We had heard that Santorini was a very nice place to visit. When we were coming into the port, we could see the houses up on top of the cliff above the coast. Most of them were white. We were told that before paint, they coated the houses with lime to weatherproof them and that was white in color. Now they just paint them white.There are only three ways to get from the pier to the city up on top: walk up a winding staircase, ride donkeys up the staircase or t...

Today we had no plans locked in for today. I had put together a day where we take the train/tram to the Plaka area of Athens known for its winding, cobblestone streets inviting travelers into its shops and restaurants. We had walked thought the area last night after the restaurant. People were out on the narrow streets eating outside and the shops were all open. I thought Mom would like to go there to check out the Greek stores but her leg was sore from all t...

If you read the story about our day in Crete, then you know how a day began in Athens, only this time with Frank. He was holding a sign with our names on it when we exited the port. This time we rode in a 12 seat luxury van. He said that we were the only ones scheduled so it was all ours. To get ahead of the crowds, He took us straight to the Acropolis, showing us sites on the way. We got there and there wasn't hardly anyone there. By law, he can't ...

Today we docked in Crete. I had scheduled a private tour before we left with Lefty, a highly recommended tour guide. We docked at 8am and reached the port building by 9am, right on time. As we exited the building, there was Gregoris, sent by Lefty, to show us around. Standing there with his sign "Al & Karen Meadows", we acknowledged him with a wave whereby he greeted us both and showed us to his car, a nice Mercedes. He had two cold waters and a box of Greek pa...

We arrived here ready for disembarkation at 8am. It's a nice looking port, at least from the ship. We can see an old castle-like structure up on the hill as well as one in the middle of the port. We take a tender to the town after breakfast. We usually wait a little for the crowd to die down. There's always a group that has to be first into port and then back to the ship before everyone else. While that may be a great plan, it's very difficult to e...