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Magic Alex
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===Greece=== The Beatles had tried in 1964 to buy the {{convert|14|acre|adj=on}} Trinity Island, (Greek: Αγια Τριάδα), off the coast of the Greek island of [[Euboea]] (resembling a guitar in shape) but the owners were not interested in a sale.<ref name="CountryLifeMagazine">{{cite web |url=http://www.countrylife.co.uk/property/guidesinternational/article/149163/Greek_islands_for_sale.html |title=Greek islands for sale |date=11 October 2007 |publisher=[[Country Life (magazine)|Country Life]] |access-date=18 June 2011}}</ref> Lennon was still interested in buying or leasing an island to live on together, and discussed it with the other Beatles on 19 July 1967.{{sfn|Miles|Badman|2001|p=272}} Mardas' father was a major in the Greek secret police, and Mardas explained that through him the Beatles would have access to Greek government connections, which would speed the acquisition of an island, because many islands did not have the right certificates of ownership and were subject to government restrictions.<ref name="CountryLifeMagazine" /> On 22 July 1967, Harrison and his wife [[Pattie Boyd]], [[Ringo Starr]] and [[Neil Aspinall]] flew to Athens, where they stayed in Mardas' parents' house overnight, until Lennon, along with [[Cynthia Lennon]] and their son [[Julian Lennon]], McCartney and [[Jane Asher]], Pattie Boyd's 16-year-old sister Paula, [[Mal Evans]] and [[Alistair Taylor]] set off for Athens.{{sfn|Spitz|2005|p=704}} Their chartered yacht, the MV ''Arvi'', was detained in Crete because of bad weather, so the party had to wait in Athens for three days.{{sfn|Miles|Badman|2001|p=272}} Taylor complained that on a trip to a small hill village, "We came round a corner of the peaceful road only to find hundreds of photographers clicking away at us", which Mardas had organised. McCartney later said that while sailing around Greek islands, everybody just sat around and took LSD.{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=379-380}}<ref name="TheBeatlesAnthologyDVD3">The Beatles ''Anthology'' DVD (2003) (Episode 6 - 1:06:18) Harrison talking about the trip to Greece to buy an island.</ref> They eventually found what is referred to as the {{convert|80|acre|adj=on}} island of Leslo (although no Greek island is officially known by this name). The island had a small fishing village, four beaches, and a large olive grove. Four small neighbouring islands surrounded it (one for each Beatle). The Beatles sent Alistair Taylor back to London to handle the purchase of the island. Taylor received permission from the Greek government to purchase the island, and £90,000 of special "export dollars" required for the transaction were purchased. However, the Beatles changed their minds before the deal went through, and the export dollars were sold for a £11,400 profit a few months later when exchange rates went up (one of the few profitable business ventures for the Beatles).<ref>[https://www.beatlesbible.com/1967/07/26/beatles-visit-greek-island/ "The Beatles visit a Greek island they intended to purchase"], ''[[The Beatles Bible]]''. Retrieved on 30 March 2019.</ref>
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