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PatrickBrigham

PatrickBrigham

New member

English expat in Greece

Forum posts

9

Contacts

1

About me

English

Lives in R铆zia, East Macedonia and

Speaks Good English, bad Bulgarian and French

Registration: 31 July 2014

About

Born in Berkshire England to an old Reading family, after attending an English Public School and a stint at college, the author Patrick Brigham went into real estate. After the economic crash of 1989 he licked his wounds, wrote two books and in 1993 decided to finally abandon London, the UK's casino economy and he moved to Sofia Bulgaria. As the Editor in Chief of the first English Language news magazine in Sofia - between 1995 and 2000 - and as a journalist, he witnessed the political changes in this once hard core communist country and personally knew most of the political players, including the old Communist Dictator Todor Zhivkov and his successors, Zhelev and Stoyanov. The natural home of political intrigue, Bolshevism and the conspiracy theory, Bulgaria proved to be quite a challenge, but for many of its citizens the transition was also very painful. Despite this, Patrick Brigham personally managed to survive these political changes and now lives peacefully in Northern Greece, writing mystery novels. A writer for many years, he has recently written two good crime fiction books including, Herodotus The Gnome of Sofia, and Judas Goat The Kennet Narrow Boat Mystery. Confirming that the truth is very often stranger than fiction, Eastern Europe has proved to be Patrick Brighams inspiration for writing good mystery books. Much of his writing has been influenced by 20 years spent in the Balkans and the plethora of characters in his writing, are redolent of many past communist political intrigues in Bulgaria.
Interests: cooking, modern jazz, writing and reading, I like classic cars

Occupation

I am Self-employed.

My expat journey

englandbulgariagreece
R铆zia, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece

Apr 2006 - Apr 2016

R铆zia, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece

Greece is easy to live in
Author and Journalist
Hospitable
Too many tomato's

Sofia, Sofia-Capital, Bulgaria

Oct 1993 - Apr 2006

Sofia, Sofia-Capital, Bulgaria

Hard work
Businessman
Opportunities
Too many Bulgarians

London, England, England

Jun 1976 - Oct 1993

London, England, England

Business
Property
My natural habitat
Too many silly laws, intrusions and a casino economy

Activity

PatrickBrigham
PatrickBrigham replied to a thread
6 years ago
B

Reading habits in Greece by Bhavna

Hello everyone, Books can be your greatest companions whether you have already settled in Greece or are now planning your move. Are you an avid or occasional reader? We would like to know more about your reading habits. What type of reading do ...

PatrickBrigham

Dear Expats, I am a fiction writer and have published many books, some about Greece, and some including Greece. I live in Evros close to the town of Orestada, and overlooking the River Ardas. So, I usually write and do not read so much when I am ... Read More

PatrickBrigham
PatrickBrigham replied to a thread
8 years ago
P

How to save money in Greece by Priscilla

Hello everyone, Did you plan your budget before your move to Greece? If so, how did you go about it? How do you save money in your day to day life? Do you find there are any areas where you can't cut costs? Do you have any tips about saving ...

PatrickBrigham

Dear Concertina, We sometimes get used to complaining as an automatic response. It is also assumed that any Brit living Greece, must be an eccentric millionaire. I am 20% worse off since the Brexit, and although I am a writer, much of my time is ... Read More

PatrickBrigham
PatrickBrigham replied to a thread
8 years ago
P

How to save money in Greece by Priscilla

Hello everyone, Did you plan your budget before your move to Greece? If so, how did you go about it? How do you save money in your day to day life? Do you find there are any areas where you can't cut costs? Do you have any tips about saving ...

PatrickBrigham

The best advice I have is that you copy the Greeks. They have had to deal with some big-time austerity, which is a euphemism for doing without. Most of us in the country districts, are part time vegetarians, meat being expensive, and not very ... Read More

PatrickBrigham
PatrickBrigham replied to a thread
10 years ago
Maximilien

Driving in Greece by Maximilien

Hi, What do you think of the way people drive in Greece? How different is it from your home country? Respecting the road safety rules, driving etiquette such as general courtesy, speed excess聟 what are the characteristics of the driving style ...

PatrickBrigham

Greeks drive in the middle of the road, because they claim that rocks may fall down a mountain, or hill and it is thereby safer that way. I live in the flat region of northern Evros and they still do it. OK, I will be brave and say that Greeks are ... Read More

PatrickBrigham
PatrickBrigham replied to a thread
11 years ago
Julien

Healthcare in Greece by Julien

Hi, how does the healthcare system work in Greece ? Is it efficient ? What are the main differences between public and private sectors? Is it recommended to purchase private health insurance in Greece? Thanks in advance for sharing your ...

PatrickBrigham

Of course, it depends where you live and I can only account for my experiences in the Evros Region in Eastern Macedonia. Firstly, doctors in Greece are well respected and well educated people. I am a pensioner and I subscribe to the Greek medical ... Read More