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* Story about Romania - ( Feb 27, 2008 ) * Costa Almeria - ( Feb 27, 2008 ) * Seminar about overseas properties - ( Feb 15, 2008 ) * Arrived in Portugal - ( Feb 15, 2008 ) * Blog On Vilamoura, Portugal - ( Feb 15, 2008 ) * Albania-Europe's Final Frontier - ( Feb 15, 2008 ) * Albania, Europe's Rough Corner, Loosens Up - ( Feb 15, 2008 ) * Blog On Cape Verde - ( Feb 14, 2008 ) WEDNESDAY Feb 27, 2008 Story about Romania by John Two years ago, if you had arrived at Bucharest, you would have had a 3 1/2 hour journey through countryside and lost little villages that had stood still in time, before arriving at the seaside town of Constanta, however, joining the EU would change all of that, a new motorway is well under construction and some sections already open, when complete it will cut the journey time down to around 1 hour and 45 minutes. But let me take you back in time, remember just because the motorway is there you don't have to use it. You could take the old route and see the sights that have not been seen for years, lovely small villages that haven't changed since they were built, nice tea shops and winding lanes that take you on a sight seeing adventure that should not be missed. Some of the things you will see will amaze you, a family horse eating the grass verge outside the front of the house, that's not unusual you might think, until you realise, he is not tied up and with him is his friend, the village dog who doesn't have a real home, but is fed by everyone. You will never see hungry animals in Romania, sheep, cattle, dogs and cats as well as horse and cart are all part of the journey, especially at lambing time, the journey is something everyone should do at least once, so the last time I went to Constanta I decided my journey back would be the old route and I would take my time, having a few stops along the way. It was great just sauntering along with no hurries or worries and time standing still. It was truly wonderful, mind you if i'm totally honest I did stop too many times, coffee, soft drinks, lunch, photos and of course just strolling through some of the villages on foot, helped time move along and suddenly I was seeing the sun go down, I couldn't believe it. I had been on the road for 6 1/2 hours, of course I had fed some dogs biscuits, some horses sugar cubes and stroked some sheep and goats, as well as crumbs to the birds. I had lost myself in time, I think it was at that moment I decided my next journey back to Constanta would be the old route yet again. Suddenly with the light fading and camera still in hand and standing at the end of yet another lovely old village, a whistle blew and along came the local train, blue in colour and the people waving at the windows for me to take a photo or two. With dark now coming fast, I decided to get going and not to stop anymore, instead, I just took in the last of the sights, tree lined winding lanes, fields and small forests and realising things had not changed in a hundred years.I hope not everyone will use the new motorway, I know everyone wants to get where the are going, but as a friend once told me, take time to smell the grass and enjoy the colour of the flowers, the trees and clouds, remember time can stand still for villages but not for us. They will still be here long after we are gone, so next time you journey remember, try to take the old route and take your time as well. Romania has come a long way in a short time, changing from an industrial country, to a agricultural country. Transportation is very easy trains and coaches run all the time, from one end of the country to the other, all towns have local transport running every few minutes, so you will never have trouble getting around. Most Romanian people, especially the young, speak very good English, as it has been taught in schools for many years. Romanians are great animal lovers, although there are many dogs that don't have a proper home, you will never find a hungry one as everybody feeds them, you will also see sheep, cows and horses wandering along the road, just enjoying chewing on the grass verge, or taking a sugar cube from a passer by. Now having said that, don't be fooled by it, there are lots of people in Romania with money, so don't be surprised when you see the odd sports car or Bentley or even the new Rolls Royce coming down the street, not all Romanians are poor but I think it is fair to say, you will see more horse and carts than Rolls Royce, at least for the time being. The Romanians love there past and engross their future. Most of Europe have been enjoying the hospitality of Romania for years, it has a wonderful relaxed and simple life style yet has everything you could ever want, it is just a lovely place that's been lost in time for many years, a lovely old piece of time. WHY ROMANIA Constanta Romania, one of the best kept secrets of the world. With fabulous beaches, lovely people, fantastic food, what more could you ask for. Good transport to get around easily, great shops and shopping centres, with fantastic fruit and vegetable markets as well as 24 hour street flower markets. And of course, now Romania is in the EU, it is going to fl9ourish very quickly, new motorways are being built and infrastructure is being upgraded all the time. Although Romania is being up dated, it is good to remember, the Dutch, Belgium, Germans and the French having been coming to Constanta for many years. And when you come to see for yourself, you will quickly understand why. With fabulous beaches and safe waters, summer is a wonderful time, Constanta really does come alive with families from around the world all coming together for a fun summertime, I think also what is nice about Romania, it has four seasons and there is always something to do and see all year round, with hot summers, cold winters but a lot less rain than the UK, Constanta is a great place to live and the people are lovely to. So whether you are thinking of a holiday or living in Romania, Constanta is the place to be, it is cheap compared to the UK and your pensions would go a long way and with transport running all the time. Fresh fruit and vegetable shopping is easy, as well as cheap and plentiful, so don't be surprised if at the end of the week you haven't spent all your pension, however don't worry, treat yourself to a slap up meal at one of the best restaurants in town, you will be surprised how little it really will cost you. And one thing you ought to know, the streets are safe at night, the people in Romania are taught to respect their elders, not frighten them. View Property Listings by John WEDNESDAY Feb 27, 2008 Costa Almeria by Sandie Craw Well, looks like winters over for the Costa Almeria, Spain-Our climate here is blessed, we can actually lay claim to the best winter sunshine (all 322 days of it) in the whole of Europe. Well it rained this week for 2 days, coupled with a smidging of November rain, it's my guess that's it time to look out those old flip flops and hit the beach again. As well, as being blessed with winter (and summer) sun, my office enjoys what surely must be one of Mojacar's most enviable and privileged positions, my desk is just a few feet meters away from the Marina de la Torre golf course and to my left lies 17km of Sandy beaches; no wonder everyone wants to move here. Our new year took us off to a flying start in property sales; we sold in excess of 40 Marina de la Torre key ready apartments. It's relatively easy to sell these apartments, we just open the doors; the qualities and views do the rest! As well, as this development our resale team have been working hard, concentrating on quality listings and distressed sales, by Spring of this year our new dedicated resale office will be open, situated above bancaja on Mojacar playa. The resale department is growing in strength possibly a reflection on lasts year's property price correction. Property prices in the Costa Almeria region are now competitive and affordable; the investors are 'playing' again and the lifestyle seekers are on the move. This part of Spain has attracted its fair share of young families as well as older residents, and like families the world over, their housing needs change, as the family grows so does the need for a bigger house and as their children grown up and move into their own homes, the parents find themselves looking at downsizing options, older residents too find themselves on the move, perhaps when they find the stairs or garden no longer manageable; market prices are no longer influenced to the same degree by the UK housing market, making this area of Spain very viable for many people. FRIDAY Feb 15, 2008 Seminar about overseas properties by Melanie Scrace Would you be interested in attending a seminar about overseas properties? or maybe you would like one to one personal review session? International Horizons in conjunction with one of our close partners are able to off several seminars across the UK please note these are not sales seminars. We can also organise a one to one personal review session to discuss your individual needs and overall plan to investing abroad. If you are interested in attending any of the seminars please let International Horizons know which location and date, you will be furnished with further details and an invitation. If you would like us to arrange a one to one session please call 01273 705630. Seminars will cover the following topics:- Who buys abroad and why? Lifestyle decision or investment decision? Risks and rewards Off-plan property, new property or existing home ? Our Independent Property Appraisal Programme TM. (IPAP) What you need to know before you buy Financial and tax matters Location inspection trips How we can help A selection of available properties Questions and next steps This is an informal talk designed to help you with the first steps of looking to buy abroad either for investment or lifestyle purposes. One to One Personal Review Session will cover the following topics:- Financial background and products to suit your financial back ground Attitude to risk - Low, medium, high risk opportunities Overall plan - Medium to long term investments Personal wealth plan To arrange a one to one session please call 01273 705630 or email info@internationalhorizons.co.uk Date Location Seminar 20/02/2008 London - Overseas Property Investment Seminar 20/02/2008 Newcastle - Overseas Property Free Information Event 21/02/2008 London - Overseas Property Investment Seminar 21/02/2008 Bristol, Avon - International Open Evening 21/02/2008 Worcester - Why invest in Property Home and Abroad 27/02/2008 Gloucester - International Open Evening 27/02/2008 Newcastle -Overseas Property Free Information Event 05/03/2008 Newcastle -Overseas Property Free Information Event 12/03/2008 Newcastle -Overseas Property Free Information Event 19/03/2008 Newcastle -Overseas Property Free Information Event If you would like any further information on the seminars or the one to one sessions please do not hesitate to contact us on 01273 705630 View Property Listings by Melanie Scrace FRIDAY Feb 15, 2008 Arrived in Portugal by James E. Harrison Hello Everyone, this is my first attempt at writing a Blog article, so here we go, I remember when we (My wife, me, Cider (dog) and Sally (dog)) arrived in Portugal, we had never visited before but decided to leave the rat race of East Coast America for a more relaxing life. With some simple Google research we found that Portugal especially the Silver Coast (Costa Prata) had very reasonable property prices and that we could buy a house or building land for far less than if we stayed in America, the climate appeared ideal (seven years later, I testify the climate is ideal, Lisbon is the warmest capital city of Europe through the winter and one of the coolest in the summer) with low rain fall and a guaranteed 3000 hours of sun every year (thats an incredible average of 10 full hours of sun for 300 days a year, WOW). Before leaving we tried to learn some Portuguese but not realizing there was a difference started with Brazilian, similar but not the same. The difference is mainly in the pronunciation which led to some interesting confusion on the first night when we retied to a local bar with the dogs in an attempt to use alcohol to overcome the jet lag, for us not the dogs. On landing in Lisbon airport the passengers, mostly Portuguese, all started clapping which was a lovely way of celebrating reaching Terra Firma again, we retrieved our baggage and released the dogs from their crates ready to embark on a new phase of our lives, there was a certain amount of trepidation in our step as we stepped out of the doors of Lisbon airport looking for the taxi rank. Immediately I knew we had made the right decision, what it was exactly i don't know, a combination of smell, color, sound (I now have an allergy I use to explain my love affair with Portugal, Portugal is like my favorite coat, by now it fits perfectly and when i put it on it brings back memories and makes me feel at home but its getting frayed around the sleeves and could do with a bit of a clean in places). The taxi rank was a microcosm of Portuguese life, 50 people standing around with no idea of how to even spell queue let alone how to form one but every time a taxi pulled up there were no arguments, who ever seemed like they needed it the most got put in the taxi, us with two dogs (the Portuguese are a bit suspicious of dogs in public) and bags, were quickly ushered to the front and before we knew it we were safely (Umm) ensconced in a brace of Mercedes heading over the bridge to Setubal at breakneck speed. So here we are and here I hope to remain. View Property Listings by James E. Harrison FRIDAY Feb 15, 2008 Blog On Vilamoura, Portugal by Marco Ribeiro Vilamoura is the name given to an area rather than to any actual town. It is outstanding in that it is one of the largest single tourist complex in Europe and covers some 2.000 hectares of land. The land is variable in its vegetation, some parts covered in pine forests whilst others open recovered marshland. Vilamoura is a special place, a unique leisure and recreation resort community where the pace of life is so easy it feels like summer all year round. Designed from the start to be self-sufficient, Vilamoura is ideally located, features a wide choice of prime accommodation, offers the commercial structure for day-to-day needs and is bursting with sporting and leisure facilities for the whole family. It is a place for rest and relaxation but also for pursuing active pastimes and sports; a friendly and safe residential haven, but also a vibrant and exciting night-life centre. It is a luxury hotel, a private villa or a serviced apartment for the visitor, but also a home to the resident and seasonal population. It is Portuguese, but also truly cosmopolitan. Away from the hectic pace and the stress of the modern world, all who visit are revitalised by the lifestyle, the convenience and the hospitality of this truly special place. View Property Listings by Marco Ribeiro FRIDAY Feb 15, 2008 Albania-Europe's Final Frontier by Jeremy Lister A holiday on the Albanian Riviera might sound like a Borat-style joke, but Benji Lanyado finds beautiful empty coves, €30 a night beach huts and locals who welcome him into their homes. It's the middle of summer, I'm on a beautiful beach in the Ionian, and I can't see a single person. In the distance I can just about trace the path of the occasional car swinging down the mountain road like a slow-motion marble run, but that's it. I can't help giggling. I don't know what's more surprising - that there is 50 miles of "undiscovered" coast in southern Europe, or that it's in Albania. Europe's Mediterranean coast has been done. Spain, France, Italy, Croatia. Even Montenegro, the world's newest country, was heaving when I visited this summer; the Rolling Stones played there a few days after I left. Much of Turkey's coast has been packaged, and don't get me started on Greece. Sure, you can get away from the hordes, but how far? To reach the Albanian Riviera, one of the most spectacular strips of land in Europe, the small price to pay is a bit of a sore bum. The bus that plies the single road down the coast leaves at 6am from a car park in Tirana littered with imported German coaches, some of which still bear the name of their original destination - one claims to be headed for Wilhelmstrasse. I board mine and fall into a semi-sleep that is regularly interrupted by heavy lurches and bumps. Barely touched since the Italian army built it in the 40s, the coastal road is pockmarked and cracked. The state of the road is the main reason the Albanian Riviera - from Vlora to Saranda - has escaped large-scale tourist development. Even the Albanians tend not to bother with it, preferring resorts such as Durresi, easily reached from Tirana via a relatively bump-free motorway. The Riviera begins at the peak of the 1,000 metre-high Llogara Pass, the road careering wildly down the slope. I jump off the bus in the tiny village of Dhermi, made up of about 100 terracotta-roofed houses scattered either side of the road, suspended halfway up the mountain range that continues south over the Greek border and beyond. There is one hotel here, fronted by a boring-looking, low-rise mini-complex. The owner can tell I'm disappointed. He loads my backpack on to his truck, and drives me through dense olive groves and pine trees to the seafront, where I can see a collection of double-decker huts clad in pine. Much more like it. For €30 a night, each hut has a double bed, a toilet and shower, and wardrobes. It isn't luxury, but it certainly isn't slumming it. I count 14 people on the beach. Few foreign tourists come here, so it only fills up when the locals arrive at weekends. The coast stretches for a mile or so before curving out towards a shrubby headland. I feel blissfully alone. In the hotel's open-air restaurant, the waiter just about speaks Italian, which I just about understand, and I end up with a huge sea bass, Greek salad, and chips. I ask him where the fish came from, and he points to a man drinking by the bar. I retire to bed stuffed, where I can hear the waves brushing the shore, and a lone cricket up past its bedtime. The next day I'm back on the bus for a 20-minute journey to the pebbly cove at Jaal, which again is virtually empty. I count 11 people. There are a few crumbling villas behind the beach, but accommodation options for visitors consist of a collection of beach huts at the base of the mountain. I meet a couple of German backpackers - the only non-Albanians I encounter - who plan to pitch their tent on the beach. The Germans and I board the bus the next day, and the road brushes the sea for a few miles before arriving in Qeparo, where we sit outside a cafe as old men argue over a game of cards next to us. We have a lunch of fresh bread, creamy white cheese, sweet tomatoes, and oddly sized cucumbers; they are shaped so because everything in Albania is organic - fertilisers and pesticides are too expensive. And because of the unreliable roads, anything you eat on the Riviera is sure to be local. The cafe's owner wanders over and we explain that we are looking for a hotel, but Alex says we can stay in his villa half way up the hill. He and his wife sleep in the back of the shop, a habit they acquired when riots swept the country in 1997 after the collapse of the pyramid investment schemes in which most of the country lost money. By the close of the year the troubles had subsided, marking the end of seven years of political chaos triggered by the collapse of Albania's communist regime in 1990. Ten peaceful years later, Alex is renovating the upper storey of his villa for his family to move back into, keeping the rooms on the ground floor for visitors. He insists on driving us a few miles back up the coast to visit the deserted Ali Pasha fortress which juts out into in the Bay of Palermo. Back at the beach in Qeparo we sit under shelters made from branches and thatch looking out over the sea towards the peaks of Corfu, just visible in the distance. The beach is dotted with Albania's ubiquitous bunkers, some of the estimated 700,000 concrete epitaphs to Enver Hoxha's paranoid rule that are scattered across the country. The bunkers, here playfully painted with pink and blue polka dots, were intended to protect the country against attack from the west, but these days they are more commonly used by naughty Albanians looking for a secluded spot to make love not war. In the early evening we climb up to Qeparo's old town at the top of the mountain overlooking the sea. We can hear the murmurs of families tucked into the dozen or so white stone houses, and the clanging bells of a goat herd somewhere in the surrounding trees, but don't see a soul. Night-time in the Riviera is a DIY affair. There are no snazzy restaurants or clubs, so you have to busk it with the locals. At Jaal we were invited to join a couple of youngsters on the beach for a bonfire. In Qeparo people congregated at Alex's cafe for cards, and lots of home-made rakia. In many eastern European countries people are understandably wary of tourists - especially us Brits, who have a have a habit of arriving on big orange party planes, getting drunk, and generally making nuisances of ourselves. But here they love anyone from abroad, simply because it's such a novelty. When we leave Qeparo the next day, with slightly heavy heads, Alex refuses to take any money from us. It is the same ethic of hospitality that prompts goodbye hugs from two taxi drivers during my time in Albania, and that has fellow passengers helping me to order espressos and deliciously spicy offal broth during breaks on bus journeys. At Saranda, where the Riviera ends, an old man approaches me. Thamaj has the kind of magnanimous, round face that makes me instantly want him to be my grandad. Over coffee he tells of hiding Jews and fleeing Italians in his house during the second world war, and giving shelter to a family of Kosovans after the horrors of the 90s. The Albanians, I realise, have been good hosts for years. From the cafe I watch the locals partake in that most Balkan of pastimes - wandering up and down in the early evening in your best outfit. Across the water Corfu's coastline is ablaze. It's a chain of lights that runs, with occasional interruptions, until Europe merges with Asia. A hundred miles north of where I'm sitting the chain picks up, and runs from the Adriatic all the way to the Algarve. In between is one of the most beautiful blips you'll ever come across, as long as a particular road remains particularly bumpy. View Property Listings by Jeremy Lister FRIDAY Feb 15, 2008 Albania, Europe's Rough Corner, Loosens Up by Jeremy Lister NOT long ago, to suggest Albania as a destination of any kind, even a frugal one, would have been the height of chutzpah. Within five years of Albania's abandoning Communism in 1992, a Ponzi scheme destroyed the nascent market economy and widespread rioting turned Albania into a byword for rampant lawlessness. It was not, except for aid workers and smugglers, on anyone's map. The New York Times In the last several years, however, Albania has made enormous strides in democracy and development — and revealed itself to be not only ripe for tourists, but affordable to boot. The capital, Tirana, with its brightly painted apartment buildings and molto Italiano cafe culture, is a fantastic starting point, especially since it's hard to spend more than $15 a person at the city's nicest restaurants. But it's the southern part of this Balkan country that holds the most intriguing sights and bargains. Start in Gjirokaster, a beautifully warped city that produced two of Albania's most important 20th-century figures: Enver Hoxha, the country's dictator for 40 years after World War II, and Ismail Kadare, the novelist perennially mentioned as a Nobel Prize candidate. Gjirokaster is built on slippery, cobblestoned hills so steep they seem to defy human habitation, yet the town of stately slate-roofed Ottoman houses bustles. One house, now an Ethnographic Museum, happens to be Hoxha's birthplace. Another is the Hotel Kalemi (355-84-63-724; hotelkalemi.tripod.com), where for $40 a night you can sleep under a carved-wood ceiling that's 200 years old. During the day, your legs will get a workout wandering the streets and exploring the massive fortress overlooking the city. At night, recuperate with roast tongue of veal and yogurt soup at the friendly Festivali restaurant. And don't leave Gjirokaster without a handmade carpet from Ruha's shop (355-69-254-2122); they start at $40. Your reward for enduring Gjirokaster's hills is Sarande, a busy port on the Strait of Otranto. At the Hotel Kaonia (355-85-22-600), right on the boardwalk, a simple but modern double room with great water views runs just 30 euros ($40 at $1.36 to the euro). The pebbly beach in the center of Sarande may not be too exciting, but there are white sand stretches nearby, including the popular beach at Ksamili, 10 miles to the south. And if you're hankering for a taste of classical Europe, the Greek island of Corfu is a quick hydrofoil ride away. Southern Albania's greatest treasure, however, is Butrint, a 2,500-year-old city that was inhabited by successive generations of Illyrians, Greeks, Epireans, Romans, Byzantines and Venetians, before dwindling to a tiny fishing village in the late 19th century. It's the kind of place where history is still waiting to be discovered. Situated on a hilly, forest-shrouded promontory south of Sarande, near the Greek border, Butrint (a Unesco World Heritage Site) was first excavated by Italians in the 1920s, who unearthed an amphitheater and Greek-built walls. Archaeologists later discovered early Christian basilicas, a baptistery and as many as eight bathhouses. Butrint is large — about 11 square miles — and still shrouded in mystery, so you'll want a guide. Vasil Barka (355-69-227-6460) has 25 years of experience and knows where to find Cleopatra's name in a string of Greek letters on a huge stone block outside the amphitheater. In the basilica, where the frescoed floor is covered in sand to protect the tiles from the elements, he knows just where to brush aside the grains to reveal a spectacular red-and-blue bird. And at the Venetian fort-turned-museum, he can tell you which statues have just been dug up and which recovered from looters. Afterward, head straight to the nearby Livia Hotel (355-891-2040) for a feast of mussels, shrimp, eel and squid. Like Albania itself, this lost city harbors untold treasures for the intrepid — and at a price that just about anyone can afford. View Property Listings by Jeremy Lister THURSDAY Feb 14, 2008 Blog On Cape Verde by Emmanuel Adeyanju Make Cape Verde Island your 2 nd Home! A Peaceful Place On The Sea 1. Cape Verde Islands is a peaceful country 2. Cape Verde Islands has a good warm weather through the whole year 3. Cape Verde islands is free from malaria, investors do not need vaccine to live in the country. 4. Buying a property is totally freehold in the name of buyer 5. Cape Verde Islands real Estates are design with high quality to fulfill the taste of investors. 6. The citizen rely on any investment been build in the country 7. Cape Verde Islands is totally a resting place to live as a second home because it's free for political conflicts. 8. There is always gain on any investment build in Cape Verde Islands 9. Cape Verde Islands is located right in centre to the rest of the world and more closer to Europe 10. Cape Verde Islands is a friendly country to the rest of the world and totally welcome investors. ......An islands where the mountain are in the sky. Where the mountain embraces the cloud. The wind speaks the mind of the sea. A place where all dreams are made reality and all beautiful things come together to make it perfect. An islands one wishes to live forever....... Experience The Peaceful Life Of Cape Verde Islands! View Property Listings by Emmanuel Adeyanju

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