After only one night stay in Ancona, they boarded again on a ferry in the evening of Tuesday the 20th and went to the Ionian Sea. Though it took as long as 21 hours from Ancona to Patra, in the Gulf of Patra, at the East end of the Ionian Sea, the trip was nice. The mechanics enjoyed conversations with other team mechanics in the bar. As soon as they arrived at Patra in the afternoon on Wednesday the 21st, they drove east for four hours to Athens where the Rally Headquarters was to be set. Rocky hills seen from the porthole windows foretell that the rally will be tough.

We enjoyed the short break until the weekend in the downtown of Athens. There were beautiful allies with many street stalls, adding color to the scenery in the old town.

On Monday, the rally week had begun. The time just flies by. Recce, car inspection, shakedown test, and then the ceremonial start were held in the evening of Thursday. As usual, streets in Athens were crowded with rally cars before the ceremony. Drivers suffered from the heat as there is no air conditioner in the WR car!

On Friday, the competition began. When the cars run special stages, other team members apart from the crews can do nothing but await the cars coming back to the service park. Although, mechanics and engineers are very busy during service periods. Crews are also busy at the service park. This time, Tomi who co-drives Toni Gardemeister did some PR activities, as a reporter for a Finnish TV program. We aim to increase the visibility of the Suzuki Worid Rally Team around the world and to attract more fans!
Because only slight problems occurred in this rally, smiling faces were everywhere in our tent. We hope to see many smiles in the future rallies!

Athens is one of the most historic cities in Europe. Once, the city was known as the most powerful city-state in the ancient Greek world. The heritage of that classical era are still to be found around the city. You can see a number of ancient monuments and works of art in the town. The most famous of all being is the Parthenon on the Acropolis, which was built for the Greek goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom, art and heroic endeavors and also the protectress of Athens. When the Parthenon was built for the first time, it would have been really fantastic with marble reliefs and sculptures! The Greek Ministry of Culture is currently carrying out a program of restoration and reconstruction

Finally, we would like to make some comment on a fraction of the very varied Greek cuisine. In Greek food, Feta made from ewe's and goat's milk is an important ingredient. You can taste it when you have 'Greek Salad'. The so-called 'Greek Salad' is known in Greece as Country Salad; 'Horiatiki'. You will taste very fresh fruity olive oil at the same time. 'Tzatziki' is one typical and popular food in Greece. 'Tzatziki' is easy to make; you only have to put drained yoghurt, minced cucumber and garlic puree in one bowl and mix it. In Greece, people often use yoghurt as a sauce in cooking. 'Souvlaki' means something grilled on a skewer. Most common are lamb, pork or chicken, often marinated in oil, salt, pepper, oregano and lemon. Greek beer and such meat dishes are a good match. Mythos Brewery is the second largest Greek brewery, best known for its 'Mythos' brand which is a light straw-colored, pilsner style lager. People like sweet snacks in Greece. 'Loukoumi' is one of those sweets. It is a confection made from starch and sugar, essentially similar to the Turkish delight.