Grecian Yearn #2 - The First Couple of Months

Hi All - I had intended to publish this blog on a monthly basis, but then... life happened. It's all good. The past couple of months have just been very busy. A few highlights from my side: - I received my EU Blue Card in early February, authorizing me to live/work not only in Greece, but anywhere in the EU; renewable every two years. Can apply for permanent residency after 5 years. - I received my Greek tax ID number in mid-March. I was able to open a bank account the following week. In the past couple of weeks I also received my Greek social healthcare number and applied for supplemental private health insurance through my employer. - I flew home to LA on March 20 to pickup Schatzie and bring her back to live with me in Greece. All her pet importation paperwork was in order (thanks for your help, dad) and we arrived back in Athens on March 25 (incidentally Greek Independence Day). So Schatzie officially became Greek essentially on the Greek Fourth of July! I also secured an EU pet visa for Schatzie, so she is now free to roam around the continent!

On March 29, we moved apartments to provide a better environment for Schatzie. I'm now just a 3-minute walk from the office. We're on the 4th floor with a western view balcony, overlooking a small park below where I take Schatzie to do her business. It's an ideal setup. This apartment is currently leased through the end of October.

I also found a 3-bedroom apartment in Crete in the town I had been targeting - Kato Gouves. It's 200m from the beach and situated in an ideal location 10 minutes east of downtown Heraklion and 15 minutes north of the new airport construction site. Perfect. I'm having my personal goods delivered to the new apartment next Friday and will use it as a weekend getaway between now and when Schatzie and I relocate to live fulltime in Crete (probably later this fall).

I'm in the process of securing a company leased car to be based in Crete. I've chosen the Nissan Qashqai (sold as the Nissan Rogue in the US). It's a mild hybrid and should go up to 500mi/800km on a tank of gas. It should serve me well for island life.

I now feel like all the basic details for life in Greece going forward are settled. I'm really happy with the homes I've found in Athens and Crete and look forward to settling into a regular routine. I have a couple of fun weekend trips lined up in the next few months, so I'm sure that more tales of adventure will follow. Happy Travels!