Today we woke up early – around 4:30am – and drove to the port to take the 6am ferry to Keromouti. We had to drive Petra to Thessaloniki airport to take the flight to Paris, to join her family. Abbas stayed behind as he was going to take the ferry at 10am to Kavala; he is going to do an art workshop with a Greek artist in Portoheli, south of Athens. 

While we were in the ferry, we enjoyed the sunrise...  it is an amazing feeling to see the sun rising up from the sea. 

Once we reached the mainland of Greece, we started our two and half drive to Thessaloniki airport. We said goodbye to Petra and thanked her for her time and her help with the tour.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism was very kind and booked us in Nepheli Hotel in the Panorama area in Thessaloniki. The hotel is excellent and the staff are very friendly. We went to the roof to have our breakfast and later went to our room to get some rest. 

Later, we decided to visit the Photography Museum and met on our arrival with  Alexandra Athanasiadou, who manages Development and International Relations and very kindly gave us a tour around the museum. 

She also introduced us to Museum Director Vangelis Ioakimidis. He told us that he was in Thassos when the museum was opened. We discussed the possibility of  Ammar doing an exhibition next year, showcasing Greece and Arabia through his lens. Mr Ioakimidis welcomed the idea and said he looked forward to our proposal.

After we left the museum, we had a late lunch (small sandwiches), then walked to the Aristotelous Square and from there all the way along this lovely corniche where people are dining and enjoying themselves.

While we were there, we noticed a very nice boat with a bar and café, which was offering a free 30 minute tour. We took the tour and as we watched the  sun come down, thought about how special it felt to be in this fascinating country, to see the sunrise and the sunset and feel like there was only an hour between them. The time really does fly when you're having a good time.

At around 9:30pm we reached our hotel and went to the rooftop for a lovely dinner. Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece  and it has one of the best universities in the country. It is a very good base if you are interested in exploring the northern part of the country which we will do tomorrow.

It was to this city to which I came the first time I visited Greece, about 20 years ago. Since then, I have been coming to Greece about twice a year on average, and enjoyed every single visit.

Ali Mushaima