My Life Beneath the Acropolis: How I Built a New Home in Athens
6 min readI try to be measured when I talk about my life in Greece because I never want to make other people envious. But the truth is, I feel so lucky to have the life I do.
My one-bedroom, 750-square-foot home lies directly beneath the Acropolis, and I teach night yoga classes on my roof deck under the stars with an illuminated view of the Parthenon. It’s a magical setting, and I love that an entire community has grown around these classes. Locals and visitors alike participate. Last summer, a new student told me, “I heard about your classes from my friend who lives in Barcelona.” I guess the word is getting out.
My days generally start without an alarm and are filled with things I love. I teach yoga and write about topics I’m passionate about, like the Enneagram, Kundalini yoga, nutrition, and living in Greece. My schedule is relatively fluid and, while I have deadlines and obligations, I rarely feel stressed.
I end the day with a calisthenics class or drinks with my friends, and because I live in a Mediterranean country, nights stretch on late. This I love.
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I moved to Greece in 2012, and since then, I’ve traveled all over Europe and beyond.
Before the move, I worked in San Francisco, California, in a regular office job as a chief financial officer, leveraging my training as a Certified Public Accountant. My days were filled with spreadsheets, meetings, reports, and deadlines. The yoga I teach now was something I did on the side as a hobby. Life wasn’t bad, but upon reflection, I wasn’t really living. I was existing. Only now do I understand the difference.
I moved to Greece through a series of baby steps. I had no connection to the country, but I began to feel a very clear pull—like a calling—to go to Athens. First, I came for three weeks and enrolled in an intensive language immersion. I joke that I crafted my own adult “study abroad” program. At the time, I wasn’t thinking of moving, but I wanted an adventure. Later that same year, I returned for a two-month stint to keep the adventure going. Four months after that, I moved to Greece.
I moved without a local job or a significant relationship waiting for me in Athens, so it was a big step into the unknown. But it didn’t feel scary or anxiety-provoking because I already had some experience living in the country. The idea of moving and starting a fresh new life energized me. That was in 2012, and I still feel a sense of excitement that I get to live here.
Yoga under the stars with the Parthenon in view.|©Lynn Roulo
I have what’s called a “portfolio career”—a career made up of various roles—and the mix of passive and active income is what makes my life here work. My strategy is to always have multiple streams of income.
One revenue source is Airbnb rental income from an Athens apartment I bought as an investment. I also teach the Enneagram to businesses and individuals. I offer retreats in Greece. I earn passive income from my published books, as well as ad income from my YouTube channel. And I’m a freelance writer, which adds another income stream.
The more I write and teach, the steadier and more meaningful those income streams become. Focusing on them now sets me up well for the coming years. As an added bonus, I write, teach, and study topics I love.
People often ask, “How were you able to move to Greece?” I came on an “independent financial means” visa, which requires proof that I have enough money to live in Greece without working in a local job.
In Greece, this typically means showing income of €3,500 per month from outside sources, transferred into a Greek bank account. I also have to provide proof of health insurance and other administrative documentation each renewal period. It isn’t difficult, but it does require some focus and organization.
Each country’s requirements differ, but many European countries offer similar visa options for non-EU citizens. I file taxes in both countries, but there are agreements in place to avoid double taxation. While it adds some paperwork, it’s not an overwhelming burden.
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Daily walks in Athens bring joy, connection, and great company.|©Lynn Roulo
People ask if I felt lonely when I moved to a new country alone, and the answer is, by and large, I did not. I made friends quickly through social platforms like Meetup, InterNations, and Facebook expat and yoga groups. These gave me people to go out with in my early days and helped me get familiar with the city. On a deeper level, the people who own the store next door to my apartment became like an adopted family. I even became the godmother to their baby daughter, Alexia.
My friends are a mix of expats and Greeks. I love the global flavor and diverse perspectives of my expat friends and the genuine warmth and kindness of my local friends. I also find that the experience-rich, less consumer-oriented European values align much better with mine than American values ever did. I was happy in San Francisco, but I’m much happier here in Greece.
Equally important to establishing new roots was maintaining the old relationships in my life with long-term friends. I’m lucky to have moved to a country almost everyone wants to visit, so it hasn’t been hard to lure my American friends and family to come see me. With today’s technology, it’s easy to stay in touch through regular calls via Zoom and WhatsApp. And while the flight is long, the visits are usually long too, allowing us to really connect and catch up.
If I could offer advice to anyone thinking of moving abroad, I’d tell them to consider a staged approach. You don’t need to decide everything at once. If there’s a place you think you might want to live in, start visiting it regularly. Go during different seasons to get a full feel for the climate. Hire a native online language tutor while you’re still in your home country to gain exposure to both the language and the culture.
Create a solid foundation by eliminating as many unknowns as possible. That way, if you do make the big move, it won’t feel so unfamiliar. And if you have a dream to move, don’t give up on it. These dreams come from somewhere, and moving abroad might just be the best decision of your entire life. I know it was for me.
Learn more about a slower pace of life in Greece and other countries in our free daily postcard e-letter. Simply enter your email address below and we’ll also send you a FREE REPORT — Retire in Greece—Find Your Dream Retirement in This European Archipelago.
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