Happy New Year Heidi. Thanks so much for your support over the last year. Thanks for sticking with us through so much drama and sadness. Much love 😘🥰💜🤟

It was a lovely town. We will have to go back at some point and check out the other 3 churches and meet up again with Avia. She was so sweet. 😍💜🤟

Hey guys, Haha yep.. it's utterly over the top and we loved it. We'll, I (Alison) loved it a bit more than Darren. 🤣 It was trimmed with Halloween decks when I stumbled across it. Equally awesome. #IftheGriswoldsdidHalloween 😍🎃👻⚰️👺👹☠️🎃 We hope you had a cracking Christmas and wishing you the world for 2025. Much love and excessive hugs. 😘💜🤟

Greek churches are incredible. We actually started speaking to Avia Aurora Christie (I have to use her full name just because I love it so much) because of a young communal cat, who had been given no name but is now called Darren. 🤣 I was fussing over him when she arrived to open the church. As soon as he saw her he ran to her for loveses. She is so proud of her culture and her history, it's infectious. She also seemed grateful that someone was taking an interest in the churches. She was doing us a favour showing us around, yet kept thanking us. So different to how we would be/have been treated in other countries. Finding places to park in Greece in winter seems ok. A lot of places are just thankful that you are putting a little bit of money into their pockets. It will probably be tougher as the season kicks in. Black waste facilities are harder to come by. Thankfully we don't use chemicals, so we can use a public toilet, but it's a consideration. Food in Greece isn't as cheap as it used to be, obviously there are still increased prices in the tourist areas, but it's not heart attack inducing. Our first midweek video goes out this week, but we need to reign ourselves in, as they are still too long. There's just too much to see here. 🤦🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤣 Enjoy your belated festive get together and family time. It's so precious. So we'll still say Merry Christmas to you. Travel safely on your UK explorations and Happy New Year in advance. Much love 😘💜🤟🎉🎊

The first church was relatively new, built in the 70's I think, but clearly decorated to be very traditional. Some of the relics inside though were from the 12th century and incredibly precious to them. The second church was much more our thing with the understated stone. Meeting Avia was priceless. Happy new year Gareth. 💜🤟

It's a very beautiful country Matthew. Have you ever been..?!? 😍💜🤟

Once 25 years ago

@matthewparrott7841 It hasn't changed much we don't think. 💜🤟

We adore farm life. We could see ourselves with a little smallholding. Olive picking is backbreaking work, but very emotionally rewarding. There weren't that many bugs to be fair. We did see several Praying Mantis though and carefully moved them onto a tree that we had already harvested. Apparently they like nesting in those olive trees. None of them attempted to hurt us though. The 2 cities were something neither of us wish to repeat. Our nerves couldn't cope with it. Driving straight out onto a busy roundabout without looking and expecting others to move out of the way, seems to be a normal thing in Albania. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️💜🤟

Haha Dan..! Yes, Papa was very handsome for his age...🤪 The whole family were absolute diamonds. We will definitely go back and see how they are doing with making their dreams a reality. It would be lovely to think they could complete it in a few years. Olive picking is back breaking work. Maybe that's what gives them such a sense of humility. 🤔 Like you said, a complete world away from the chaos of the cities and the young people with their blackened windowed expensive British cars that may or may not have been obtained by less than legal means .. Anywhoozle, the alcoholic drink was called Raki. It's like methylated spirits until Kurt worked his magic on it. I think I'll just stick to Dad's Drambuie. There were hoards of street dogs. That was also part of my meltdown in Shkodër. Dogs asleep in the middle of roundabouts and on paths, running into the roads, one had been hit on the road and not made it, but had just been left in the road. 😭 Thankfully the rural areas are better, they seem to take care of the strays too, but it's really tough to see. We have just been adopted by a new cat and we're sure there will be another dog at some point... Personally I want to take them all home and if we re-settled somewhere like southern Albania, we would probably have a whole flock of them. 🫤 Spoiler alert... Thankfully Greece seems a bit better. Still strays, but more people look out for them. Ps. I often have to delete and start again. It's a pain in the proverbial when it's a wordy response. 🤣🤣 Much love guys. 😘💜🤟

Hey Kat, The views were definitely worth the walk, as tough as it was. Bart loves everyone, especially cats. When we used to foster feral cats and kittens, he would lay beside the dog crate, until they stopped hissing at him. He thinks he is the protector of the world's cats and always keeps a close eye on anyone who picks one up. I taught him to have a healthy respect for a flailing murd3r mitten, but I guess being raised with many cats, he thinks he is part cat. 🤷🏼‍♀️😍💜🤟

@findingxanadulife He is adorable.

He is definitely that. 😍💜🤟

Hi Elaine, The first church was less than 100 years old, but there were items in there from the 12th century that were exquisite. Avia the church warden was really lovely too. The cakes were lovely and so cheap. This was before Bart's vestibular episode, but he's feeling much better now. 💜🤟

@findingxanadulife forget videosxare behind some events! Glad he's doing good. ❤️🐾

@elainebramson7042 Not to worry. 😘💜🤟

Hi Simon, We thought about stopping at Parga and Nicopolis (both still on our list to visit) but the weather was so bad, we decided to skip straight to Lefkada. We'll be in Greece for at least another couple of months this time and probably another 3 months later in the year, so I'm sure we'll go back to them. We didn't realise that Preveza has a little bridge the same shape as the one in Lefkada. If you have any other suggestions for places that we should visit, please let us know. We enjoyed Athens greatly, but still have a lot more to see there, when we get round to going back. Thanks for your comment. Much love 💜🤟

Hi Peter, We know a lot of people that prefer Benidorm. Personally, we prefer Altea. Hope you had a good Christmas. Thanks for your comment. 💜🤟

Thailand is on our list. 😂🤣 We loved Athens, as you will see in a few weeks. We will be going back again at some point. We didn't see anywhere near as much as we had planned. It's cold and wet here in Greece, but we can't have everything. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Merry Christmas, enjoy the festive season and the sun..! 🎄😘💜🤟

Awesome. We'll look forward to that when we visit Bulgaria next year. Thanks for your comment. Merry Christmas. 🎄😘💜🤟

Merry Christmas Suzie. Hope you had a lovely day yesterday and continue to enjoy the festive season. Much love. 😘🥰🎄💜🤟

Merry Christmas Sarah. You should add it to your list. They also trim for Halloween...!! Charlotte would love it. I think the rest of the year they have a Disney theme. We couldn't get into the cafe, the queue was huge, but the shop was exquisite and very tiny. They only allow 4 people in at a time. How you guys had a lovely day. 😘🥰🎄💜🤟

@ we did have a lovely day thanks, nice and relaxed at home xxx

@sarahweeks5904 Perfect. Much love to all. 😘💜🤟

Gosh Willie, Thank-you so much for the super thanks. We hope you had a great Christmas day and continue to enjoy the rest of the festive season. We truly appreciate your support. Much love Alison and Darren 🎄💜🤟

Merry Christmas to you guys too. Looking forward to your next adventure.🎄💜🤟

@findingxanadulife We are super busy when we get back to the UK! But hopefully all positive! X

It was always going to be a cat ornament. We would have loved the dog one too, but they were €13 each. The place was packed to the rafters. You're very welcome. Thanks for your support and all your comments. They do make a huge difference to the channel. 😘🎄🎅💜🤟

@findingxanadulife hmmm that's a bit steep in my opinion. Probably would not have bought any. Good grief! Been thinking i need to cut down on my comments. I feel like im.having a conversation with you and not commenting only on what is going on in your vids. I just feel I've gotten to know you so I can relate to some things. I apologize.

@elainebramson7042 Not at all Elaine. All of your comments are very much appreciated. It's nice to get to know something about our viewers too. Much love. 😘💜🤟

Hey Kat. It's a rotating theme for them. They must have huge storage facilities as they have a Christmas theme (obvs) Halloween theme and Disney theme, so it's decorated all year round. It must take them days to change them over. Thanks for all your support of our channel this year., it's very much appreciated. Kala Christoúgenna as they say here in Greece. 😘🎄💜🤟

@findingxanadulife Thank you for taking us along your journeys. Can't wait for next year 🤟🎉

@Katubemeow You're very welcome. In the new year, we will be trialling 2 videos a week. We recorded 2 in Athens and we will still need to go back in future to see the rest of it. There was so much to see. 😘💜🤟

@@findingxanadulife Awesome a I need to do some catch up... I was traveling through Peru which made it challenging to keep up to date.

@Katubemeow Oh gosh, that sounds amazing. Hope you had an incredible time. 😘💜🤟

It was the place of inner child dreams Heidi. Crazy busy as you would expect a few days before Christmas, but we loved it. Thank you for all your support and comments this year, it makes all the difference to the channel. Kala Christoúgenna from Greece. Hope you are having a lovely day. 🎄🎅🥰💜🤟

Merry Christmas Matthew. Hope you are having a lovely day. Thanks so much for all your support and comments over the last year. Much love from both of us. 🎄🎅🥰💜🤟

Can’t wait for the next videos and for your journey next year to get bigger and even better

Athens was amazing, you won't be disappointed, much love💜🤟

Hi Gareth, Sorry to hear that. Maybe we were just lucky..?!? Thanks for all the comments during the past year. Much appreciated. Merry Christmas to you and Mrs. Duff. 😬🎄💜🤟

Thank-you Towah. Picking the olives is back breaking work, but very rewarding. We saw several Praying Mantis in the olive trees and a few of their nests. It was lovely being out in nature after the stress of driving in the cities. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Merry Christmas to you too. 😘🎄💜🤟

Hi Sandra, We're so glad you liked the video. We hate drama and have had far too much of it in the past few months with losing my father and 2 very much loved companions. We're hoping for a nice quiet and relaxed Christmas. Merry Christmas to you and thanks so much for watching and commenting. Much love Alison and Darren 💜🤟🎄

We do tend to wind each other up a lot...🤣 Merry Christmas. 🎄💜🤟

Thank-you Roger. Merry Christmas to you too. Much love 🎄💜🤟

Thankyou. Merry Christmas to you too. 🎄💜🤟

You were missed Paulette. 😘🥰💜🤟

Oooh thanks Paulette, we'll have to Google that..! 😘💜🤟

Hi Elaine, We really couldn't cope with the insanity of the traffic. We needed 25 pairs of eyes at least. At one point there was an amputee, pushing himself along in his wheelchair, down the middle of 2 lanes of traffic. 🤯 It was just too much. We found our overnight stops on an app called Park4Night and we deliberately look for places that are rural and offer something different. We don't like staying on campsites if we can help it. Sometimes it's necessary, but farms or just wild camping spots are our favourite. We seem to be drawn to some people, who always turn out to be what we call "Salt of the earth", sweet, humble and all around lovely. We will be spending a few more months in Greece before heading to Türkiye and Athens was incredible. Watch this space for the videos. (*Spoiler alert, there will be two of them*) 😬 Wishing you guys a very merry Christmas too. 😘💜🤟

@findingxanadulife 🎄🎄🎄 stay safe and glad Athens did not disappoint. Our visit was amazing. Enjoy Greece and its food. We love it! We have not been to all islands. Rhodes was really nice too. The old town is nice. We went out to Anthony Quin Bay and had lovely seafood there, visited some archeological site as well. Been there twice. Santorini, Mykonos, Crete, Cyprus. Rural areas is where you really get a feel of locals. That's why in moving to Spain we want to meet locals not just expats. Yes, it will take time. And just was in a zoom call about the financial aspect and they brought up property taxes which I knew about but they mentioned income tax? We won't work but we need to file an income report and pay taxes on our retirement as well? That blew my mind. They used an example of a client that had to pay 6 figures 😡 i may be confused but we may have to rethink moving there. We can go to Portugal or Italy and we'll have to learn a new language but who knows if they will have similar tax requirements. Thinking logically, why would so many from many countries live there and like it and no comments of taxes be ever mentioned or folks would not keep moving there. We are getting on a call with our lawyers and though this is not their expertise they might clarify. I do worry that we like to travel and what happens to the security of our property if we are gone for a month as an example. Mind you after our experience in living in Panama we are more aware of things that we never thought of. But every country is different. Living in a house different than an apt and coming with a dog an apt might not work out well with us. Won't give her up for sure!

@elainebramson7042 We want to visit lots of the islands, but it's not very easy with Perse. When we looked at the ferry to Corfu, they only took motorhomes up to 7m and Perse is 7.4m 🤷🏼‍♀️ We're still looking for a way. Yes, you would have to pay income tax in Spain on your pension. We have to pay tax on mine. Thankfully the UK have an agreement which means they accept that we pay tax in Spain and don't charge us again, or we would still be paying tax on the UK too. We had to pay double tax for a while when we moved. It is the same in Portugal and Greece, not sure about Italy. In fact from the info we have been given, we would pay more tax in Greece than we do in Spain. Hopefully your financial advisor can work out the figures for you and it will still make sense. Oh hell no, dogs are family. 🐩🐕 Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, hope you have a peaceful time. 😘💜🤟

@findingxanadulife do your best with Perse. He'll no about our dog is right. She's 10 and attached to the hip to us. Sleeps with us. Mini white schnauzer. We've never paid taxes on our retirement. Never had to file for taxes in Panama. We filed in the US Embassy try year but not in Panama and we did not pay taxes on retirement. That is gonna be new to us. Lord have mercy! Thanks for the heads up. 🙏🐾❤️🎄

@elainebramson7042 Bless her. 🐩 Hopefully the cheaper coat of living, would offset the cost of paying the tax. 🤷🏼‍♀️ At least you can check out all our and make an informed decision. Merry Christmas to you and your family Elaine.🎄 Much love. 😘💜🤟

A lot of it is purely by luck Beti..! 🤣 We use an app called Park4Night and deliberately look for places that are rural and quiet. We want to go back and visit the rural north. We just know that Albania cities are not for us. 🤣 Much love to you guys and Gëzuar Krishtlindjet 😘😘💜🤟

Hey Elaine, If we lived there, we would need to have a quad bike for sure. The family were lovely, the views were spectacular and that more than made up for us not enjoying the coffee. The fortress was well worth the climb, both up the hill and through the window. As for the animals, it always breaks my heart when animals don't have their own humans to worship them and a loving home. The locals have created a warm place for them to sleep and feed them as best they can, I just wish there was more money available for sterilisation and veterinary treatment. I'll always find time to spend with animals. It often makes us late for things though. 🤣 We both love finding it about local culture it's half the fun of travelling. We're sure you'll love Kotor, you know we did..! Much love as always. 😘💜🤟

@findingxanadulife thank you! God sent you many purposes and one is your love and attention to animals. I see Bart seems to be doing well now! 😍🐾

Bart is doing much better already thanks. Another few days and we can judge what neurological damage he has been left with, if any. I think my main purpose in life was to tame wild cats and find them loving family homes. I hate seeing them suffer if they aren't good at fending for themselves. 😘💜🤟

Hey guys, The scenery was to die for and so worth the excessively strenuous hike. Even the 'view from the loo' at the cheese shop was heaven sent. Sadly Rhona Mitra or Angelina Jolie I'm not, but I do love an ancient ruin, just ask Darren..! 🤣😂🤣 It was great that the couple was there, especially helping get Bart through the window. Darren and I may have managed it between us, but not with Bart that's for sure. The locals do look after the cats as best they can. They provide shelters and feed them, but a lot of them look poorly, which is heartbreaking. At least most of them were sterilised which is a bonus. The rural Albania coffee was the same. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Oh well, good job I liked the "Mountain Tea" 🤣 Take care guys, much love. 😘🥰💜🤟

We had to just Google Elmyra Duff and yep that would be us too. Squeeeeeee. 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣 I (Alison) still want to take them all home. 🤷🏼‍♀️🐈🐈‍⬛🐈🐈‍⬛🐕🐩🐾 I'm sure when/if we get to Serbia they will be far more rigorous. Thanks for watching and your comment, it's much appreciated as always. 💜🤟

Hi Barry and Sarah, You should visit sometime. We will be going back to Croatia, I NEED to see every inch of old Dubrovnik, but Montenegro was stunning and the people we encountered were amazing. Albania even more so. You've already read my Journal, so you'll know spoilers from next week's Albania video about our enormous plate of meat in Montenegro after we wrapped up this video and the fabulous family we encountered. The generosity of people that really don't have much, is incredible. Scenery and gorgeous people, always a winning combination (even if the coffee wasn't to our liking 🤣) Much love guys 😘💜🤟

Hey Gaby, You could genuinely DRIVE up there .?!? 🤯 What kind of car did you have..?!? That must have been a lovely view from your balcony. The bay was stunning and Kotor is such a pretty town. Thanks for watching and for commenting. Much love. 💜🤟

It was. Have you been Matthew..?!? 💜🤟

@@findingxanadulife no never been but some friends have been

@matthewparrott7841 You should visit. It's lovely. 💜🤟

The people who helped us climb through the window were American and our temporary camera man was french. All of them, including the Montenegrins were lovely. I (Alison) didn't notice any other flags, but Darren says that although we don't know why there was a Canadian flag specifically, he saw several stickers from other countries displayed in the area where we sat and drank our coffee, so he wonders if visitors have given them to the family. 🤔🤷🏼‍♀️ Good eyesight and fabulous comment. Much love 💜🤟

We saw a couple of places that were part of the fish shop. Was the apartment block nice..?!? We thought it was beautiful too. We will go back for sure. Thanks for watching and for your comment. Much love 💜🤟

@@findingxanadulifeI was actually embarrassed staying in that apartment block as it was so unsympathetic to the environment and Good knows how it got planning permission. Flat was modern if a bit soulless. The view from the balcony was great though.

@esarempee We see a lot of places that have buildings that are completely unsympathetic to the surroundings. There are some really dodgy architects out there. 🤷🏼‍♀️💜🤟

@findingxanadulife Yep. The local moggies had a meeting. Warned each other, "keep your eyes out for an unstable woman with a glint in her eye." 🤣

Are you sure we've never met...?!? 🤣😂🤣😂 *Alison says with a glint in her eye* 🤣😂🤣💜🤟

We had an amazing time Kat, with the beautiful snow and coveting the costumes. 🤣💜🤟

Thanks for watching, however SEO no longer plays any part in the success of videos. This has been confirmed consistently by the KZbin team over the last few years. But thanks for at least sending us your input.

Hey guys, We definitely couldn't have missed Neuschwanstein. 😍 Italy was very much cheaper. Will it be the same when we get to Pompeii, Rome, Turin etc..?!? We'll find out some time down the road. Caves and water are always a great combination. 😍 Realtime, we're currently in Greece. Hope you're still enjoying Spain. 😘 Much love and safe travels to you. 💜🤟

Hey Towah..! We thought Austria was pretty, but definitely liked Italy better. The Dolomites were incredible and we loved where we stayed in Italy, until the -10°c was forecast. Then we hot footed it south to find some warmth. 🤣💜🤟

@@findingxanadulife Those last pictures were very nice to see from a cold and rainy Netherlands

Hi Peter..! Herculaneum is most definitely on our list to visit. I (Alison) have been obsessed with Vesuvius and the destruction that it caused, for a very long time. We welcome any other suggestions you may have. Thanks for watching and your kind words. Much love 💜🤟