We’ve reviewed all four books published by A to Z Guides on our website, and excellent guides they are. They’re very thorough and well-researched, and that’s partly because the author and publisher, Tony Oswin, lives in Greece. He lives on the beautiful island of Thassos, and I was curious to find out how this Englishman came to live there and start writing guidebooks.
When did you first visit Greece, where did you go and why did you choose it?
My first visit to Greece was in my mid-20s with a girlfriend, and even then Greece and its history fascinated me. If my memory serves me well, it was a holiday on Skiathos, booked through, I think, Thomson Holidays.
Greece was very different then, with very few package holiday companies offering Greece as a destination, and those that did offered many more quaint and individual types of accommodation. Ours was a small and very basic three-room traditional cottage in the middle of olive groves, but it was wonderful, except that is, for the mosquitoes!
Why did you choose to move to Greece?
After that first holiday, I had fallen in love with Greece, its people and traditions and I knew one day I would love to live there permanently. It was strange, I felt completely at ease, almost as though in a previous life, Greece had been my home.
Only when I decided to step back from being a business consultant and took the decision to sell my company, could it afford me the financial security to fulfil my dreams and start to look more seriously at emigrating.
Also, although I hate to be negative, sadly the UK had changed, with life becoming even more frenetic and controlled. Greece gave me the opportunity to return to a more traditional and relaxed way of life.
Why did you choose Thassos?
Amazingly, after visiting many of the islands and travelling to many mainland Greek regions over the years, I had never heard of the northernmost Aegean island of Thassos (it is still a little known destination with Western Europeans).
It was only my nephew and his wife holidaying on the island and afterwards praising its virtues that made me look more closely at the island and decide to follow their lead.
A further positive of Thassos I have found is that it has ‘real’ seasons, unlike the far southern Aegean islands, and yes it does snow during the winter! But it is refreshing to move through the seasons and experience all they have to offer.
How did your publishing company come about?
Prior to closing my business consultancy, many of my clients asked me to put our highly successful approach to business onto paper, so one of my last tasks was to write a book. After completing the manuscript, I had to find a publisher, which in the end was Arima Publishing based in Bury St. Edmonds. They published ‘The Business’ in paperback form in 2006 and so my connection with the world of publishing was born.
Did you think the books would still be going all these years later?
I really didn’t think about its future, it was a labour of love and a way to repay Greece for its open-armed adoption of us………and I have to admit, a way to prevent atrophy of my brain after years of relying on it in my career! I certainly wasn’t ready for full retirement.
Why did you choose Rhodes, Santorini and Kos to add to your first Thassos guide?
One problem for tourists on Thassos is that there is no tourist information office and so in the early years, I ran an information desk in the ‘Old Harbour’ in Thassos Town during the summer season. As it had an ‘A to Z’ name board, a number of people who had purchased my Thassos guide book before coming on holiday, realised the connection and came over to chat.
The compliments and feedback I received regarding the usefulness and depth of honest information in the book made me realise I had ‘hit the spot’ and therefore looked at the other Aegean islands that I admired to follow up with a guide book for each. And so, the guide books for Kos, Santorini and Rhodes followed in quick succession.
Are there other titles in the pipeline?
I would like to say yes and I would state “never say no”, but I have to be honest that a new book takes a considerable effort and a lot of travelling and I’m not getting any younger! We will see.
You also have a website, with travel news and a Travel Club for each of the four islands to keep up. How much of your time does it take?
Sadly quite a bit! Having to read all the daily local papers for each island and the national ones keeps me busy. I also have friends on each island who, during the summer months, feed me with local news that doesn’t reach the papers, but at the end of the day, I created the unique concept and I am proud of it!
Last year was a record year for Greek tourism. Did you notice any change on Thassos?
Yes, since the fall of the ‘Iron Curtain’, the Balkan countries have discovered international travel and as Thassos is in easy reach of Romania and Bulgaria, we have seen a major increase in tourism from those countries, so much so that at the height of the season, for the last few years, the island has achieved 100% occupancy. The downside is that the infrastructure of the island is experiencing increased difficulty in coping, especially with regard to the number of cars arriving on the island.
Apart from Thassos, where are your favourite Greek places to visit?
There are many, but the island of Rhodes holds a very special place in our hearts, especially for the amazing architecture, history and atmosphere of Rhodes Medieval Town and the diversity of the rest of the island.
And that’s it for this week’s newsletter. Maybe it’s set you to thinking about what it would be like to live in Greece!
Mike and Donna