People
There was a time that the only people in Paleochora were Greeks and only.When Paleochora used to be a small village with some fishermen and few farmers.Most of the fishermen they were originated from Gavdos island, just opposite of Paleochora.The locals were hard working people trying to survive from world war one and two .Many of these people were originaly come from the villages of Selino area and they have decided to move in Paleochora for a better life.
Paleochora and it’s population started changing when first tourists began to come here in the early 70′s and when the first greenhouses were built in Kundura ,5-8km from Paleochora.Tourism and “tomatoes” have changed Paleochora within the last 30-40 years a lot.Tourism have advertised the place and more and more expats have tried to live the life we live;easy going,no stress,”siga siga” as we like to say here in Greece.So by the beginning of 80′s you could see few people that weren’t locals ,many of them not even Greeks but Paleochora was the place to be for them.The same time,tomatoes greenhouses were becoming more and more and that meant more working hands.Many foreigners from East Europe are now living permanently in Paleochora and Kundura ,mostly working with agriculture .Apart from the greenhouses,olives are an important source of income and locals often hire foreigners to do the job.
So,Paleochora is now a mix of local families that have been here since the beginning of the 20th century,locals that come from all the villages of Selino district and mostly Pelekanos area,villages that now are almost isolated since everybody have moved in Paleochora and foreigners that are either economical immigrants from almost every place of the globe and particularly from East European countries or west Europe seniors that chose Paleochora as the place to retire or to put it more gentle ,spent most of the free time.There is also a small minority of younger west European women[like my wife Johanna for example]who are married with locals.
The people of Paleochora are still carrying the characteristics that made the village popular and beloved:hospitality,friendship,generosity .The people of Paleochora are still in love with their village and although we could treat Paleochora better, the intentions remain good and honest.Is just that modern living mixed with country life sometimes gives a funny result;don’t be suprised if you see expensive BMW’s in dirt roads and
