The Expat Life: Canadian Perspective on Living in Greece

Curious about the expat life in Greece from a Canadian perspective? Watch this video to learn about living in Greece, moving to Greece, and more!
Living in Greece: Expat Adventures - Frank & Timmi's Journey
Welcome to "Living in Greece" with Andy! In this episode, Tanya and I sit down with Frank and Timmi, Canadian expats who have made the bold move to Greece. They share their inspiring story of leaving everything behind to start a new life in the beautiful town of Nafplio. Join us as we dive into the "who, what, when, where, how, and why" of their journey.
Who are Frank and Timmi?
Born and raised in Toronto with Greek and Italian heritage, they decided to embrace their roots by moving to Greece.
Why Greece?
Discover how their numerous vacations in Greece influenced their decision and why they fell in love with the country's culture and relaxed lifestyle.
What do they do in Greece?
They own two stunning Airbnb properties located in the idyllic surroundings of Nafplio and Arcadia, offering guests a perfect blend of mountain and sea views.
Life in Greece vs. Canada:
Hear about the stark differences in lifestyle, from the relaxed pace and quality of life in Greece to the demanding grind in Canada.
Tips for Aspiring Expats:
Essential advice on patience, navigating bureaucracy, and the importance of thorough research before making the move.
Frank and Timmi's story is filled with insights and practical tips for anyone considering a move to Greece. Whether you’re an aspiring expat or just curious about life in Greece, this video offers a genuine look into the challenges and rewards of starting fresh in a new country.
Connect with Frank and Timmi:
For more details on their Airbnbs and to book your stay, visit their website www.hellenicescapes.com/
Check out my detailed blog post on Nafplio and more about their journey in the description below.
Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more expat stories and insights about living in Greece! Click here for more videos and hit the subscribe button for updates.
Cheers and happy viewing!
Find Out The Best Places To Live in Greece: • Best Places to Live in...
Living in Greece - Tanya and I have bought a small old house in Greece and are living in Greece and renovating the house ourselves. These are our experiences of living here. See the chapters below for a list.
We thank everyone who supports us on both Patreon and Utreon.
Follow this link to become a member: / liveingreece
Email us at [e-mail]
Check out Tanya's blog post about Nafplio: www.cantravelwilltravel.com/t...
DON'T FORGET TO LIKE, SHARE AND HIT THE SUBSCRIBE BUTTON :-)
#livingingreece #liveingreece #greecelife
Tanya and I have bought a small old house in Greece and are living in Greece and renovating the house ourselves. These are our experiences of living here.
See the chapters below for a list.
00:00 Canadians Living in Greece!
00:43 Who are Frank and Timmi?
02:32 Canadian Life vs Greek Life - The Differences
03:20 Why Greece?
04:04 Where Do They Live? Nafplio!
04:30 Why Nafplio?
06:07 What do they do in Greece? 2 Air BnBs!
06:25 Xiropigado Air BnB
07:50 Kantia Air BnB
09:40 Why You Cannot Flush Toilet Paper in Greece!
10:30 Living in Xiropigado
12:15 When Did You Move to Greece?
13:00 How To Move To Greece
15:12 Regrets About Moving To Greece
15:19 Greek Bureaucracy Needs Patience
15:47 Patience, A Good Lawyer and Do Your Research
#livingingreece #nafplio #canadian

[@johngeorge5624]

GOD bless you guys. Greece is a wonderful place that's for sure. Hopefully one day our family will do the same. Cheers!

[@LivinginGreece]

Thanks John, come for a beer when you all get here👍🍻😀

[@johngeorge5624]

Sounds wonderful! Keep it cold till we get there 😀

[@marinermwraitis4328]

​@@LivinginGreeceouzo with meze also. 😄

[@captaingreek]

I don't know about Canada, but I believe you. Believe me as well when I'm saying that the customer service is amazing in Greece compared to most European countries. Not better. Amazing.

[@LivinginGreece]

In one of our favourite tavernas we serve our selves drinks, its a damn sight quicker than waiting for the staff to do it. Customer service here is generally below par compared to UK. Apart from in hardware shops and petrol stations where its like going back to 1975 and they still serve you and get everything for you. In fact in our local hardware store. It really annoys them if you just want to walk around and look at things. The staff tend to follow you and explain what everything is and does.

[@captaingreek]

@@LivinginGreece It is the first time that I hear a foreigner complaining about the service in Greece. I have travelled in many countries in Europe and have lived in Denmark for many years. Service in the northern Europe is non-existent. Even in places where they serve (In not taking any self-service). They just bring you your coffee or plate, NO questions are allowed (they just turn and walk) and if you dare to ask for something extra or make a complain, you'll receive this: "I don't know, I'm just working here". This goes for restaurants, stores, telecommunication and energy companies etc. Immigrants from Southern or Eastern Europe are amazed by their lack of service.

[@pvdppvdp6638]

@@LivinginGreece My experiences from the customer service in the UK is that it is far below par compared to the excellent service i have got in Greece for the last 35 years.

[@arisspyrou1163]

I would like to dissolve the myth about the toilet paper in Greece. I have project managed the building of my house on the island of Lefkada. The regulation about sewage pipes for septic tanks are 10cm diameter. In the 60s, 70s and 80s perhaps there were properties that were built with a smaller diameter pipe. My parents house was built in the early 70s and it has a 10cm diameter pipe. I never had a problem with flashing paper and I always do. Since the early 90s all Greek cities and towns have central sewage systems which are designed to take toilet paper. Modern toilet paper is also designed to disolve so it can be absorbed by the system. As this wasn't the case in the 70s and generations have been raised with a paper bin in the toilet, and as the local authorities and the central government never did a campaign to change the perception of the people about the issue, we are stuck with this unnecessary habit, as with so many other things in Greece.

[@LivinginGreece]

Thank you so much for this, it sets the story straight. I have heard something similar but not in so much detail. Useful to know.

[@kyrioskunder]

easy proof : when you buy a Villeroy & Boch or a Geberit toilet bowl made in Germany, you can use this in DEU in GRE in USA in Zimbabwe or on the moon !!! As long as the pipe diameter is 10 cm ! And in Europe the pipes are ALWAYS 10 cm !! My parents house in Athens from 1971 has 10 cm diameter !!! The real cause is, that the workers and the engineers and the owners are making endless construction mistakes to save money . If there is a problem, this is NOT , that the Greeks are using DIFFERENT TYPE of toilet bowls ! We use THE SAME BRAND NAME MODELS AS IN THE REST OF THE WORLD ! Just a stupid/slau method from the hotels / RBNB owners to avoid extra problems !

[@shanhad1572]

Please do that "process" video! Great information in this video.

[@LivinginGreece]

I'll talk to Frank and Timmi, it's already agreed in principle, its just finding the time as we all have day jobs etc 😀

[@Coddiwompling]

Good to see new content from your channel. Thank you for the video and also Timmi and Frank for sharing their experience. Ευχαριστώ!

[@LivinginGreece]

Thank you so much for still watching after all this time. 👍🙏

[@dinoaivaliotis3827]

Very nice and informative video 😁👍

[@LivinginGreece]

Thanks old bean 😀

[@0jellybeanie0]

So good to see you guys! I was worried you weren't well as you hadn't posted for so long! Another interesting video 😊

[@LivinginGreece]

Yeah its been a bit of a rocky road recently but we are back on track now hopefully. Thanks for watching after all this time 🙏👍😀

[@0jellybeanie0]

@@LivinginGreece so sorry to hear that! Sending lots of healing wishes your way 🙏

[@despinakyraleos2234]

Toronto Canada is a nice, if not great place, and you don't have to keep your head down. They made it sound like a dictatorship. I do love Nafplio though, spent some time.e there. Canadian of Greek heritage

[@londonbabe2467]

Hello Andy and everyone. Would it be possible for me to live in Greece if I purchased a cheap home. I’m retirement age and want to leave the UK. I’m entitled to have an Irish passport. My pension won’t be very much. Could you please advise. 😊

[@JimmyTheGreek2000]

You are making Nafplio very expensive by promoting it so much. Other good options are Patra and Kalamata ! What is the profit Margin of the Air B&B ?

[@tpop3723]

You can’t really blame them for making things expensive, If anyone’s to blame you should blame the government for allowing it and allowing the spread of short term rentals.

[@speez3354]

I dealing and heard horror stories about the red tape (bureaucracy) it’s too much. I hope the next gen. will try to change the system. It’s not the old days, it’s who you know or polish ( fakilaki). Some times they remind me of scavenging rodents to take you for a ride. I would pay if I would get my job done. But it wont

[@LivinginGreece]

Yes this is a problem here in Greece but it also happens everywhere else including the UK. It just happens in different ways and some of them are legal!

[@terjerendalsvik5461]

why is it so long time between your videos. i would like to subscribe but you have so few videos this one was merely advertisement

[@LivinginGreece]

Yeah sorry, Terje, we have both had long-term health issues so we have been concentrating on recovery. We have also had very little work since last October. Online teaching rates have fallen by over 40% due to an increase in students using AI. So for fear of going hungry, we have been trying to establish a new business which we are due to launch in the next month. This has meant all our available time and energy has been spent on trying to survive and earn a crust. Whilst KZbin is a fun thing to do and it's nice to share our experiences, each video takes around a day to shoot, edit, upload, optimise and share on social media. That's without managing the channel, answering emails, comments and Patreon. It also takes a fair amount of mental effort and resilience to fend off the trolls, most of which we remove before most people get to see the crap they spout. The donations of 1 or 3 euros are always greatly appreciated but are unfortunately not even close enough to live on and time invested vs returns gives an hourly rate of something like 0.15 euros an hour on a good month. Hence, video production has had to take a back seat for the last few months until our physical and financial situation improves. So I completely understand your frustration and can only apologise for the lack of content but please be assured that we will once again post more videos if and when we come out the other side of this bump in the road. Thanks for your valued support over the last few months.

[@terjerendalsvik5461]

i had hoped you had some financial aid like pensions etc but sorry to hear this. you could have done great as many other have with videomaking. but yeah you have to fit but physical and mentally and work hard. i had hoped for a full time comitment but of course i understand. maybe you should take down the patreon option? but anyway i really hope you will have a good life in Greece!

[@terjerendalsvik5461]

i really hope and pray for you because you are such sweet couple ! take care of your lady,she is a special one!😊

[@nikosiliakis8954]

It is at least ridiculous to hear people complaining about the fact you can’t flush toilet paper when they never wash their butts after doing their business . Nothing personal.

[@billmeret]

It's about the impact of the environment, they don't have the facilities to treat solid waste from sewage

[@frankdaneluzzi3503]

Ever hear of septic tanks it's what makes flushing paper in conjunction with 10 centimeter waste pipes in the homes possible in Greece as well as North America!​@billmeret

[@LivinginGreece]

Personally I'm a bum gun convert and have been ever since living in nepal in 2001. TP is a terrible idea and is even worse when you have to put it in a waste bin in the bathroom when its 42 degrees c.

[@billmeret]

Two-tier medical system in Greece. Graffiti all over the place sidewalks in residential areas that you can't push a baby carriage. Yes, everything from far away looks like a picture postcard. Storm drains in sewer system is one not separate. You cannot flush toilet paper down the toilet in a lot of places.

[@LivinginGreece]

Yes but at least its sunny and has great food 🤣👍😎

[@chrisnivo]

Well stay where you are, if you're content living in a country like Canada that has a government actively working on destroying its citizens future stay there. As a Canadian born Greek I too can't wait to pack my bags and leave forever. I have no illusions of the issues Greece has but my oldest son lives in Calgary in an apartment you have to put toilet paper in the garbage as well, OH No!!!

[@LivinginGreece]

In Calgary? TP in the bin? (Shock....horror!)

[@billmeret]

@@chrisnivo My friend I'm already there have been for years properties in Canada, properties in Greece. Taxes in both countries. In my father's hometown the town has named a street after us .

[@TheGreekPoet]

​@@chrisnivo Akrivos 🇬🇷