Ring through to the lads stranded at the services without a key and they have found the key! Amazing. It was under the drivers seat down through the seat, they were in the process of taking the vehicle apart when it appeared. Much joy. So they head in to Ancona and rest of Alpha team and the main convoy all make their way to port. We have been told the ferry is leaving at 4pm. Short team meeting to explain to everyone the ferry booking process and the fact that we have some time to spare. Prices are going to be 90 euro for the vehicle, 30 euro per person then extra for a four person cabin. In our group the Malaysian contingent are planning to get a cabin and Kamahl from Oz as well. So with two cabins in the team we think we can deal. The idea is the rest of us can crash out wherever and grab a shower if necessary from one of the cabins. So convoy goes to to book their tickets. It rapidly becomes clear that our ferry company does not have a 4pm sailing but in fact we are all on 1.30pm departure. Action stations.
Onboard those without cabins are directed to the 10th floor of the ship. This is the deck area and the plastic benches are part exposed to the elements so this does not appear entirely suitable particularly for the grandparents couple in our team.
There are showers on the top deck though so I take the opportunity while everyone is running around the ship settling in to jump in. On wandering around I bump into Talat Group leader for Manchester – he says he would like me to try and get some sort of accommodation for him and a few others. Rumour has it that the captain can be consulted for negotiations on cabins. I wait my turn to speak to him and explain about Viva Palestina, the age of the couple and the students – they give us eight passes to the dormitories and two passes to reclining air seats for free. Sorted.
There is a team meeting for whole convoy on the top deck. Kevin thanks everyone for making it so far and explains that if all goes to plan then after Istanbul where we are to be supported by IHH international medical aid charity there could be upto 200 vehicles in convoy for Gaza.
At question time Saj and Muqtal say that they have some concerns over the organisation and communications as they are saying that if they had not rung their team leader they would not know that the ferry was leaving earlier. However the majority of people appear to want to say positive comments and thank convoy leaders and VP. A Muslim brother gives a motivational speech. Team leaders then get called to a team meeting – I haven't eaten yet and having ordered food before that cannot be taken into the lounge we are sitting in this is long. Anyway after this its a nice evening – couple of beers and chat.
Day 7
Ferry pulls into Igoumenitsa at 6am. We are then on a beautiful sweeping route to Thessaloniki through mountains, tunnels, valleys. Snow on the hills and fog make the journey quite steady but the road is fantastically easy, new and clear. I am able to copy and burn two discs worth of reggae from the hard drive onto cd so we have some different music.
We have one stop where we grab coffee and some people have breakfast.
We arrive in good time at the outskirts of the city receiving text message information from convoy leaders. We are with some vehicles from D team when the vehicle in front of us takes a wrong turn and we end up separated from convoy. However with nine vehicles we wait in a quiet road and call VP who send a Greek host to find us and guide us in by following his car. We manage this by putting Cedric on a wireless radio handset in the lead car. He directs us through a few traffic lights and eventually to the basket ball stadium which is where we are staying we have made it by 5pm. There are pre-pack sandwiches which no-one touches because they are ham and cheese, cups of tea or coffee are available and the end of a basket ball practice taking place. Cedric is concerned after chatting with the guide who said they had only heard from Viva Palestina a few days ago for assistance. I check with convoy leader Kevin about this and he says the support group in Thessaloniki did have short notice because the previous one let them down.
The ambulance in our team that had lost its keys is reporting some issues with losing power, Mohammed A2 is also reporting losing power. Minibus and caravan A7 exhaust has fallen off so driving through the tunnels sounds like a B52 is flying overhead. The stopping place is on top of a hill overlooking Thessaloniki and is quite exposed to the cold air. In the evening a local delegation including the local mayor and one or two others arrive and speak to us, it is hard to make out what they are saying as the words are translated and the translator is unfortunately quite quiet and does not have all the vocab to express what they are saying. 
After this food is brought in for us in the form of hard boiled eggs, bread, feta cheese, apples – enormous apples. After this I am wandering about bump into Richard V and ask if he would like to go for a wander down the hill.
Most of the younger convoy members take the opportunity to have a run about, play some ball games and do some exercise on the mats and with the weights. Muj and his team have made some tomato rice dinner and givec me some. I share it with Hassan who starts talking to me – he explains how important his Muslim beliefs are to him and I explain how I am not religious at all. The place is a short walk from a high street with a couple of taverna, shops and rumour has it an internet shop. There is a gaming shop, small independent retailers couple of bars. Richard V and I wander down with the students from our group an American lad and a French girl Ingrid who lives in Swansea. We go into a bar where a number of other convoyers are gathered. It is relaxed, low light dark wooden furniture and a number of Greek locals out on saturday evening, The bottles of beer are expensive at 4 euros each. One of the bar waiters tells us that there is a band playing tonight and this will cost 5 euros – we say we will probably not go for this and agree with each other to move on after this beer. The performance starts up and is quite amusing as the lead man looks a bit like Pete Doherty and is prancing and striding around. It seems to be mixture of drama and music as there is narration and singing and then the band – not songs as such. Also there are women in the audience who participate in interacting with the lead with additional lines or actions. Nevertheless some of us decide to move on this time with one of the Irish contingent from Cork. Walking back up we stick our heads into a taverna where we are seated in a cubby and order Amstel. The Irishman tells us about a Gaelic football initiative which will mean setting up a Gaelic football team in Gaza for young people. He has goal posts and materials and ground work has been done by one of his colleagues which will mean Gaza has an official Gaelic football team which is part of a global network. He explains how the game has a strong network and this will respond to the needs of any young person who takes part in the game. The taverna turns out to be run by a Russian man and he is friendly and gives us a pizza. The beer is much cheaper here than in the other place but we don't stay out for another one.
Back up the hill to crash in the warm sports hall after a hot shower, it is late and most people are crashed out over the basketball court in their sleeping bags as Iqbal describes them as caterpillars.
Day 8
We have a more structured day ahead and there is going to be a drive down to the sea front of the town with a police escort. We manage to get almost the whole convoy down through town in spectacular style with the lights flashing and sirens on.
Thessaloniki town has a long sea front and we snake along it and onto the promenade where there are then photo opportunities, some speaking by Kevin and some free time to spend before the evening to return as we wish to the basketball court.
Leah and I sit on a park bench and eat food we have been given by an Albanian supporter on the ferry – vegetable pancakes, olives, roast parsnips. Then need to find wifi – unfortunately the only available appears to be Starbucks on the sea front. We sit there for a while, Leah gets chatting to Nargis and Tariq who come in as well. I leave to get back up the hill, bump into Zuber another team leader on the way back to the van and follow him and Peter back to base – after getting significantly lost in a nearby suburb. There are a few ancient looking ruins in the town, lots of small high streets and the sea front is quite developed. Weather is cold.
After finding base Zuber and Peter suggest going to get some food. I have lots to do because convoy leaders need us to ensure that all the members in our teams have their indemnity forms signed and that vehicles are aware of the fact their customs manifest forms must be done.
Because we are stopped for another night and there is a high street nearby people are scattered about a bit. I'm worried because I can't find my UK mobile phone anywhere. We go to the Russian taverna where I check for the mobile – not there, we stay for food. First hurdle is ordering. The menu has no english script at all and the owner cannot speak a word. Zuber is vegetarian and we need to make sure he doesn't get any meat on his plate. I flag down a passerby and they ask someone else but it turns out Georghe not only doesn't speak English but he doesn't speak Greek either - in the end we have to resort to him phoning a friend who speaks English.
Despite the language barrier Georghe is very friendly and comes to join us for most of the evening talking all the time animatedly in Russian. He understands we are going to Gaza. We order Greek salad and sovlaki he recommends Georgian pasta dumplings to us. In addition to this Georghe also provides for us cheese pizza, mushroom pie, lamb stew and then the shots of Stolichnya come out. He carries on talking and laughing and plying Peter and I with vodka. I decide I need to check at the bar with the strange band. YES!! There it is, found on the floor and handed in – amazing. I offer to buy them a drink – unfortunately for me they choose tequila and insist I have one too. I bump into A4 Nidal on the way back up the hill and we return to the Russian taverna where merriment continues but not too late.
Day 9
Moving on towards the border with Turkey next stop a seaside town Alexandropoulis. The Belgian team want to catch us up later as they have a mechanical problem still. It is not a long drive to Alexandropoulis and the stopover is ideal - an off-season campsite.
It is cold. Ryan decides its time for a dip and runs into the sea like a mad person.
We have a team leader's meeting about 8pm in one of the organiser's vehicles. On the way out of Thessaloniki one of F team's vehicles has been crashed into from behind and is now a write-off. Other vehicles in their group managed to take the aid spread across their team but it will have to be moved now. I know we have some space in the ambulances so I ask A4, A5 and A6 to take the aid which is mainly wheelchairs and some boxes of medical supplies. This means that we have to prepare vehicle manifests for the customs. For now this can be written on some blank vehicle manifest forms, it is a bit of a job but eventually the aid is redistributed in Alpha team. Well done!
I am a bit annoyed about the two Belgian vehicles who have not let me know where they are and drove past Viva Palestina guides on the main road earlier, I don't know where they are. So I will try to have a word with them in the morning. Some people have lit fires to keep warm in the very bracing air but the campsite don't want us to have them so we have to go around and ask people to put them out which is a shame. It is disappointing to see that some people have used broken pallets and these are going to burn leaving the nails in the sand - not very social considering kids will be using the beach in the summer, I mention this to someone sitting there so hopefully they will do a bit of clearing up. Before crashing out in the tent I have a shower which is very hot water but freezing air. Then sit around a stove that Mustapha and Benkharmaz have got out and its a relaxed welcoming place with a few bods sitting around chatting. When the subject turns to the existence of God or not I decide its time for bed.
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