Here’s a photo of me, and my better half, Alan enjoying a meal courtesy of Aristidis in the upper square. We’re so lucky to spend nearly half of each year in Kritsa, our favourite village in Crete, Greece. Take a seat, have a raki and I’ll share a taste with you.

In 2001, we bought a small house in the back streets of Kritsa, a hillside village in the east of Crete.  Our breath-taking view looks out across cluttered rooftops, a huge church, olive groves, and the distant sea, all framed by the Thripti Mountains.

At that time, our thoughts went no further than enjoying annual holidays, with a vague hope that ‘one day’ we might spend more time in Kritsa. We never imagined just how life changing our decision would be.

Luckily some visits coincided with the opportunity to watch a fellow Kritsa resident, the English sculptor Nigel Ratcliffe, work on his beautiful stone monument dedicated to Kritsotopoula, Girl of Kritsa. Along with her rebel comrades, Kritsotopoula fought against Ottoman oppression in 1823.  This carving became my ‘muse’ as I researched and wrote my first novel, also called Kritsotopoula, Girl of Kritsa.

In 2014, we took another life enhancing decision when I took early retirement allowing us to split our life between both countries. Although it is lovely to spend time with family and friends in the UK, it is while we are in Kritsa that we enjoy a real sense of community. There is a Facebook group called Explore Kritsa where you are very welcome to share your photos taken in Kritsa. To join this group Click Here .

My books are available from Nikos in his bookshop on the upper square and from Amazon Click Here.