Greek people are so wonderful. They were so welcoming and seemed happy to have tourists. There were so many people there ready to help, happy and proud to share their city. Our ship left from there so we stayed a couple days. We stayed in Koukaki, a safe area in walking distance of The Acropolis and Plaka. Don't miss Anatiofika! It's in between The Acropolis and Plaka - small little neighborhood, like a postcard, quaint, and so beautiful. Find the little church in Anatiofika with the Greek flag and you'll see the most amazing view of Athens from there! The taxis in Athens can be sketchy. We took a transfer from the airport which worked great and was the same price as a taxi. Even though we had a delayed/diverted/cancelled flight, Athens Airport Taxi/run by Emma followed our changes, always responded to each communication immediately and took care of us. We were also happy that Athen's has Uber. But be weary of using a Taxi. They'll take advantage of you. We actually saw a fight break out with a Taxi driver! Be careful in that that each area in Athens is different and can go from safe to unsafe within a block. In general, the closer to The Acropolis, the safer it is. We loved Athens - even though our luggage hadn't arrived (and wouldn't for five days). It's the locals there that make it so wonderful!

We also loved Santorini. It's exactly like what you see in pictures. Don't miss Oia, at the end of the island. It's about a 20 minute cab ride from Fira, where the cable car is. But for souvenirs and food, things are a little cheaper in Fira. There are only a few ways to get up on the island - basically the cable car, walking, or riding the donkeys. We were lucky to be the only ship in port and got right on and off the cable car. If you walk, they've been known to herd the donkeys into you to get you to pay to ride them, and it's slippery with all the donkey poop. But please don't ride the donkey's. You can read more about it here:

https://www.facebook.com/santorinidonkeys/

Kotor was our favorite! I'd love to go back and stay overnight. We were there the day of our 25th anniversary and it was just an enchanting place to spend that day. Take the hike up the mountain (8 Euros), for sure. We only went as far as The Lady of Our Remedy Church, as we had to be back on the ship by 2 and only had so much time, but it was very beautiful. Easy walk, amazing view! Also try The Harbour Pub, and sit outside. Great food and service! I took the most pictures at this port. Storybook setting!

We rode the hop on hop off bus and had a fun day.

Pompeii excursion was incredible!! The view of the Salerno port not so much.

Our cruise ended in Barcelona, where we stayed for a couple days. The Gothic Quarter is great for nightlife. We loved Sor Rita, a Kitshy bar, Bollocks, a rock bar, and Poloroid, an 80's bar. Some people like to stay in the Gothic Quarter, but I'd read that because it's older the hotels have problems with mold, ac, water etc. So we stayed right by Arc de Triomf, walking distance from the Gothic Quarter. Arc de Triomf has a pretty park with people blowing bubbles, musicians, and ice cream carts. Worth the stop if you can. There's a great restaurant near there called Elsa Y Fred with great cocktails, food, and amazing service. Barcelona has dozens of Gaudi places to see, and you definitely have to see Sagrada Familia, even if it's the only thing you do in Barcelona. But, there are so so many Gaudi places, it would take at least a week or more to see them all. We did also go to Park Guell, with its panoramic view of the city. One of our favorite things we did was spend an afternoon at Barceloneta Beach. There is so much to do in Barcelona and we felt a little guilty going to a beach instead of fitting in more landmarks on our last day, but it was such a fun time. Maybe because we'd just spent two weeks walking and sightseeing, but it's a very relaxing, pretty beach. The sand meets the shore with a border of beautiful rocks. Shiny, good-sized, all colors..worth the weight to bring some home. We used an amazing transfer service in Barcelona from the cruise port to the hotel and then to the airport. It was Pressicat/Roman LLort. Roman was amazing, so friendly and professional, and texted with us at all points. A word of caution about the Barcelona airport - we arrived three hours early and needed every second of that.