I’m author Yvonne Payne. You are a very welcome visitor to this website featuring my life in Kritsa, a village in the east of Crete, Greece.
Here I share my love of Crete with posts about events and experiences so please browse through the pages and posts.
True events featuring Kritsa’s heroine, Rodanthe are the basis of my two historical novels while Explore Kritsa delivers a month by month guide to village life.
You can use the contact form below if you want information about visiting or living in Crete and/or make comments below each page.
How exciting! My father worked for Disney and they built Euro Disney in France we were sent to live in Paris for a year. It was amazing. I wish traveling abroad wasn’t so expensive. Everybody should get to go to another country and see different cultures. I look forward to hearing about your travels.
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I agree with you, seeing a place on holiday is great but actually living in a different country for a period of time gives a different perspective entirely. Perhaps I should find a way to do a reflective post about the 10 years that we drove to Crete from the UK via France, Switzerland and Italy. My husband would do it again, but I’m happy to fly these days. X
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I have always wanted to travel, and Greece is on my list. I found your links page helpful.
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Thank you for saying so Hazel. Fingers crossed you’ll get to Greece some day. Meanwhile, I hope you’ll enjoy ‘virtually’ seeing Crete. X
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That’s lovely to hear. I’d love to know what you think when you find time to read it. X
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Hi Yvonne, I spent a few days in Bali, Crete last July. Crete is lovely and very different from mainland Greece. I will enjoy reading about your experiences there. Carol
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Hi Yvonne. Just come across you on Facebook. Congratulations on your new book. I look forward to reading it. We’ve been visiting Crete for the last 15 years and fell in love with it from day one. It reminds me of how Cyprus was, 50 years ago. We too are looking at making the move to Crete albeit on a 6 monthly basis. We don’t want to buy yet and like the freedom to move about the island. One stumbling block for my wife is that she feels that she will get bored! I look forward to seeing the comments/posts and reading your blog 🙂
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Ah, but I thought I would get bored, so I do understand. However, by living a dual life we find we’ve never quite done everything we intended while in the UK or Crete and so have a continuous to do list. Please keep in touch as I’m nosy so will enjoy knowing where you get to in Crete. Meanwhile, thank you for your comment here.
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Hi Yvonne, It was nice to meet you in Elounda, have thoroughly enjoyed your book. You have woven a story around folk tale and you can’t tell the difference absolutely wonderful. Can’t wait to read the next book. If you can cast you magic on the story of the Milatos Caves it would be interesting.
Thank you for a very good read, Tony Airey
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Thank you so much for posting this lovely feedback, Tony. It was lovely to meet you and I’m so pleased to hear that the story ‘worked’ for you. I’m a bit stuck on the sequel, Rodanthe’s Gift as the launch of Kritsotopoula, Girl of Kritsa took over and I lost my flow so to speak. I’m back in the UK now, so my guess is that the next glimmer of inspiration won’t come until I get back to Crete in August. A trip back to Milatos Caves should sort me out! Best wishes, Yvonne x
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Interesting blog! My stepson and his wife live on Crete so this was interesting. I hope to pick up your book soon as so comments on here were very positive.
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Hi Christine and welcome. It will be fabulous if you read Kritsotopoula, Girl of Kritsa. Some of the events I portray from nearly 200 years ago are still seen, heard and eaten in the village today. Where in Crete does your stepson live? Best wishes, Yvonne x
PS just seen that you have a blog too, so I’m off to explorehttp://constantlymovingthebookmark.blogspot.ca
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Greetings from the USA (Florida!). All my relatives are from Crete it is absolutely gorgeous! I can trace back to great-great-grandfather and did so this past Apr. /May. Very emotional time for me. I’ll be back and very soon. Best regards as I follow Eugenia. Cheryl
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Hi, Cheryl you ae very welcome here. I’m researching my next book and need a character to emigrate from Crete to U.S.A. do you know what prompted your great-great-grandfather to leave Crete and what happened to him when he first arrived in U.S.A.? If you feel like sharing I’ve followed your blog so that will give you my email address. Best wishes, Yvonne x
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Actual Yvonne it was my Grandfather (Paternal Side) who left Chania, Greece in 1914 for Ellis Island, New York. His father and grandfather are in Crete at their final resting places. My Grandfather was married with two children but they remained in Crete until he settled in New Jersey, USA. My yia-yia eventually came over to USA. They went on to have 6 more children in the USA. His name is Stylianos Hatzidakis. Born in 1884 and died in 1968. This would be my father’s father. Grandpa did not speak a word of English nor did yiayia. They actual only spoke Greek and did not ant to learn English-very stubborn. All the children spoke both languages. As a large family especially during the depression pulled together and my grandfather was not standing in any food line-he provided for his family each day. As the boys got older left school they found odd jobs to earn a few cents to help put food on the table. There were 4 girls & 4 boys. yiayia stayed home and cared for the family. My email is clwiser@Yahoo.com. Grandpa was quite the character indeed-very resourceful, strict, old school. He was the Patriarch of a large family. Having 26 grandchildren when he past on. Best X Cheryl
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This is fabulous Cheryl, thank you so much. I will email you when I have some ‘thinking time’. X
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It is good to be ‘home’ for a while, Amanda. X
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Happy to say that I`ve just finished your delightful book. Although I`d rather not have to use the reason that a rotten cold confined me to the settee for two days, it did, in fact, give me the opportunity to read the book without feeling guilty about the other five thousand jobs which awaited me. Plus I had the added advantage that the tears which sprung to my eyes at the last sad ending, could be safely disguised by the piles of tissue paper strewn around me on the settee.
It was, a wonderfully touching, well researched book, a delight to read, and being set around my home area of Lassithi made it even more special. There`s so little I know about the terrible rule of the Turks, but only know the deep dislike many Cretans have for them, speaks volumes.
I can`t help feel that a sequel would be well received.
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Sorry to hear you’ve been unwell, Amanda. I’m pleased it gave some ‘you’ time for reading and I’m delighted with your lovely comments. It is fabulous to know you cried at the end, I did when I wrote it even though knew what was coming!
I’m writing the sequel at the moment and needed a plot device to get someone out of the way during a conflict. I had a cold at the time… then my character started sneezing! X
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Thanks so much for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. Much appreciated. I have popped in often to take a look at your wonderful photos and pieces and I just realised I have not commented before. No idea why not, it might be that I sometimes find a conflict with WP and Google trying to force me into using them to comment and no via my blog. Anyway, today it worked. Glad it did. Lovely – thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
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Thank you for your visits, Jane and for taking the time to comment. I know what you mean about some sites being difficult to comment on, sometimes I give up with Blogspot. X
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Hello Yvonne,
I’m Olga from Russia. It’s great to find your blog and learn something more about Critsa. Two years ago I was in Agios Nicolaos, it was wonderful. This year I am going to Critsa and booked the apartment here. It’d be interesting to read your book.
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Hi Olga. I hope you enjoy Kritsa and I’ll be thrilled if you buy a copy of Kritsotopoula, Girl of Kritsa while you are there. X
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Hi Yvonne! Lovely photos, and I’m looking forward to reading your book. Pleased to meet you, Marina
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Thanks for dropping in and commenting, you are very welcome. I’ll be delighted to hear what you think of the book, fingers crossed that you enjoy it. X
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Thank you Yvonne for visiting my blog today. I so much appreciated your presence. I love your blog and will take some time to read what you have and share my ideas in comments. I will purchase your book since I really want to read it, I don’t want to miss it. Thank you for sharing everything. Have a great weekend!
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Morning Yvonne.
I am retiring next year and i am looking for a reasonable priced long term rental in the Kalives,Ghania area.
I have visited Crete many times staying in Kalives.
I would appreciate any advice.
Regards
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We used to visit Crete a lot from about 1995 when we chose with another couple to stay in Sissi for two weeks. After that we went either with friends or ourselves to Elounda and Paleochora, but spent most years in Sissi. We of course hired a car each time and travelled all over the island. It’s such a diverse island with greenery in the West and sunbleached East. Our last trip was in 2008 to you guessed it, Sissi. One day we’ll get back there and once again sit by the sea watching the waves lap the rocky shore, or go to Neapoli for a cuppa in the square.
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Thank you for taking time to comment, I love all the places you’ve mentioned. I’ll soon be sharing a post about the fishing cat of Sissi. x
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