The first British bought property on Evia in 1828 !

March has been a lovely month, with the first bathers and sun"addicts" rushing to the beaches as temperatures reached 25 C. The fish restaurants are full as the Greek lent begins (Greek Easter is on 27th April). Yet there is still plenty of snow up on the mountains for the avid skiers.

On Tuesday 25th March we celebrated Independence day with parades by the schools all dressed up in their finest and colourful costumes bringing back memories of 1821 when Greece obtained independence from Turkey. But, this was a small Greece, and the island of Evia was to await a further seven years until 1828, when it finally became free.

The Great Powers agreed that the island should be incorporated into the new Greek state, but allowed the Turkish landlords to remain on the island until the Greek government could find the money to buy them out. Money, as always , was lacking, and wealthy foreign individuals were encouraged to purchase the estates instead.

The most well known of these was the Noel-Baker family, who, with 10,000 gold soveriegns borrowed from Lady Byron, purchased the Achmet Aga estate, and have remained here ever since. Philip Noel-Baker was a minister in the labour government and a Nobel peace prize winner.

Today it is possible to rent out their lovely country house.

read more about the Noel-Baker family

Oranges in the winter

Oranges, mandarins and grapefruit are the winter fruit in Greece. They begin to be ready in December and normally last on the trees until March. Three years ago we planted 15 trees and this year had our first, albeit small, crop. One tree unfortunately went wild and only has the very sour oranges used for English marmalade.

When visiting Greece be careful , when ordering your breakfast. "Marmelada" in Greek means jam. So that piece of toast you were waiting for will be served with a lovely strawberry, peach or apricot jam but not marmalade !

The Greeks normally use citrus fruits to make a sweet dessert (although fresh lemons are nearly always served with fish and barbecued pork). But I really love orange and cardomom walnut cake with my afternoon tea .....yes, some English habits die hard !

Investing in Greece ........

The last few months have seen a great deal of bad news in the property and financial markets. Prices are reducing in the UK and many other countries. Sterling has also taken a hit against the Euro. Yet prices on Evia continue to grow as new road and rail links near completion

• The new high speed rail link will allow travellers to come direct to Halkida from Athens airport
• The motorway extension up to the suspension bridge will be completed in 2010

If you are looking to retire over here , now may be the time to buy your plot of land, apartment or villa.For further information on investment opportunities.....

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