Living in Lisbon. A house in the Alentejo within roaring distance of the ocean waves. Crete, ah, Crete! Corfu. We were looking for culture, friendliness, smells, history, flavours, to put our spiritual and bodily needs in a beautiful and meaningful context.

Bye, bye Portugal

Such were our dilemmas. We regretfully said goodbye to Portugal in 2021, after many visits and trying it on. Why not? Lisbon is very expensive and plots of land on the Atlantic completely out of our reach. Almost four hours by plane from our loved ones, the flights themselves noticeably less than to Greece.

Crete? Possible next life chapter.

Crete, the great love of our more beautiful half, lost out to Corfu by a hair. It is more beautiful than Corfu, more diverse, has real mountains and a dry, sunny winter. And gorges, let’s not forget gorges! In the summer, however, it turns into an oven, washed out of greenery, and it’s also over an hour further from Europe than Corfu. We didn’t take earthquakes into account, but the stronger ones are noticeably more in Crete.

Corfu!

We will write about Corfu here more than once. You can get there easily and cheaply; it’s green, less changed by tourism. It is close to Europe, also through the Venetian influence, but also close to Epirus, Albania and Italian Pula. But perhaps most importantly, despite the many visits, the island still gives us joy.