Martin Radford

Blue Skies, Olives, Oranges and Expats Martin Radford

In January 2007, I set off again into the unknown. I had a one-way ticket to Crete, a three day hotel booking, and an appointment to teach English for five months. I had abandoned my original idea of travelling in Eastern Europe in favour of warmer climates, or at least I hoped so. Well, the climate turned out to be a little cooler and damper than expected, but the impending possibility of some catastrophe developing out of having a one-way ticket with no secure plan upon arrival, luckily did not happen. I found myself working in Sitia, a small remote town facing out into the Aegean, isolated from its nearest neighbours by hazardous mountain passes: in fact Sitia continued in its isolation just as it had always done in the past. However, rather than confining me to one location, as had been my previous travel experience, this trip enabled me both the time and ability to explore beyond the local area. An Easter pay bonus from my employer enabled me to see a little of Greece, Rhodes to be exact, and Marmaris on the opposite shores of Turkey.