I should have been blogging daily to get all my details up about my trip to Greece … now I have a lot of catching up to do and think that longer posts will be done about the places and things that I truly loved. This post will be a summary and some tips.
Flight – LONG… we flew from Toronto to Istanbul and then to Athens. It was 9 hours for the first leg and we were in comfort class on the Turkish Airlines flight which I recommend but of course didn’t pay for since that was part of the prize.
Athens – had so much history and graffiti! We had 3 nights there and for me that was plenty to see things and then move on. The Acropolis is worth going to Athens for.
Crete – such amazing people and the place we stayed too has been one of the trip highlights so far – the Avli is where we stayed. The Avli will get its own post but for now you can check out my recommendation on TripAdvisor and you can check out Avli on it’s own site too.
Santorini – has to be one of the most stunning places on earth. It is so beautiful here but is missing the hospitality we had in Crete. Much more of a tourist location although we have a nice quiet spot in between Fira and Oia.
Next we are off to Rhodes by overnight ferry and back to Athens before wrapping up in Istanbul. There will definitely be more posts with pictures when I am back at home with a better wifi connection!
Lori Logorrhea 
I was there a decade ago, but ruins never change, I hope. My faves in Istanbul were the history and honesty of the Fatih neighborhood and a local mosque there was raw and beautiful: Tahir aga Camii.
The Aya Sophia / Topkapi Palace had incredible history of overlapping victors c. 1459 as did the Basilica Cistern. They used Roman ruins to uphold their underground water source c. 532 AD.
Add the Seafood district. Drinking Raki. Water pipes. Grand Bazaar c. 1453. Oh. So much to see!!
Also went to a steam room near Blue Mosque and straight of Bosphorus that was an eye opener. Men get luxury suites upstairs, women get a mass room downstairs with no frills.
I should have picked your brain before leaving. Yesterday we did a tour and saw Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, the Cistern you mention. We did a cruise on the Bosphorus and did a quick trip through the Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar. Today is our last day here.