GREECE to HOME
   
    I woke up at 7:15am and got myself ready to get as far as possible through Greece funnily enough I did get a good sleep and felt fresh for the long day’s drive ahead, I did want to try and get all the way to the port of Igoamanitsa but I was not sure if I could in just one day as I was only able to drive at around 45 to 50 miles per hour and that was when I was not going up through mountains or round endless hair pin bends, so the going was fairly slow at times. One good thing though is the price of petrol has not hit the roof yet and so I am not too worried about that as I do about the cost of the ferry to Italy or even crossing the channel and it’s still 30% cheaper than the UK. I estimated I had about seven mountains to cross and that was going to take a lot out of the car as they are not only high but also long drives and steep too. Fortunately I had removed the thermostat and so the engine did not get hot, well I say it didn’t get hot, it did going up some of those mountains but not as hot as it did before though I did have to stop on occasions to take a break and let Min cool down and I would brew up a cuppa for myself.
   
    The scenery in Greece is fantastic what with the high mountains that surround the area and all the different coloured rock ranging from browns to a strange green colour and there was plenty of snow at the top of each pass with rivers that had turned to ice making it all look like icing that had melted or the side of a candle which had been burning for a long time. I had to fill the car with petrol on several occasions today as I did not want to run out right at the wrong moment. During my last stop I asked the pump attendant how far it was to Igoamanitsa and was told it’s still a long drive of about eight hours so I felt I really would not manage to entire route today but I got back into the car and pushed myself and car. I was in fact following a lot of road works, there will be a new road which will be very fast indeed when it is completed, a new super highway.
   
    After a very long and tiring day’s drive I did manage to get all the way to the port of Igoamanitsa and it was raining at the time, I hate he rain as the lights on the car are not all that good at the best of the time and nor are the wipers but I made it and was well pleased with both myself and of course the car and, the time was only 7:30pm so I immediately decided to go into one of the ferry booking offices which were still open to my amazement and get a crossing booked for the next morning.
   
    I parked the car just across the road and walked into the shop saw the assistant who began to process the crossing, she told me there was still time to catch the last boat which was leaving in an hour. I was going to get the ferry to Brindisi but that had already gone and the only other was to Ancona which as far as I was concerned was even better as it was even further up the coast of Italy and I would save at least two day’s driving so I booked that one instead. The actual crossing was about five hours longer but that didn’t bother me too much as I had a cabin and shower and, I can tell you I was in need of a good wash by this time. So I was booked on and had a fifteen hour rest ahead of me. No sooner had I paid the rather high amount of $140 yes dollars I was onboard and we were en-route to Italy.
   
    The voyage was a little bumpy at times though I don’t suffer from sea sickness which is a bit of a god sent but most enjoyable. I went straight to my cabin which I was sharing with a French lorry driver and took a nice long hot shower a little later followed by a light meal and a couple of beers, my first since I left Australia. I felt as though I could begin to relax now and enjoy the time on the boat which was very nice especially if one compares it to any that cross the channel though that didn’t come from me Right!
   
    Later on I went back to the cabin and straight to bed, did a little writing and off to sleep like a shot. I did wake up a few times in the night cos the boat was swaying from side to side quite a lot and at times felt like we hit a brick wall. Got the next morning and after a good feast it was time to go to the car and get ready to enter Italy.
   
    I was more than surprised that the entire passport thing has gone and not any interest with the car. So I left the relative safety of the boat and before I knew it I was on my way north heading for Torino. I drove until about 6:00 in the evening and decided to stop once again at a lorry park and cook a little dinner before making a few phone calls and going off to sleep. It felt brilliant to be making such good headway now and being so close to home.
   
    The roads are now so easy but the car is tired and so I cannot push it too much as I don’t want to have any problems being so near and yet so far. One thing that really makes me upset is the tolls which I am sure I pay too much for as I have a trailer but it is so small and so to is the car I went through one toll gate and as soon as I was no more than ten feet past it the entire exhaust system fell off and went under the wheels of the car bending it right in half and the most embarrassing thing was it was right in the view of a couple of police men sitting in there car, all they did was wave there arms in the air and just stared at me I suppose I was lucky they didn’t want to pull the car over and give it a good checking ver as they would in England. There are so many things wrong with the car now and no way would it ever pass it’s MOT, I am sure the certificate I have for it which is still valid is not worth the paper it is written on.
   
    I had to pull over o the side of the road and repair it as best as I could with loads of wire and a couple of clamps as all the correct gear has fallen off.
   
    When that was all done I was on my way again and I got as far as Macon in France where I spent the night in a car park outside a motel. Once again I cooked a little dinner and had an early night.
   
    To my horror the next morning I actually had to scrape the ice away from the inside of the windscreen and my thermometer was reading minus 12 degrees can that be true or was it going wrong, "I will never know" but it seems to be OK at the moment. Everywhere was white this morning and cold I got on the road at about 7:30 and headed for Paris stopping on the way to buy some water and food and before I knew it I was on the road to La Havre and was there by 2:00pm almost journeys end.
   
    As there were no ferries crossing on the Monday I had to book to travel the very next morning, Sunday. I paid for the crossing and then parked the car up for the night spending my time cleaning it out and re fixing the exhaust system which had almost fallen off again.
   
    Very next day I was on my way home and arrived in Portsmouth at 2:00pm. Both my parents and my wife Yuwadee were there to meet me, it was a very special time for me and I was so happy to get the car back to England as at some point I really thought it would not be possible.
   
    Now that I am returned I have just one more entry to make and that will be following shortly.
   
    Thank you to everyone who has helped me to make this journey from 1999 to 2000 possible
   
    Duncan Mortimer xxx