Not sure if I posted this before but I backed on to the Karageorgis in Patra only to be asked if I could drive off to let a fridge on so it could plug in then I could back on again. Only trouble was they wouldn’t let me back on again and closed the ramp, completely stitched up I went ■■■■■■ mad at the little ■■■■ in the office but to no avail and ended up getting the next days ferry.
nice photo cliff good days on axminster remember it well ships were either from ancona or brindisi couple of names of ships were mediteranean sun and mediteranean sky I think all those hitchhikers laying all over the decks cheers dennis
nice one cliff,i remember shipping out to Greece thro poole a couple of us and they sent an extra truck to the terminal to tranship onto to the two of us to make our weight up to 38 tons in the days when 32 tons was max in uk . also we used to load out of surgeries with frozen for Greece plenty of time to clear customs in Piraeus and great kebabs for breakfast. I remember being parked down there when we had a bad earth tremor in the middle of the night thought someone was jumping on the step rocking the cab got out to have a look and everybody was out looking all in their pants .remember the guy that used to come around with the little bowser to fill the fridges up with diesel and the weekends on the beaches . good days
dieseldennis2:
nice one cliff,i remember shipping out to Greece thro poole a couple of us and they sent an extra truck to the terminal to tranship onto to the two of us to make our weight up to 38 tons in the days when 32 tons was max in uk . also we used to load out of surgeries with frozen for Greece plenty of time to clear customs in Piraeus and great kebabs for breakfast. I remember being parked down there when we had a bad earth tremor in the middle of the night thought someone was jumping on the step rocking the cab got out to have a look and everybody was out looking all in their pants .remember the guy that used to come around with the little bowser to fill the fridges up with diesel and the weekends on the beaches . good days
I remember a couple of times being in St Nicks Square with those Earth Tremors going on. One of them in if I remember was about '84 or '85, that was a bit scary. Though It was without a doubt the very best place to be parked. At least there were no buildings close enough to fall onto you or your Wagon. I certainly do remember those lovely DAF’s of Axminster, Cliff. Looks like your exiting one of the Atlas Ferries. Brindisi to Patras or vice versa.
Archie Paice:
dieseldennis2:
nice one cliff,i remember shipping out to Greece thro poole a couple of us and they sent an extra truck to the terminal to tranship onto to the two of us to make our weight up to 38 tons in the days when 32 tons was max in uk . also we used to load out of surgeries with frozen for Greece plenty of time to clear customs in Piraeus and great kebabs for breakfast. I remember being parked down there when we had a bad earth tremor in the middle of the night thought someone was jumping on the step rocking the cab got out to have a look and everybody was out looking all in their pants .remember the guy that used to come around with the little bowser to fill the fridges up with diesel and the weekends on the beaches . good daysI remember a couple of times being in St Nicks Square with those Earth Tremors going on. One of them in if I remember was about '84 or '85, that was a bit scary. Though It was without a doubt the very best place to be parked. At least there were no buildings close enough to fall onto you or your Wagon. I certainly do remember those lovely DAF’s of Axminster, Cliff. Looks like your exiting one of the Atlas Ferries. Brindisi to Patras or vice versa.
yes archie it would have been 84 or 85 and the other ferry co was atlas ferries couldn’t think at the time as buzzer would say mary Hopkins moment seem to be getting more and more 
Didn’t do a lot of “Bubble”, STS in the 80’s and then again for Ralph Davies up to '92 as these Ventouris tickets show.
Patras: waiting for Bluestar ferry pictured, en route to Saudi.
Igoumenitsa: the Yank got out of his truck, took one look at the Arabic name-plate in my windscreen, got straight back into his cab and parked it at the other end of the waiting area - I kid you not! Robert
Seeing that Freighliner alongside the IVECO…the STD Iveco cab aint that tall, looks like the Yank had a big thump on the roof!
robert1952:
Patras: waiting for Bluestar ferry pictured, en route to Saudi.
Robert, just a quick question. If you were waiting at Patras, wouldn’t you be coming BACK from Saudi not en-route TO Saudi? Im just guessing as I would have thought you would come back via Turkey, down into Greece then ferry across to Italy. If you were getting a ferry from Patras where did it go en-route to Saudi? Just interested having never done the run myself 
bullitt:
robert1952:
Patras: waiting for Bluestar ferry pictured, en route to Saudi.Robert, just a quick question. If you were waiting at Patras, wouldn’t you be coming BACK from Saudi not en-route TO Saudi? Im just guessing as I would have thought you would come back via Turkey, down into Greece then ferry across to Italy. If you were getting a ferry from Patras where did it go en-route to Saudi? Just interested having never done the run myself
Well spotted there, boy at the back: I was waiting to see who would see my deliberate mistake! Yes, of course I was returning from Saudi, not going. Robert 
Just arriving in Patra it was like the start of a holiday every time you got off the ferry.or should I say got on the ferry if you came from Ancona on Karregeorgis 36 hours.
I did quite a bit of Greece with this one for Ray at Interspersed alongside Maurice Gray unfortunately no longer with us R.I.P.
I think going to Greece with a lorry when I was only 24 was one the most memorable moments in my life, and then meeting people who would become friends for life . We had a very special time.
Cliff luxton:
I think going to Greece with a lorry when I was only 24 was one the most memorable moments in my life, and then meeting people who would become friends for life . We had a very special time.
Bloody hell, was you only 24 Cliff ? I thought you were about 40
Thanks Archie it was nearly 40 years ago.
Cliff luxton:
Thanks Archie it was nearly 40 years ago.
Yes, it’s amazing where the time goes isn’t it. But what brilliant and happy times they were. It’s good to see that there are so many of us still jogging along in life. In fact one of our old Friends has had a bit of really good news yesterday, Charlie Gethin, he has been given the all clear with his Cancer. Fantastic eh ? One of these days I might just nip into your Public Bar for a Mataxa or two, you never know.