Research Trip To Crete - Part One

Chania Venetian Lighthouse

Last week, I travelled to Crete with my daughter, Jo, to find out more about the area where novel six, with its working title of The Stolen Sister, is partially set. I've named the fictional town where much of the story takes place Fáros Limáni (Lighthouse Port in Greek). It's based on the town of Chania, famous for its Venetian lighthouse, on the north-west coast of Crete and was where we stayed in its old town for three nights.The dual timeline novel is set in the 1950s and the 1970s so by staying there gave us more of an idea of what Chania was like in both those eras. 

From the first draft of the novel, I'd made a list of places to visit, a list of things to check and, the best bit, typical Cretan foods to sample! My main character, Greta, was an artist who joined an art commune in the town. I decided on using one of the now derelict ship sheds situated close to the harbour as the building where the artists lived and painted.

Typical street in the old town

On the first full day in Chania, we first visited the Tourist Information Centre where a very helpful staff member was able to tell us what maternity services were like in Crete in the '50s, even ringing her cousin to check that she was born in a clinic rather than be delivered as a home birth which was common in Britain at the time. There were no ambulances, she told us, but a mother experiencing complications would be taken to hospital by taxi or car. She was also able to confirm some instances of stolen babies that I'd read about.

We spent the rest of the day visiting places mentioned in the novel. In the 1970 story, Zoë remembers playing in rock pools with a young boy and these on Nea Chora beach seemed ideal. 

It wasn’t far until she came to a row of small cottages on the street above a sandy beach. As she got nearer, the strong feeling of déjà vu returned. She stopped. Images of playing on the rocks and finding crabs in the rock pools came back to her. There was a boy she used to play with. Nikos... Zoë got out the photos from her bag and found one of two children playing on the beach. In the left of the photograph were the flat rocks she saw in front of her.

Tavernas and kafenía are mentioned a lot in the story and it only seemed right that we visited them!

Cretan beer, Charma

Dakos, a typical Cretan dish 

Traditional Greek salad

A rather large bougatsa 

Complimentary raki and 
portokalopita (Greek orange phyllo cake)

Greek yoghurt and honey

Eléni explained what each of the dishes were. 'Kali orexi. Bon appetit.' 

    'Dimitrios will tell you I'm not very adventurous when it comes to trying out Greek food but I am getting better, aren't I?' said Zoë.

    He squeezed her hand. 'You are. You're eating olives like a true Greek now.' They both laughed. 'But I don't think you're ready for the octopus.' He picked up a piece of pink grilled tentacle and began eating. 'There's a lot here you have already tried, Zoë mou.' He pointed to the dolmas, mini chicken souvlaki, the pitta bread and the hummus, as well as all the salads she loved. 'Echfaristo, Yiayia.Nothing too adventurous.'

    'The octopus was especially for you, agápi mou.' Dimitrios blew a kiss at his grandmother.

    'It looks wonderful, Eléni.' Zoë pointed to one platter. 'With the colours of all the fresh vegetables arranged around the bowl of tzaziki, it looks just like an artist's palette.'

Next time, Part Two will tell you about the critical weather warning we had on the Tuesday morning, a visit to Chalepa, a wealthy area of Chania, for inspiration for Dimitrios's parents' and grandparents' homes, finding a secluded cove and, on the last day, a trip to the hippie caves in Matala at the south of the island where Zoë scattered Greta's ashes. I hope you've enjoyed reading the first part and will return to read part two. Thank you. 

I'm excited to get back to the story of The Stolen Sister to tweak the first draft ready for submission in June. A huge thank you to Jo who again acted as my amazing tour guide and chauffeur for the five days. 

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Shortlisted for Romantic Saga of the Year 2024

'I was transported to stunning Sicily and enjoyed the senses evoked through the setting and food. The mystery woven into the novel is compelling, and I love the art theme.'

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