2009 May « beingthebrowns

This stenciled graffiti is along the path we walk to work each day. It alludes to Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s campaign to install CCTV surveillance cameras throughout the UK in order to combat criminal/terrorist activity. In recent years the UK has become one of the most ‘watched’ countries in the world. Not surprisingly, however, many consider the project to be intrusive and strongly oppose it.

This memorial (unveiled in 1927) in the Princes Street Gardens is presented as “a Tribute From Men and Women of Scottish Blood and Sympathies in the United States of America to Scotland.” In particular, it is meant to honor those who gave their lives in World War One. More can be read about it in this article from the Scotsman.

Last week, Derek and I had the amazing opportunity to take a holiday to Greece! It was such a dream for us and we were not disappointed. It was a perfect holiday, except for the fact that I was sick the whole time, but we made the best of it and had an unforgettable trip.

We started with a whirlwind trip to Athens. We were there for maybe 36 hours but took full advantage of that time with a non-stop tour of the city.

We went out the first night for souvlaki pitas and were even able to eat outside in the warm Athens weather. The next morning we got up, grabbed some Greek morning pastries, and headed out to the city on the subway. Our first and main stop for the day was the world famous and historically important Acropolis. Though it has been turned into something of a tourist trap now, it was amazing (and surreal) to see the various buildings of the Acropolis. It was a blue sky day, which made for great pics and some sun. The rest of the day was spent seeing several other sites in the city (see photos below) and enjoying more Greek food!

Our flight from Athens left at 5.30am and we arrived in Corfu at 6.30am to the open arms of our dear friends, Dave and Lisa (see their blog for a good video of the villa and view). Dave and Lisa are, sadly, moving back to the States this week so it was incredible that we got to share this holiday with them. They have become such an important part of our daily lives in Edinburgh and we will miss them more than words can describe.

Anyway, our villa in Corfu was perfect. We had our own pool, a large balcony overlooking the sea and just 54 steps below us was a taverna for our eating and drinking pleasure! The weather was absolutely perfect. We honestly forgot what it was like to be warm after living in Scotland for a year and a half. It was in the 70s the whole time and we never saw a drop of rain. Our time in Corfu was mostly spent lounging around in our bathing suits by the pool and eating yummy food. One evening we drove to the West side of the island to watch the sunset. We found this perfect little Greek cafe (called Sunset) where the 4 of us sat, ate our Greek food and enjoyed the most amazing sunset. The owner was a little Greek man named Nic who just adored having four Americans at his restaurant.

All in all it was an incredible trip and we were so thankful to finally see and feel the sun on our pasty Scottish skin.

Athens pics: