Greece

SS: It took us two days to travel the length of Albania and inland Greece before finally reaching Athens - our starting point. The acropolis is stunning. I still marvel at the creations of design and longevity of each ruin we come across... such man made beauty. Now off to see mother nature's creations. 

Mykonos: My first thought is that if I opened up a white paint store I could be the islands wealthiest and most successful business woman. My second, yet smaller business, would be 3 different shades of blue paint store. Successful yet yielding to the white paint business. My final business would be a furniture store only supplying white furnishings and I would make enough money to solve the Greece governing debts. Although, seriously, the white works here and adds to the total beauty and serenity. John and I rented a 'HOG', aka - scooter, and managed to cover most of the island stopping off at the most famous beaches Mykonos has to offer. 

Paros: I LOVE Paros. Laid back, less tourists, better priced, and friendly, not forgetting beautiful beaches and scenery. Again I was living out my dream of being a Sons of Anarchy old lady on the back of the bike cruising the entire island. 

Santorini: Probably the most famous of the Greece islands, Santorini is very unique. A towering cliff side that plummets to the sea with (again) pure white buildings with blue trim carved into the side, all overlooking a caved-in volcano in the middle of the blue Mediterranean - postcard perfect, right? Spending some time touring the island we discovered beaches made of red sand, white sand and black sand. The massive black sand beach on the south side proved to be a little more laid back than the ever busy towns of Fira and Oia. 

Rhodes: Leave the golf clubs at home for this one! John was starting to get the shakes as it had been a while since he last hit the course. Rhodes being one of the only islands that offer golf, John was eager to make a tee time. I think that we could have played better in snow.

JG: Albania has some work to do on the tourist front, though our one day stop in the capital city of Tirana was better than expected (for no justifiable reason, I had set the bar pretty low). Decent sized city with a presentable downtown area, and very little English being spoken. Spent only a couple of days in Athens, which was mainly occupied with historical sights. The Greeks really did it up right within the Acropolis, though the Greek inspired ruins in Sicily were just as impressive.  The island hopping and touring was great - and not just for the usual restaurant and tourist scene, but for the lesser navigated nooks. Santorini is the biggest draw, and if there was any doubt, try making your way to some of the lookout points at sunset - you can watch privately with about twenty thousand of your most distant acquaintances. Advantage: Paros. 

The Greek beaches and landscapes are the real deal, and the history in Athens and even Rhodes were worth the few days spent in each.  But, sadly, the golf was not - the pic or two below might look like the Sahara Desert, but rest assured it's Greece. Sandy also tried some type of strange spa treatment involving small fish eating away at the dead skin on her feet, making me wonder if Greece is trailblazing the spa industry, or stuck in the 1800s of pampering. Has this trend caught on back at home?