Athens, Greece with Steve Gantzos and Ken Cook
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Summary Athens, Greece is a vibrant city with a rich history and modern amenities. It offers a mix of ancient ruins, world-class museums, delicious food, and lively nightlife. The city is known for its welcoming LGBTQ+ community, with a gayborhood in the Ghazi neighborhood and a variety of gay-friendly establishments. Both expats and locals find it relatively easy to make friends, especially through activities and social events. While speaking Greek is not necessary to live in Athens, it can be helpful when dealing with government agencies and utilities. English is widely spoken, especially in tourist areas and among healthcare professionals. Athens offers a vibrant arts and culture scene, with theaters, music venues, museums, and festivals. The city has a variety of outdoor theaters and concert venues, including the ancient theater of Epidaurus, known for its exceptional acoustics. The museums in Athens, such as the Acropolis Museum and the Benaki Museum, are top-notch. The city also has a good public transportation system, including metro, buses, trams, and taxis. Housing costs in Athens vary depending on the neighborhood, with apartments ranging from 500 to 1000 euros per month. The city has a low crime rate, with theft being the most common crime. Overall, Athens is considered a safe city for residents and tourists. They mention that crime is low in Athens, especially violent crime and that it is safe to walk around the city at any hour. They also talk about the healthcare system in Athens, highlighting the low cost of medical services and medications. They mention that there are enough doctors in Athens and that it is relatively easy to get appointments. They also discuss the different types of visas available for living in Greece and the tax implications of becoming a resident. Steve Gantzos Steve Gantzos is a Greek-American currently living in Athens running a business as a real estate broker serving foreign and Greek clients to find their dream home in Greece. Born in the ancient Roman town of Esslingen, Germany, given the Byzantine name of Stylianos belonging to his late grandfather, the family moved to the USA in the latter months of 1969, settling in the Philadelphia area, where his mother's family settled years before, and had established themselves in the Greek community of Upper Darby, a suburb of the city. As was the norm in the Greek community of the early 70's, the families steadfastly clung to traditions and the language, where Steve grew up speaking Greek as his first language, while enjoying the rich cultural background of his family and ancestors. Greek was the only language he spoke until entering grade school where the challenge of learning English in school turned into both a daunting and exciting task for a young child whose parents depended on his language skills at later stages of life.   Steve spent most of his life living in the Philadelphia area then a career opportunity took him to Miami, where he spent 12 years in the tropical sun, enjoying the gentrification of the region in the mid-90s. Realizing his heart was always in Europe after numerous visits, he ventured into the process of successfully obtaining ancestral citizenship in Greece to initiate the dream of living in his continent of birth, yet the dream took many years to come to fruition. At the peak of the pandemic, and the realization that life is much too short, the dream to live and work in Europe became reality with the move to Greece in early January 2021. Steve spends much of his time enjoying the richness of his ancestral land, traveling for business and pleasure to places he learned of in his youth, and making wonderful friends along the way while enjoying the remarkable adventure that is his life in Greece.   Steve Gantzos Owner and Founder a...
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