Greece

From Saranda, Albania to Corfu, Greece: ferry is about 1 hour (varies on the type of ferry you book). Upon arrival, you will need to go through passport control. Albania is not in the Schengen zone but Greece is.

Corfu: We stayed in the Old Town area which was interesting and great for dining options but we did not find a nice beach within walking distance so we took a bus (1 hour) to Palaiokastrista. Finding the bus stop in Corfu was the hard part but once we found that, it was simple. Cash only. If you're going for the day as we did, I'd recommend buying your return tickets when you arrive in Palaiokastritsa and check the schedule for departure times. There aren't many so be aware!

We were just there for the beach and found a restaurant with sun beds/umbrella to lounge at. The actual beach was clean, so we didn't have to spend the extra money, but we just didn't want the extra sun exposure all day.

The water there was swimmable - swim shoes are nice because of the rocks, and some snorkeling gear would've been great to have as there seems to be a lot of fish in this cove.

Athens: We flew from Corfu to Athens (quick, maybe 45 minutes in the air). Easy Metro ride from the airport to the Monastiraki area where our hotel was located. This neighborhood was perfect for us - close to the Metro and walking distance to all the touristy sights we would be visiting. Speaking of neighborhoods, the Psyri area is just a few minutes away and was our favorite in the evenings for dining and walking around.

The Acropolis offers "free entry"days (you can find the dates on the Hellenic Heritage website www.hh.gr) and we decided to brave that and headed over at 0800 (it opens at 0800). Wow, the line was incredibly long. I have to guess thousands of people were there in line in front of us but one of the locals told us that the line is always long, even on days that aren't free. Once they opened, the line moved quickly. It was mid-May and already very warm & sunny so we were happy that we went in the morning. Bring your sunblock! I saw so many people with sunburns that looked quite painful.

I have to say that I was completely taken by surprise to have fallen in love with the city of Athens. I can't even pinpoint exactly what it is about it, but I have a list in the back of my mind of places I want to return to, and Athens is definitely up there.

Naxos/Paros/Milos/Santorini: We took a ferry from Piraeus port in Athens to Naxos. I need to mention that Piraeus port is huge. I understand it is one of the largest ports in Europe. Thus, there is a lot of traffic around the port. So, whether you get there by Metro or taxi, you need to keep all of this in mind. Give yourself extra time is what I'm saying (we gambled a little with timing our taxi pick-up - but we got lucky with an experienced driver who essentially dropped us off at the entrance of our boat!). We spent a few days on Naxos, then Paros, Milos, and Santorini. All of these islands had their own charm and beauty. We rented a buggy on 3 of the islands - I love that this is a fun and affordable option for exploring islands and visiting beaches. If I were to give any recommendations, I would tell you that we had a 5-star day out on a boat on Milos, the Milos Oneiro. There were about a dozen or so of us, the captain shared information and stories about Milos, took us to some beautiful spots to swim and snorkel, fed us good food all day long. I even liked the grilled octopus! And yes, there was ouzo too to further ensure a good time. I believe if you are interested in doing this, you have to book at least a couple of weeks in advance.

Greece... the warmth & hospitality of all the locals & workers we encountered was top-notch. The people in Greece could host a master class!