When Al and I went to live on the island of Kalymnos in 1995, the only other British residents were girls who had married Greek men, travel reps who had stayed on for the winter, an elderly Greekophile and two or three couples who were running businesses. Like us, they all lived in older houses or apartments that were quite simple, in the Greek island tradition, all spoke reasonable or even fluent Greek - or were at least at some stage of learning - and all wanted to learn about and fit in with the Greek way of life.
Each had also developed close ties with their own one or two local families and would exchange favours, spend feast days together and generally learn from each other. Julie, whose house I am staying in, first bought her property in Crete long before that, in the 1970s, so she has lived in a similar way for even longer.
In about 2004, when property was booming in the UK, a new wave of 'settlers' arrived in Greece, generally retired couples whose first major interaction with local people was the process of buying land and having new houses built - their own 'place in the sun'.
In Kalymnos, a small expat community developed and a few Kalymnians got involved in the building boom, but traditional Kalymnian culture remained absolutely dominant and visible.
Here in Plaka and the villages around western Crete, the balance is quite different. I would guess that Brits and other foreigners must make up at least half the population and local shops have sprung up, run by fellow expats, catering almost exclusively for their tastes and needs - or people drive into Chania for Lidl and Marks & Spencer. The vast majority are retired couples and there's no doubt that they have injected new life and prosperity into previously poor rural areas. Crete is a large island, the size of a small country with strong farming traditions, so life is bound to be different from on the dinner plate of rock that is Kalymnos, with its traditions of seafaring and sponge diving, but this is a new, unexpected phenomenon for me.
Of course, people move here because they love Greece, the sunshine, the gentler way of life. Yet it also seems that the boom of a few years ago is over and not only do brand new houses remain unsold, very many British residents who have lived here a while are trying to sell their homes and move on. I see 'For Sale' signs all around the village. Is the dream over? When I've asked people why, they reply almost sheepishly that they moved here as younger, fitter retirees and now they're getting older, perhaps with health problems, they find they want to be in the UK.
Others say that they miss their families - especially grandmothers miss seeing their grandchildren grow. I can relate to that. But it's as though there's something missing from their explanations, perhaps from their lives. Maybe it's difficult to find a sense of purpose, a way of feeling useful. Certainly those most actively involved in charity fund-raising seemed particularly positive.
And, inevitably in this situation, there's curiosity about anyone new who shows up. I met a couple who I didn't recognise, but had apparently been at Sunday's Eisteddfod. "Oh hello Faith, how are you? We heard that you're in the area looking to buy a house and settle. Is that right?" Already, through a process of Chinese whispers, house-sitting had become house-hunting....
Each had also developed close ties with their own one or two local families and would exchange favours, spend feast days together and generally learn from each other. Julie, whose house I am staying in, first bought her property in Crete long before that, in the 1970s, so she has lived in a similar way for even longer.
In about 2004, when property was booming in the UK, a new wave of 'settlers' arrived in Greece, generally retired couples whose first major interaction with local people was the process of buying land and having new houses built - their own 'place in the sun'.
In Kalymnos, a small expat community developed and a few Kalymnians got involved in the building boom, but traditional Kalymnian culture remained absolutely dominant and visible.
Here in Plaka and the villages around western Crete, the balance is quite different. I would guess that Brits and other foreigners must make up at least half the population and local shops have sprung up, run by fellow expats, catering almost exclusively for their tastes and needs - or people drive into Chania for Lidl and Marks & Spencer. The vast majority are retired couples and there's no doubt that they have injected new life and prosperity into previously poor rural areas. Crete is a large island, the size of a small country with strong farming traditions, so life is bound to be different from on the dinner plate of rock that is Kalymnos, with its traditions of seafaring and sponge diving, but this is a new, unexpected phenomenon for me.
Of course, people move here because they love Greece, the sunshine, the gentler way of life. Yet it also seems that the boom of a few years ago is over and not only do brand new houses remain unsold, very many British residents who have lived here a while are trying to sell their homes and move on. I see 'For Sale' signs all around the village. Is the dream over? When I've asked people why, they reply almost sheepishly that they moved here as younger, fitter retirees and now they're getting older, perhaps with health problems, they find they want to be in the UK.
Others say that they miss their families - especially grandmothers miss seeing their grandchildren grow. I can relate to that. But it's as though there's something missing from their explanations, perhaps from their lives. Maybe it's difficult to find a sense of purpose, a way of feeling useful. Certainly those most actively involved in charity fund-raising seemed particularly positive.
And, inevitably in this situation, there's curiosity about anyone new who shows up. I met a couple who I didn't recognise, but had apparently been at Sunday's Eisteddfod. "Oh hello Faith, how are you? We heard that you're in the area looking to buy a house and settle. Is that right?" Already, through a process of Chinese whispers, house-sitting had become house-hunting....
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