We are debating whether it would be best to purchase furniture etc in Corfu or purchase it in the UK and have it shipped across. Perhaps you could advise as to what you think would be most appropriate?

Once upon a time we would have just said, "Buy it here. Only bring cherished items!" I think that a little expansion on this is now in order!

To buy or not to buy furniture was a problem that we addressed some years ago when we originally considered whether to bring our furniture. I asked that very question in an English language magazine in Corfu. The responses that I received from Greeks was that you could buy anything you wanted here and that it was of good quality.

Now that we live here, I would add a bit to that! Yes, you can buy anything and it varies in quality from very poor to very good! The main problem is taste. We find that Greek taste, certainly in Corfu tends towards the more ornate, almost Italian in style. Also, chairs and beds in particular tend to be ... er... how can I put this delicately .... more firm than your average British person might be used to! Before anyone writes to tell me how good a firm mattress is for the back, I should point out that our marble floor has more 'give' in it than our mattress! Having said that, I couldn't wait to get back to it from the UK!!