tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84572879930615053202024-02-02T11:28:38.410-08:00Keeping Up With KuhlcatMy way of updating everyone and anyone who's interested in my travels.Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-30682784249223028812010-04-03T21:25:00.000-07:002010-04-03T22:51:23.107-07:00Brittany's Final Hurrah<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjir6PE-JVmaMr1Cl4YKcxYgP03NVbJ85CzcaVyassIr6siU1_mj_ZRn6ZYNflX7vUXhSv3A5BahVI2yyyK6gWZ40lL0tPcVxS9nHWu4AdSNp-CGE1G19X7HkssdWakc9Thg8ehsNoPlwF0/s1600/Arthur's+Seat+Panorama.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 53px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjir6PE-JVmaMr1Cl4YKcxYgP03NVbJ85CzcaVyassIr6siU1_mj_ZRn6ZYNflX7vUXhSv3A5BahVI2yyyK6gWZ40lL0tPcVxS9nHWu4AdSNp-CGE1G19X7HkssdWakc9Thg8ehsNoPlwF0/s400/Arthur's+Seat+Panorama.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456154522385020770" /></a><br /><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFCC33;">Saturday March 20, 2010 7 days left</span></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Despite the fact that I’m not Leaving this weekend, just leaving (temporary without the capital) I felt like Brittany’s last day was mine too.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> We enjoyed a final falafel, strolled down the Royal Mile one more time, went into Parliament, again (I thought our last day was Thursday…) and I explored the visitor’s displays for the first time.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Then we headed up to Holyrood Park to climb Arthur’s Seat. The last time I was in Holyrood Park is was a GORGEOUS Friday afternoon, Ian and I skipped out early to take a walk, but unfortunately neither of us had a camera although we did have water, tissues and semi-appropriate footwear. We walked along the crags, decided to save the trek up Arthur’s Seat for another time. Today was the day.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It was a fantastic afternoon. We gradually made our way to the top (we weren’t resting, we just weren’t in a rush, obviously) spent some time frolicking on a grassy knoll and then at just about dusk made our way back to cook a fabulous final dinner and watch the always excellent Boondock Saints.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here are some of my favorite pictures from our hike:</p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><!--StartFragment--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;">The Parliament from the crags</span></b></span><!--EndFragment--> </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qt_MZr2tU9yEImoqhLBNvPgBQDbJWwM16xR1ocP5nwysrUTtAgKSmyUpQT325V67Np8TbJBxWHru239t3uLYkjt76XXPaZFaFLO2jaX9lymvBuVX_DYCzRrm4YmFeFzQqik_3XYpAj5G/s1600/DSCN6146.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qt_MZr2tU9yEImoqhLBNvPgBQDbJWwM16xR1ocP5nwysrUTtAgKSmyUpQT325V67Np8TbJBxWHru239t3uLYkjt76XXPaZFaFLO2jaX9lymvBuVX_DYCzRrm4YmFeFzQqik_3XYpAj5G/s320/DSCN6146.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456149937538827378" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;">Proof it was another sunny day in Edinburgh!</span></b></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;"> </span></b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_3l00H4NTUHh-0FBVjE8qe544nSE0kTFjbRtYzM-tocEwEYU6JL8YsImNxhkSzmGbDJJmruaB6n0TQ5Q-0Ca-IxQsLBR6X3X63fDHcnW2rxiaB70sFvFrp7I8eplav0bxrXarQ4nuIsu/s1600/DSCN6160.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_3l00H4NTUHh-0FBVjE8qe544nSE0kTFjbRtYzM-tocEwEYU6JL8YsImNxhkSzmGbDJJmruaB6n0TQ5Q-0Ca-IxQsLBR6X3X63fDHcnW2rxiaB70sFvFrp7I8eplav0bxrXarQ4nuIsu/s320/DSCN6160.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456148415056130322" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;">Salisbury Crags</span></b></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;"> </span></b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdTLwv-dnp0_3QU65vSjQZ_kCrnJCcI0v8ATQHGByvWRn3GbxXIQbbNnR5MAKJutv4xhSHxkgDvkixHOj3bUMFXgeXVskBJbydK-6nxnVqITPNzWJg9arYfnVQOpPlRYvMwg1sylAmbtjg/s1600/DSCN6164.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdTLwv-dnp0_3QU65vSjQZ_kCrnJCcI0v8ATQHGByvWRn3GbxXIQbbNnR5MAKJutv4xhSHxkgDvkixHOj3bUMFXgeXVskBJbydK-6nxnVqITPNzWJg9arYfnVQOpPlRYvMwg1sylAmbtjg/s320/DSCN6164.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456146233795435906" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;">A glimpse at the middle of Holyrood Park</span></b></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;"> </span></b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDRV5zi9kBBeBVftIVgnfTLlc0AZWtU-OPOW9djoyZTYSFAfdHRcpU8QdNn3PjpgZbucuMt9M1HBPBIJPzZNv8s_MTREBdUbaphCVvQJpOSZM-5O1RqpWkz78xZDhwMFomi6g1nmFDyb_/s1600/DSCN6168.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDRV5zi9kBBeBVftIVgnfTLlc0AZWtU-OPOW9djoyZTYSFAfdHRcpU8QdNn3PjpgZbucuMt9M1HBPBIJPzZNv8s_MTREBdUbaphCVvQJpOSZM-5O1RqpWkz78xZDhwMFomi6g1nmFDyb_/s320/DSCN6168.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456145356961160386" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;">S</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;">toic climbers</span></b></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BqtoEgmCkvmgEE3nF61JNR7XZbo-uQT-F31gx7Ui2ZrF3ILXNsjdxkJea3RtxasLO9Jmg23g89_aeCvSC793fgbndMRx8y-E-BzqaHyNEy3ikaAZ2wDqm8FndMlX1EjeYeUV_9ho9NwM/s1600/DSCN6176.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 178px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BqtoEgmCkvmgEE3nF61JNR7XZbo-uQT-F31gx7Ui2ZrF3ILXNsjdxkJea3RtxasLO9Jmg23g89_aeCvSC793fgbndMRx8y-E-BzqaHyNEy3ikaAZ2wDqm8FndMlX1EjeYeUV_9ho9NwM/s320/DSCN6176.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456142448876103762" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;">the tippity top!</span></b></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0Cr9M6eQ0Ts_utRrjHJWFalpA7fm8wFm6nZCLHPEaqn858_tMCYD_EtG5eOmK0J76w5uCctPSnpIiRSfgNflY649FWmeefFo59DWHvpuz_yVi6t9fyJjD6ijqFKj7aQQsMWG2Y7mI5oP/s1600/DSCN6200.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0Cr9M6eQ0Ts_utRrjHJWFalpA7fm8wFm6nZCLHPEaqn858_tMCYD_EtG5eOmK0J76w5uCctPSnpIiRSfgNflY649FWmeefFo59DWHvpuz_yVi6t9fyJjD6ijqFKj7aQQsMWG2Y7mI5oP/s320/DSCN6200.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456141799118937906" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;">All of Edinburgh, at our feet!</span></b></p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQfG_s5Zk_ZMY_CShZmM3O2LHewKSOd5GTayOgeN_g90wb_mi2QLXbf1eXvusc7zGRXg7OR5eg-0afreG6GJmINv9FVZY0D93GoaCMO1ZMOaC86ewTj8FanAbyVjY2R3TSYh8vrsqL6Da/s1600/DSCN6214.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQfG_s5Zk_ZMY_CShZmM3O2LHewKSOd5GTayOgeN_g90wb_mi2QLXbf1eXvusc7zGRXg7OR5eg-0afreG6GJmINv9FVZY0D93GoaCMO1ZMOaC86ewTj8FanAbyVjY2R3TSYh8vrsqL6Da/s320/DSCN6214.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456138877230594354" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;">Acrobatics!</span></b></span> </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TDaD5SiuDzr0Q_KNoDXjM1hrfhtZO6AMJqBDvLi0lXlxm_X1hfD0OePG1YYUxJQRTpe26uO7-mdNNdYSUM9aVNPWaP29dAhO3xiOarN3AfniQrowfwYCLx-vOXhi2HAXHrEU_pOCsm8g/s1600/DSCN6242.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TDaD5SiuDzr0Q_KNoDXjM1hrfhtZO6AMJqBDvLi0lXlxm_X1hfD0OePG1YYUxJQRTpe26uO7-mdNNdYSUM9aVNPWaP29dAhO3xiOarN3AfniQrowfwYCLx-vOXhi2HAXHrEU_pOCsm8g/s320/DSCN6242.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456138059008531490" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;">She is far more talented than I, both in jumping and hair fashions</span></b></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;"> </span></b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqqagyizsbSWi5Iw2CLS7SLdzSZFOEmrrBdb_PBKOZymCOfJov0zpkk0Ly2lMPxxQAi8mD1NLCVUVLJvrw987DRypj69Nvz44p8v0z9XEXhOAp5-5e6rSDefd2erTHXqRAZzgE8A_tCaZ/s1600/DSCN6253.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqqagyizsbSWi5Iw2CLS7SLdzSZFOEmrrBdb_PBKOZymCOfJov0zpkk0Ly2lMPxxQAi8mD1NLCVUVLJvrw987DRypj69Nvz44p8v0z9XEXhOAp5-5e6rSDefd2erTHXqRAZzgE8A_tCaZ/s320/DSCN6253.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456137428845054562" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;">Excellent Adventure!</span></b></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;"> </span></b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6GVUiP5dWi0jB0ghbqAKs5k_qPMLbZ_e6ByyGIbAMUqN3k0AoYNxuiCVMY4CQ5mfXksLPJyuqNtnIXAbUgj8QFFou16D0wYNT6jNFDO6_6lGxbBQL2i1uWgj3FhamWFkAcm29L-CzH0A/s1600/DSCN6297.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6GVUiP5dWi0jB0ghbqAKs5k_qPMLbZ_e6ByyGIbAMUqN3k0AoYNxuiCVMY4CQ5mfXksLPJyuqNtnIXAbUgj8QFFou16D0wYNT6jNFDO6_6lGxbBQL2i1uWgj3FhamWFkAcm29L-CzH0A/s320/DSCN6297.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456136812542027666" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;">I LOVE SCOTLAND!!</span></b></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;"> </span></b></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLd1q8xr6vqGRCNnzG72QEWRQB6Ed1Pgv_7fVm9bCWTIQEIm4tm6axrQrEupAO7-APlhJkzULUA1ucBbrdvJQH7A6KXjstunuNtRiXjxtRzck_R7maYIUVyasAES1WNQD2jC57p2dnlNFP/s1600/DSCN6283.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLd1q8xr6vqGRCNnzG72QEWRQB6Ed1Pgv_7fVm9bCWTIQEIm4tm6axrQrEupAO7-APlhJkzULUA1ucBbrdvJQH7A6KXjstunuNtRiXjxtRzck_R7maYIUVyasAES1WNQD2jC57p2dnlNFP/s320/DSCN6283.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456135825222743714" /></a>Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-7835478500872069622010-03-25T06:06:00.000-07:002010-03-26T12:19:03.022-07:00Sláinte<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIVe8oBLtzf1afSCK2guH-eu0Mf3pyGx9McD_-O4WTn9KO7hcx-qBkrIE2Bh9J-PqGO0QEWR6uAnr4rf2VF-KjLc4qta24lpL5k_4o5hECTYETqVZ2LjI2GOG-w75Pc9RpH1jObfMOfun/s200/DSCN6054.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452976854161364898" /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF6600;">The Countdown Begins</span></i></b></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"> <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF6600;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">All of a sudden it was my final week at Parliament! With traveling to St. Andrew’s and Arran it snuck up on me and all of a sudden I realized it would be a lot harder to leave than I had ever expected. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The beginning of the week was spent making lists and minorly freaking out. A paper to finish! A briefing about new media for Anne! And worst of all… PACKING!! Needless to say I have somehow managed to aquire more things during my time here!</p><p class="MsoNormal">I’m very sad to leave the Bat Cave, it has been a wonderful home for me and I couldn’t ask for better Scottish roommates.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Until I started thinking about good-byes I didn’t realize how many I would have to say! But I turned most of them into “see you soons” or “talk to you sooner,” the wonders of Facebook, emails, and a savings account!</p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjrVjC1ascoxEFcK_D88pMXmeTGCFXJvDaVcxfXZv8Cc9qEJk_fEeNkXgS4frMgDztt9mrkKqUIstUOUljBWCdz34sCTxvRSvjgdN0eYt6GpzdvJR0GN0RKjfG6fKIpM2P9OHABwGtg79/s200/DSCN6041.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452976000026294098" /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CC00;"><b><i><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFCC33;">Tuesday March 16, 2010 11 Days left</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">Tuesday night we hosted a belated-Burn’s Supper at the flat. Iain and Jamie whipped up terrific Haggis, neeps, and tatties despite my continuing argument that the root vegetable Iain bought and made neeps from was most definitely not a turnip!</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">After some extensive Wikiepedia research the results are in:</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">What the Scots call a “turnip” the Americans call a “rutabaga” and the Brits call it a “Swede.” That’s all that matters and that we need to know.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">Another reason why Scots deserved their independence, so they can call their “turnips” turnips without snarky comments.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">Here is the whole group reading the “Address to the Haggis”:</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;font-size:medium;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do-WILAk6vI</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">Iain even found a bottle of Robert Burns whisky from….the Isle of Arran! Consequently it was on sale as Burn’s Night was about two months ago…oops! Never a bad time to eat, drink, and be Scottish!</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </i></b></span><p></p><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqc-mh9hCP_ztmevn2rowUw2RXVdkDLT0BwyAVNmHpOOIqpnxZQnixhWffVAc9dJbgxhoeiJmQuvoT9nn0KzdH4WR1nola0YtuJR7aVmcQOTBu9oVUKw3Hey3ynpxBgs01623psCdKQvM/s200/Photo+on+2010-02-22+at+22.55.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453010054092308690" /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CC00;">Wednesday March 17, 2010 ST. PATTIES! 10 Days left</span></span></b></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Wednesday was the long anticipated St. Patricks Day and after a long day of work, I’m afraid I did not do my heritage justice. While the other went out, I fell asleep working on my paper sometime before 10:00! (I only know this because Iain came to see if I wanted to go listen to some folk music and there was no response from the depths of the Bat Cave).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Nonetheless, I feel like I still participated as I heard plenty of revelry from the streets below, despite my deep slumber. It was indeed impressive for a Wednesday night. Gotta love the Irish.</p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpFeW9shNbT8LzdB3q71jfF4jErLqdROTtNvPR_MWr4p_xqMixgPAD0YSWEVy1T7m_-Z5TUeFCZJ9-mMl2BimP8Hb0rY9NQonm9iZuK7HVlRk25LINZPFgYFaeoEI1aNjpJvr6Kup7x4e/s1600/DSCN6124.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpFeW9shNbT8LzdB3q71jfF4jErLqdROTtNvPR_MWr4p_xqMixgPAD0YSWEVy1T7m_-Z5TUeFCZJ9-mMl2BimP8Hb0rY9NQonm9iZuK7HVlRk25LINZPFgYFaeoEI1aNjpJvr6Kup7x4e/s200/DSCN6124.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452973344667312594" /></a><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFCC33;">Thursday March 18, 2010 9 Days left </span></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Thursday, the long awaited, Last Day had arrived! Of course, it was another busy Thursday. I showed off my knowledge of new media that morning, typed frantically responding to emails both professional and…less so until FMQs (First Minister Questions) began and to my great luck I managed to snag a ticket! And watch the dynamic dialogue that is the chamber every Thursday for 30 minutes. Salmond did not disappoint and a certain opposition leader’s voice was as grating as ever, even without the TV delay.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Just before FMQs ended I rushed (as fast as one rushes in heels and a pencil skirt) around to where the MSPs enter and exit the chamber to meet Anne. As we had arranged she “spoke with appropriate people” and fanagled me a photo with the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond. After watching, and even more importantly hearing him for so long, I couldn’t leave with out a photo. Yes, I am guilty of being a “celebrity whore.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But anyways here is my precious photo!</p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtWa30WMQkATujsWfxQOZaet_VD2zqCOpEBEV5j5rvzkiR4fiqO6AJQ9Wv33zN8gKOwZ2GVqXAoPO7cO7O97xWzoyx3MMBk-CwQ_ouCCLsRObcE6aQVYi3mtzsBZqZUXHsODHzL5icR5h/s1600/DSCN6057.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtWa30WMQkATujsWfxQOZaet_VD2zqCOpEBEV5j5rvzkiR4fiqO6AJQ9Wv33zN8gKOwZ2GVqXAoPO7cO7O97xWzoyx3MMBk-CwQ_ouCCLsRObcE6aQVYi3mtzsBZqZUXHsODHzL5icR5h/s320/DSCN6057.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452972424353690162" /></a><br /><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">We had a final lunch with everybody at the exact same table in the canteen we always sat at…sigh…</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Anne was scheduled to speak in at a debate on International Development in Malawi later that afternoon but after lunch she had us all into the office. Stewart had been talking about “going to see a man about a doug” all morning, and completely out of character I chose to ignored him:-). Instead of a lively bit of banter about how to best annoy Anne, the topic turned out to be sweet good-byes! On behalf of the whole gang Stewart and Michael gave me a lovely thistle necklace! I had actually been planning on finding one to declare my Scottish allegiance! Even better a group of true Scots (and one Ohioan) found the perfect one for me. Thank you all <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Wingdings, serif;">:-)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Scottish theme continued as Anne gave me a lovely gift bag (decorated with all things Scottish) filled with Scottish treats, a Scottish Parliament key chain, and a friendship cup, a quaich. Even more touching were her words, however, despite threats to physically harm me I couldn’t bring myself to tears. I’m not a cute cryer for the record. I was Anne’s first intern and so incredibly lucky to be so well paired with not just my MSP but with the whole staff. I couldn’t imagine a better environment to be a fledgling intern with no clue about the dynamics of Scottish politics or water cooler talk (btw they don’t have a break room, it’s a Tea Room)</p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div><br /></div><div>Goodbye desk...</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDO9KEDlMuXU4YlNS8oBTDer-zQpvgRi7IpVQebcm9boxSxyuoGKkOpnKpu6t-HhxaODHBvm1k9wlU562xQxHwSOKo0qIzSgCcrE4cfv3spiK0eSnQ7P-5MDqM-CIpC0QQju50uHoQYN2Y/s1600/DSCN4569.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDO9KEDlMuXU4YlNS8oBTDer-zQpvgRi7IpVQebcm9boxSxyuoGKkOpnKpu6t-HhxaODHBvm1k9wlU562xQxHwSOKo0qIzSgCcrE4cfv3spiK0eSnQ7P-5MDqM-CIpC0QQju50uHoQYN2Y/s320/DSCN4569.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452971058066962290" /></a><div><br /></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">After work a bunch of us grabbed drinks in the Member’s Bar one last time. </p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlP9wKEqlN5i5XAau6kdRMugvI5YeN5_zzbDNrn77ciVI3LGgyqJMA76XCzawbd2T9faMkWi9z9dIqLbbb5adogQKhUi3mcp4trEBSlWSj2RaFmbL7NT5wRAEzcmPqDiutSN4I4KFJXH5S/s1600/DSCN6070.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlP9wKEqlN5i5XAau6kdRMugvI5YeN5_zzbDNrn77ciVI3LGgyqJMA76XCzawbd2T9faMkWi9z9dIqLbbb5adogQKhUi3mcp4trEBSlWSj2RaFmbL7NT5wRAEzcmPqDiutSN4I4KFJXH5S/s320/DSCN6070.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452970497214011762" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;"><b><i> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;">This is pretty typical of this group. It’ll be so strange to talking to those 4 constantly everyday to nada! Maybe we’ll keep the intern thread up back in the states…</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;">The Interns (yes we are planning our premier as a disco-pop band):</span></span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;">Ian- the lone male, yet he survived.</span></i></b></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOGHROtoO4L-zRbnQODO8GyvPnb8zzlfJiZtxAe1kqt8cGIVBe8W6pxkzsvfy9speHmLUvH2eGVtmz-3EPJBiW0uS0iVjQbEpFarodYX5lHC7ZarpZi5zsnbaX_4FXEiubJQz3y0ewSKb/s1600/DSCN4482.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOGHROtoO4L-zRbnQODO8GyvPnb8zzlfJiZtxAe1kqt8cGIVBe8W6pxkzsvfy9speHmLUvH2eGVtmz-3EPJBiW0uS0iVjQbEpFarodYX5lHC7ZarpZi5zsnbaX_4FXEiubJQz3y0ewSKb/s320/DSCN4482.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452963196026921954" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF6600;">Lauren- future cider model? I think yes.</span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmqVHrGKAtR4MHd0tejMeespDS5cTaVh9s_-ca-b_-w5hQRCBvTHwyH7il530AT1KDVJ0TsSK_BnqgibuFQ4YfWU9VetADbr_ZR6kgkB2W3Alc2Ch7vWeu2_yr_s4ORgOOYKBBJs2HL4p/s1600/DSCN4613.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmqVHrGKAtR4MHd0tejMeespDS5cTaVh9s_-ca-b_-w5hQRCBvTHwyH7il530AT1KDVJ0TsSK_BnqgibuFQ4YfWU9VetADbr_ZR6kgkB2W3Alc2Ch7vWeu2_yr_s4ORgOOYKBBJs2HL4p/s320/DSCN4613.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452960704233915506" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66FFFF;">Brittany- Partner-in-crime gurrrl</span></i></b></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWjBEbyp8BYqOEjLdbaRkNATXafdxOXqXtzx7DvajYskk5ju9sysQ3NIkFXpPXVRYDFf_9QJTo3Eoc1ERRFK9OIrhlifrOlNprkmrB1aVGhpAy1uiDKQeteq9F7hL0j3G45oNNqWzjeMV/s1600/DSCN6210.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWjBEbyp8BYqOEjLdbaRkNATXafdxOXqXtzx7DvajYskk5ju9sysQ3NIkFXpPXVRYDFf_9QJTo3Eoc1ERRFK9OIrhlifrOlNprkmrB1aVGhpAy1uiDKQeteq9F7hL0j3G45oNNqWzjeMV/s320/DSCN6210.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452960190182482754" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF99FF;">Emily- classic! haha</span></b></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8bnV1fn7ADCX7rxvl-BgflzeHhuDsg7J0v1dhtuElT0fL_8wisY_8SngfysLBnszBPjXkx194O6rdkOo0hU1544nkzKJZz03L0009OAHR6WwhVGBWSgqJOAQnAgurumu2079p0pjjOY_/s1600/DSCN6097.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8bnV1fn7ADCX7rxvl-BgflzeHhuDsg7J0v1dhtuElT0fL_8wisY_8SngfysLBnszBPjXkx194O6rdkOo0hU1544nkzKJZz03L0009OAHR6WwhVGBWSgqJOAQnAgurumu2079p0pjjOY_/s320/DSCN6097.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452564549800437106" /></a><div><br /></div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">Our group headed to Holyrood for our official farewell evening. It was great getting to go to drinks with everybody one last time.</p> <!--EndFragment--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1w2uMdL88YaJfLrq5Re4VryEKTCxfj5RieuATxErza9UjQo_9Mjd3jTr2kQ58md_qNiGUegvYgdAX1DiaZ3Cjsv0Fdh8iUzEpdrlk_DaeB1MOgDsWGp6cBKFkQ2dKZxbyw6NMsELlCgSv/s1600/DSCN6075.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1w2uMdL88YaJfLrq5Re4VryEKTCxfj5RieuATxErza9UjQo_9Mjd3jTr2kQ58md_qNiGUegvYgdAX1DiaZ3Cjsv0Fdh8iUzEpdrlk_DaeB1MOgDsWGp6cBKFkQ2dKZxbyw6NMsELlCgSv/s320/DSCN6075.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452563751699537954" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;">The Ladies</span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FFFF;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfcSrsUIEXbUnIr7Fy9WtlfLQo1OKvhsO3MQXP6pJnbcCY4kbdin7hcP9ICvsyRQi2-5vAQDYc_BJ38sn2oJrhkeWOKmfGXMqKnkyrDvRHo-hSxWDASV8Mq9wt06FrVT0tpbAkiWsCbV5/s1600/DSCN6093.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfcSrsUIEXbUnIr7Fy9WtlfLQo1OKvhsO3MQXP6pJnbcCY4kbdin7hcP9ICvsyRQi2-5vAQDYc_BJ38sn2oJrhkeWOKmfGXMqKnkyrDvRHo-hSxWDASV8Mq9wt06FrVT0tpbAkiWsCbV5/s320/DSCN6093.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452562754409554866" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">An excellent final day at Parliament, except…I ended up going back in the next day! I had a “few” more emails to forward myself and thought I would get more work done on my paper there. Great in theory until somehow I didn’t save/lost everything I did that day. Oops! Everything happens for a reason, so I figure the version I have now is just that much better. </p> <!--EndFragment-->Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-47576485491988588392010-03-22T14:37:00.000-07:002010-03-22T17:31:56.712-07:00Whisky- check, Haggis- roger, Golf- affirmative<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF6666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">Weekend Excursions</span></span></b></div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">Since coming back from recess, I’ve gotten to go on several awesome weekend excursions, between all that busy parliamentary business of course!</p><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lz0kuNAdkG0DqSxV2nlc9xzH258rBxEUYonBb_kunhfDFHFVCL-jJkt3w7eP8ybqYatW_pje-JeO4j7s8ELCqsNqI6zuj5q7mRy2WMA5EdDSS0NUYwiDs0VqGR8_srDfhTvsR-wrFjGi/s200/DSCN5532.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451582829506885026" /><p class="MsoNormal">After returning from Paris I suddenly realized I only had a few weeks left at work and even less time to see more of Scotland! After a low-key weekend in Edinburgh, Brittany and I hit the road for St. Andrew’s. Brittany’s friend Phil met us at the train station and gave us the grand tour some of the highlights were:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">The Old Course</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><b><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaI4jX_t5KwSahCoMAEqoiTVEyMpuknDpWzP7DGsstwkLrV4LS_fUz7BKSGKcUzc2gpoCa0QMQDXdBACERlq5h5ojES0AUZkJLM9zbOsEMDPB_Vf9ujbP10N9GAqaaOiGUWVwVXzMBrt27/s320/DSCN5528.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451589110694301282" /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><b>The silly "Men Only" Club</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1sZJcORpCZYVEvwKz-TYIfJAs6KsBXUK0uj4l20ncweoffoJJqn0eaqpY_QEn1ZQ6NKCEZNOa9T1DcMCuC1F_-Zd0T7c8VawBKdeDQ-JzXaNkNwCWvWavFCuSEd8YSagdAiam83DAKyo/s320/DSCN5530.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451586767035737122" /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">Drinks at the Old Course Hotel</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><b><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgek1BWOv6WobXB_MRmfF6lCro5JICbR5f9YuyaahqEvq-p4wqPVJo2YJaF7TL1uavmKjUwMhpZY6cZ6zcm8qkpsQzktR3FWTWl60B3QrvmAWQRMNG1v2HznoruYggyOA_3BApxWYydw3J1/s320/DSCN5541.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451592318704228978" /><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">Taking a serious leap of faith at the Old Course</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><b><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wVfycmaQ_UJTDLEVXdaC1zj-dMcXQdx5eMGpzsLxRRo8kWQmQhaYoQWtmzkIVvcTwNABwWShPXX3xSzW-7GlQownsmbxm91CvqgXR8L7KDMiRS1jx5gp2F0sk2PZnGLEranM56fJAiO6/s320/DSCN5554.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451593237276459954" /><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">St. Andrew's Castle</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><b><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPiXLNKazwg9EQaQCnxYUpjAxppwn6pZjQMkZv1j_nb5LZ9b_qxAe8zEEAZfo8PP3Fj_Ium8hbYjoeRCkNMVhZC0D5UrUC-FuoOWNlfdRt7O2LfA6yaPJtnvivqCnmrnaMhoxQAn31Z_eV/s320/DSCN5574.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451594859022487618" /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">After Saturday when we ate more than we should, and probably drank more than we should too, we hit the beach before catching the train (which turned out to be a bus, damn construction) back to Edinburgh.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">The Beach</span></b></p><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tIOVdeJnm0Y6W2uCWIkKJtBIfKJxgO01D_Muj3GcW67YZcJ8WBLslp9VONSp8KVohh-pWvnEJNmZDhNCTpwYGgggOn__KuXrFSt1V2rl6ef6JZPHvYRfsy_WdFuoH_uTbR8CZEWD-luo/s320/DSCN5598.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451595986282118994" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdYBqPXBnDnwCEKYcqxfML5vQ2Z-JzMT_E6L12FsT08zKAkRAYWjJbzMhLMYEDoyvHyFYluGWon-EB0-HSkvGOxJO8AUi2btGAvlWzsV3OJWRnzmMDyQdvKovxVnnTGWH46V4M4kBTcL6/s320/DSCN5601.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451597608458844418" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0TOwmaRZc8PYBOnpPRqXsOKDBv_3WXrqZ_P33c7gsxcs9zK5L883CuG0Ha9sUKyrVP8LdL4RYSaiVrZYjq3M4P_nJbFPXk5EPdJhj3qrgSiaaB3sca4eq40BQRrBtuo1xYMugbuCFgSq/s320/DSCN5633.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451599008524339330" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The next weekend, while the rest of the interns headed to Glasgow for what sounded like an awesome Blazing Fiddles show I took two trains and a ferry west to the Isle of Arran, a microcosm of all things Scottish from the scenery to the industry!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">It was a gorgeous day as I boarded the ferry that would take me from Ardrossan to Brodrick the main port of Arran.</p><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqYxwngpbvBdoleMQB-JGOOdr_Ut1mNOatRUEHzldXbcmc6_HH8HNkUnDdI0zpAQNjJpPGMP7Brc6SiFwRDI35BAikfT8bPzJNdZWudgXcbI3-bqTCFvupOv8vXkq1KrPp2NadP0bFU20/s320/DSCN5747.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451600645170119282" /> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">The hostel I was saying at was in Lochranza on the North end of the Island right near the ruins of a 13<sup>th</sup> century castle:</p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiku_NqeBZMRHqkTd4M3PSqpj3K0RqQXSG4dHOTZ4ZYwf2x2VF2QwKTNgGQ5Vcnm9y8OVzEk3AJ-X75_ZHQAZo3le17FCjI-fn7qi7isABeMxzmmXWhTowINUaGQSs9HCc1uMmYP-XRXC9R/s320/DSCN5885.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451602694445141378" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Saturday afternoon I walked down the road to the Isle of Arran Distillery and toured their unique whisky-making facilities, the only one on the island. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-iNR5gaNpmqBav4Yd25OBZSdL-jnosmIufDQoNe648aCaJxo8m7i-kHjf5DS9cvhZSVLQGiyLkCWkg92LlPMoMvkG2__VabszFJpxd9D_0mYEO5khaamIFtXSYl9MMsH7pDvrm3D_AIzi/s320/DSCN5792.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451606004707881938" /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><!--StartFragment--> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">On my way to dinner I even found a swing set, right next to the shore, such a gorgeous setting. They should put swing sets at scenic places, screw benches.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkX-XkvaQjq9vbCmkJVGgNmsof6ipraeHzBckeV4rzt5goo9BWefVvM5AemMaOihO-gGKuywBITgEY1QnZy_zzGSeWN1RhOqnZ2MFPu8UNHwE4YlHNzNX_ExR19nFdhawd150a3m4s995h/s320/DSCN5861.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451609581254792930" /><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><!--StartFragment--> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Sunday morning, before the bus arrived I took a stroll around the eastern side of Lochranza. This small town, like the rest of the island was home to many happy sheep. As a result, I now have more sheep photos than any person would ever need. A small sampling:</p><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibjCvu1DZSYTJuN7BUjcHaWEan7sDxGuLBh956uuuT8lw-hMespFZ4KLqNz5htU_EXsceXgELe6fWds24zXJrM7htWjRhyJ8RTxkBn9Jgok0F2cD28BgrqJ8idZEAB2XDUqVHCLeh9VMIz/s200/DSCN5929.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451613832103352802" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGkqQjzLcsj1wTyMBPzXqwPJDniAa4RmH5hgDmIact_XoMpho1HDRZwoBIZEwhxfPt06krtE9T2Rdkd6aXEoIo1CfjOB0t7kpE3VeJskxgUmQv7K7UmD8QK_OFCWvMVPKML_5-I14ZDN7/s200/DSCN5880.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451611572546837634" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RhtaUI8fH4Ok5gbnuaTaFe57JUpibp4OvPUjZZcTu6dtDYz-G4tniHmsfZsEokURB6nkVsyl2uqaqnIsLKIeFgyxG_vSZfUWQLtBGEhs-2ovxrZ47Sg6gJz54GWzeN3ePO1DFS1I46pS/s200/DSCN5888.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451612246788238498" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OsdBuC1YM2m3B7gU9SHus3A_QI1DB_hAkgKZ025bkjuLPmQDbB2ojp_XswANGwjaaS5HOff1UsBXzypBJ0jz_rgB0G7ZL03UvaRwVpJekhyOGYNVpxrtLqnzPYDC-BDGfdPdBrRUWVNl/s200/DSCN5975.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451614496858268402" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">Sunday I spent most of the day at the Machrie Moor stone circles which are a short hike inland. It wasn’t quite as nice as Saturday but the showers held off and the valley the stone circles were in was quite serene, and filled with sheep.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">I named it "Lone Stone"</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8NWvsT-tzurCoJQFYIGib-VZsk6W4aXsSBvasKJQJTFxy85ULn4Vwt0Vi_aI94bQ6HQfptZ8KiQMA52SQCfpbV4Yi0fHt8QRxP0TuVtYb82AJwWHqn45ui7apQDWnJzG9VlV7JY1CWSX/s320/DSCN5935.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451615283099912850" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7SO9HpNOpl9qKDjUfI95ej9H4TVks-XSOj2SDr96cxBGHxBoW28NlReOPlsKCDNwZdc1rk0q7xhUo0KJ4Jy73iSxY6RU6vtLgLGIKbMRii1XclKGwDiiOaRhB3CQmhWZ5fuq1b_dDWsN/s320/DSCN5939.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451615579601364338" /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">Peanut butter sandwich on white bread at the standing stones!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><b><br /></b></span></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8i7SCEeJPxjM8HAMKGqUmMSBJ0NujgvSV1mArSxdo9yDSZPTCg1_6uXtUonNA4yuFehoaVyH-BNBhFiTQK2FmM-T-aZNNCuEUiTY_WrJ1biCimp_3ev1XwVMdr_jCgVGIkiZPMqs5m7ZR/s320/DSCN5947.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451616591477539042" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">After touring the circles I started walking south where the town of Blackwaterfoot was only three miles away, I ended up taking quite the detour over to the coast and awesome Kings Caves but it was well worth it.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;">The Stunners</span></b></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9OAstgylA29tjJfwFG4Cv4X5Ge5t-nXYRigObjG5oTC8grlWeWDC9BodRx_6kxDQE18VlVe_VceyGLHmpaL9_21jHb4s_flWw9citw3pYqfjjRPZ0OUN1RKfUR2V3hHaa-801_BrAuALU/s320/DSCN5994.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451617283967721122" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlfQ-v7fo9j5uZimcBFVq_48RW5N6qg_y92702k_m80xBZPaKmJURb87kPJjXyvjd9Ysct-iHTjXD7xWBvoIw1q5R-8h-__1M4dVRSHHCm4tDusxNFCPGtqkIrmaFuxmUfCoUQ_i-IXYq/s320/DSCN6003.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451618208900929042" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXof3wd0ikz5B5XQRIh6JE5mW21VOJUNMdIvHgAHQo2nWU00uzYrE6yMI9tAaXjIkZfVZISQ5twaMVZFG1pa9fmiCx9Aos5SP6teeTsEsytYaLQ9bjtIiqtHzqnJw2Mz9jCYUC2ilRbcFW/s320/DSCN6021.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451618906920255298" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2E6YeO2UPrytgkStcFT0mamCqGlO-YW2H6Dfyi4psQ-TY-fA2yUwb-MG0XUeT7xabEPa5CggHHYzyjNwpFIWkb75MjTuk2cWfIHlJlYJVfT-9uawzOtaRTbmxP_6Mmt2DPglnE9RNFzu/s320/DSCN6029.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451619446834290626" /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">The sun gradually began to set and myself, with two other hiking accomplices caught the bus around the southern end of the island, completing our tour, then back up to Brodrick to catch the ferry and begin the trek back to Edinburgh. It was a fantastic trip and all the sights on Arran were stunning, all-in-all I enjoyed traveling at a different pace than when you visit big cities. No wonder the sheep like it.</p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><br /><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><br /><!--EndFragment--> <p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-79504723074271973602010-03-15T13:40:00.000-07:002010-03-22T12:08:39.242-07:00Paris is for Mothers<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3ByrSUteAFfV1Whj2-wviXRx9I7r6RMi5lUH-SuvNbJhWCSunjTCcg477LGQ9XbQlRg9_Umw03lqyBxfbweNEEwp96h7WjLr29NOTEUfECckU0sikS2Tg0v97rDr67SUkuKvjGPLgTQ1/s320/DSCN5077.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449010152543186338" /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">PARIS</span></b></span></div><div><br /></div>I have never visited (except as a student...) any place as long as we stayed in Paris, 5 nights and 6 days, it was fantastic. To get to see so much of the city, from my first taxi ride through Paris at night to my final brunch on Île Saint-Louis was incredible, especially in a place as beloved as Paris. I'm eager to go back and see more of Paris, both glamourous and less so. I am however, most certainly not interested in finding any gold rings...<div><br /></div><div><br /><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirm7aOaWPYpjXQf2kHZGfhcYU4iGJY682CDoE1Ycsj-Cs0bq4jzwyFKy6_ktfPCiypfS7MVxImeAe5cLyvOupG2J1N7YXo1YCLA0PYA7W4wZvyr2_KQHbJCbyLx421XjlVQmpfIFRP72CM/s200/DSCN5011.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448975653356201874" /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFCC33;">Tuesday February 16, 2010</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>We arrived in Paris the evening before, found our flat and grabbed our first Parisian meal. The flat was lovely right on Île Saint-Louis and the heart of Paris, an amazing find through Eve! We started out Tuesday with grand plans to see all the museums until we realized that all the national museums would be closed!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>My mom and I set off to see the highlights, which the others had already seen and my mother was grandly award the honor ;-) of showing her daughter Paris! After learning that unlike</div><div> Starbucks, the Parisians don't accept "latte" as short for "café latte" and getting a bite to eat we headed up the Left Bank. Crossing over a bridge whose railings were covered with "love locks" I suppose made all the stories about Paris seem to come to life.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8Nl1iFkUKCe9WTDYczKhSONk0OexezyrR1GmN_dnuqXmqsjuF0M68v91PIO2TkTjbciGDeI5jZuxj0-pS7q3l9kIT-kQH4F5nl3H9mJg62H4LRpV6p5A4WFWLTU9ty4xe4A1ENEchQDE/s200/DSCN5031.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449011400339863330" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>We wandered through the Tuileries which although being quite barren in winter were still quite impressive and up the Champs-Élysées stopping for lunch at the well photographed, George IV Café. A bite of lunch, and a couple new pairs of shoes founds us at the Arc de Triomphe with a horrendous line to climb up. Very satisfied with admiring it from the ground, I let my camera take a rest and we jumped on the metro to check out the narrow winding streets of the Latin Quarter. Set fairly close to the Sorbonne one of the main streets the Rue Monge (I believe) was colorful and full of fromageries (aka stinky cheese shops), patisseries (heaven at hand), boucheries (ew.) and many cute boutiques (if possible, heaven again!).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Our feet weary, burdened by shopping bags Mom and I returned to the flat and collapsed! With nourishment, sleep, and watching some fascinating Olympic sports such as the Biathlon, we would recover.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1c13DyP4S323JWeE08avYhUOFQUvLYoiyeTISmB45o4ZCjA1NVwQpgfEvyT6t-vbacYcPYmCnJqpQPYYpdllI-HZiGGX41z6c4KFB53NBGMgB7cHL3ifYe5geRVBipI9_9b5jfbsW-Stj/s200/DSCN5086.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449014320816825858" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFCC33;">Wednesday February 16, 2010</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Wednesday we all took a tour of Montmarte with a friend of a friend, Richard who gave us an extraordinary in-depth tour of an area we might've skimmed over. Montmarte was for a long time, where many artists had their studios, now it retains much of its cultural past as well as being home to some of the most up-scale housing around.</div><div><br /></div><div>Right nearby is the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur which is a Catholic basilica built out of travertine, essentially a self-cleaning stone which is why it stays so white! Mom actually remembered attending mass there when it was still said in Latin.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>After our tour we explore Marais, an area on the Right Bank pretty close to our flat. With lovely shops, and a free museum we were throughly entertained for the rest of the day.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWgIWps-nQpbsEWDLRyiTed17AK1EQ8KD4Cu_7cbDBnuNSsdQIBYh7NZCqwsVoO15JlYbXUfwcfLv4yEUtOgyy4OphjqA7U0YxJXh2TcT9SiLsPW9Mx1EV2hBHZ-_w4_OP2je19B5ZUtKB/s200/DSCN5220.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451506761740183362" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFCC33;">Thursday February 17, 2010</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFCC33;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Thursday we finally made it to some of Paris' most note-worthy sights. First mother-dearest and I hit up Notre-Dame and enjoyed it inside and out happily standing on the ground as the line to the top, like so many other lines, even on this random weekday in February was horrendous. That's committment people.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">After Notre-Dame we walked up to the Lourve, made a plan to see exactly what we wanted to see and set about being lost for several hours. Despite being lost amongst all the corridors and misdirected due to construction we learned about the history of the Lourve itself (what a palace it would've been!) saw the Code of Hammurabi (a prime example of "an eye for a</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">n eye"), the restored Naploeon III Apartments, the statue garden, Aphrodite, Winged Victory, and of course the Mona Lisa behind her crowds and bullet proof glass.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Someday I'll go back and see the whole thing like my mom did, just me and a gigantic guidebook and a lot of free time. Then I'll magically become artistic! or not.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">After the Lourve we wandered up to the Halles District which I read about in the ever handy Lonely Planet and we wandered the main streets, had a bite, and found the perfect french onion soup place to come back to, Au Pied de Cochon meaning "Pig's Foot." Little did we know the wonder that is Au Pied de Cochon.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34SgJRIT7GY6KDk9uRYPzvw53fufGS2bQIISAu4En2Af8myGs7V5V4fOJQ4QGS57LheaZyt8jqAPsrACoR7uimw5PUspuLlJhLtMLkJ3pSUGRsrABPF0mEHy4LSG0IF-SgE0iB1-SPbWj/s200/DSCN5235.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451513584857381570" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFCC33;">Friday February 18, 2010</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The fierce foursome set out Friday morning for Versailles, we would've gotten there quite promptly had we manage to take the right train and had any of our tickets worked, oh well. We still made it on a gorgeous day with clear blue skies that made the ornate gates seem to shine even more.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On the front of the palace you can clearly see where the restoration has stopped, a drastic change from golden details contrasting black and white roofing to an overwhelming drab gray.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Inside however, the wonders never end. And to think these are unfurnished rooms! Elaborate paintings, statues, and so many details. It completely explains "The Sun King." I loved hearing about how people, those royal ones at least, conducted their daily lives in such a setting with so much pomp and ritual. It would drive me crazy, except maybe for the clothing, but then again corsets, ew.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We took the trolley around part of the grounds and visited the other 2 palaces on the estate. The whole atomsphere, the immenseness of the land, no one person needs all that, well at least as long as that person is not me ;-)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After a wonderful day being wowed by French royalty long dead we had our taste buds wowed by a former French colony, Vietnam. We hunted down a hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese restuarant at the recommendation of, the one and only LP, and were hardly disappointed. The food was so fresh and delicious, a wonderful contrast to the heavier French cuisine we'd been enjoying. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKJLknQQCA72D3tfHU5ogoWxh0rxu_ehqxsdoiF87pGYHhczqW8vDg7S_0KMYfX8ZdhfvwTkSDcJgnaB2YpU_i-pDHZhpX1rU2XSqcVL9PWMHJTqBUPV1oSwjCBJ0x3RCJI1JDeuXR6e4/s200/DSCN5388.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451533713128371234" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFCC33;">Saturday February 19, 2010</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Saturday was my last full day in Paris and it was absolutely perfect! Spent most of the day shopping on the Left Bank (and making it much harder to pack might I add) then after resting for a bit in the afternoon, Mom and I bundled up to take on Paris, and even more importantly the Eiffel Tower at night!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The lines for once weren't too terrible and soon we were zooming up on level then to the next. While standing in line we somehow became surrounded by <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">couples, far too many which had no issue with PDA, fabulous.</span></div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Finally we reached the tippity top fled from the lip-lockers, and WHOOSH almost got blown away on the South side of the tower! Scooting around to the other side we were better protected and could actually take in everything that lay below us. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">It was a beautiful night out and I couldn't have picked a better way to see the Eiffel Tower and all that lay beneath it. The canals were beautiful too, just wait until I get my own canal boat...complete with flower beds.</p><p class="MsoNormal">After our chilly tour we got a little lost, found our way as always and took the Metro back to Au Pied de Cochon, the 24 hour brasserie in Les Halles. We order 2 glasses of Pommery, 2 French Onion soups, 1 glorious pastry/ice cream/molten chocolate dessert and had ourselves a fine feast at about midnight! Time meant little to the patrons of this well-known establishment and everyone was lively, the tables busy, and the waiters even busier. It even seemed natural when the pile of coats next to me rolled over to reveal a sleeping child! He'd been out for a while, and his sleeping situation hardly seemed to keep him up.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Arriving back at the flat at nearly 1:00 was the fabulous end to a wonderful last day in Paris! I had seen so many things both touristy and less so, I had a much better sense of Paris and was already working on what to see when I go back!</p><p class="MsoNormal">Thank you my fellow traveling companions for a wonderful adventure!</p><p class="MsoNormal">Au revoir</p> <!--EndFragment--> </div></div></div>Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-15164542511483991202010-03-03T09:18:00.001-08:002010-03-11T07:52:13.270-08:00Tales and Photos from London and Paris!<div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrRR8TYaM81KCZti3J_Cir_CL7kX4LXYLRC-PWdVdtUuOeAPFISW6CvaL4eMMR02vbNkIKjv-sEkTtdmV8Q-aeT0juSFSo2xOCFh-WqnJ4Ou9pHqXaBwx5hPHTGU_elJHwscMsRUtjBKl/s1600-h/Frolick.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447391004684870754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrRR8TYaM81KCZti3J_Cir_CL7kX4LXYLRC-PWdVdtUuOeAPFISW6CvaL4eMMR02vbNkIKjv-sEkTtdmV8Q-aeT0juSFSo2xOCFh-WqnJ4Ou9pHqXaBwx5hPHTGU_elJHwscMsRUtjBKl/s320/Frolick.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:180%;color:#000099;"><strong>A Parliamentary Recess</strong></span></div><br /><br /><div align="left">During February the Parliament has a week-long recess, since I won't be in the states for the normal spring break this was my chance to travel beyond Scotland's beautiful cold winter, which is very tempting considering how much closer I suddenly am to so many amazing place that are on The List.<br /></div><div align="left">Since I was little my mother and I have always talked about a girls trip to London and Paris. We both share a love for history, accents, and shopping so it seemed perfect! Now, finally the pound wasn't double the value of the dollar and I had a week of vacation not during the busiest time of the year for the insurance industry, and so the stars aligned.<br /></div><div align="left">Plans were made, my godmother Liz signed up and soon after the always enjoyable Eve was coming as well! A trip with my 3 mothers! Sounds a little silly, often it was but after being away so long they were just who I needed to see!<br /></div><div align="left">Additionally, my friend Jeanette who spent last year in Oregon lives in Bristol, not too far from London (relatively) so I took off from Parly a day early and we reunited in Piccadilly Circus! After a festive dinner with the mothers we caught up over a drink, then another drink, then a few more, and maybe a bottle of wine ;-) it was SO GOOD to see her again! Hopefully she finds her way back to Oregon soon or hey, I might just have to visit the UK again!<br /></div></div><div align="center"><br /></div><p align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#6600cc;"><strong><u>LONDON</u> </strong></span></p><div align="center"><br /></div><p align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#6600cc;"></span></strong></p><div align="center"><br /></div><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447387440201603858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimawAIfJaOtsoXo1NVWoAti9LJeonksSFlTg2VGF15k1_MUPg5PnWyw47P5Rgh5JYgI-Z3GAe-_-znMt4nY6XGsvDmvUHk2A992r1HCwW-FCtlGjs_DIB4aULRCRn52AqTD09jjN7tfaVA/s200/British+Museum" border="0" /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffcc33;"><em><strong>Friday February 12, 2010</strong></em></span><br /></p><p align="left">Friday we headed to the British Museum and for the giant nerd within, this was a dream come true. Ever since planning my first trip to London I have been dying to see the Rosetta Stone and I didn't get to 3 years ago but I finally did and it was just as cool as I hoped. I could spend hours, days even in there. Another very interesting item they have is a part of the Sphinx's beard which still has some original red paint on it!!! So cool. Its a very strange thing, mentally, to try and imagine all these stone artifacts and wall decorations as having been painted, it completely changes things.<br /></p><p align="left">We had lunch at this terrific place called Wagamama, I'd love one at home. Its a chain found throughout the UK but all began with delicious stirfrys and ramen bowls here, right near the British Museum.<br /></p><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">That evening Eve had arranged for us to have drinks at the Royal Thames Yacht Club. Little did we know that this yacht club is no where near water, one of the oldest yacht clubs in Great Britain and therefore the world, has the Duke of Edinburgh as their admiral (or commodore?), and is the yacht club partner of TEAMORIGIN the British America's Cup Team. An impressive resume to be sure. We got a grand tour of the facilities, checked out the model room and the many many historical objects throughout the two story building and finished the adventure off with a bottle of champagne in the bar. A very interesting nautical experience right in the middle of London!<br /></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">After finishing drinks we headed over to the famous Harrods a very impressive department store. The highlights were easy to spot and outshone most of the merchandise:<br /></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">- The dramatic statue of Diana and Dodi Fayed, son of store owner Mohamed Al-Fayed who were both killed in a car accident in Paris, that Mr. Al-Fayed contended for many years was part of a government conspiracy.</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">- The Egyptian escalators, with elaborate Egyptian-style decor for 4 levels, and dangerous posts at the tops of the escalators that are meant to prevent strollers from going on but also almost took out my mother.</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">- The food hall, with meats, cheeses, Asian foods, cakes, pastries, chocolates, tea, and so much more! Just lovely.</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">We finished up our first full day in London with a French meal, of all things, and a relatively early bedtime.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447390542447799234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1pHuqOhA6-EpTDshNvlUSlEKTYSMWW-zpW5WMNJmcz0d9-_IkHR-nkt-u1KIc__yIS3Z_rAAITKiRTUUKRp6QFEW22d9ie3U2f_wqd-kEZ22zCraxt8Th4buiRbVoSufWLkdG29arvVa/s200/Portobello+Cameras.jpg" border="0" /> <span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffcc33;"><strong><em>Saturday February 13, 2010</em></strong></span></p><strong><em><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffcc33;"></span></em></strong><p align="left"><br />Saturday morning we headed of to the Portobello Road Market, one of things I was most excited for in London. Dakota and I had been several years ago but it was during a week day and just a fraction of the excitement and diversity Saturday, the main market day, held.<br /><br />Portobello Road is lined with booths, stores, make shift stands, musicians, eateries, and yet the very determined car can still drive through. We had a marvelous time in an old print shop and even found a print for my dad from a weekly newspaper from the 1860s I believe that showed a sailboat racing with the Royal Thames burgee, very appropriate after our evening before. </p>We made it all the way through the main throng of the market, making several purchases along the way :-) and reached the hot street food and produce section when lunch became very important. Once again Lonely Planet steered us right, we ate a restaurant called e&o (no relation to E&O trading co. but very similar) with a wonderful, creative drink menu and tons of Pan-Asian small plates. I doubt we could've found a more satisfying meal or better drink even if we tried.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447395143306341634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHYVf92RN9Qd_xeSD9hCynLIfifW3QRhOMQdT22nB3ORRYQEGytjUdNomxXc1eE7P6w0MW3zlSv1xWZXTI8ZW3dvNeF7Kjfl9TKHZvdZiXyNcOY-Om6P5Z1NfyKZXDEbejg2N-bFJFCZWg/s200/London+Bridge.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffcc33;"><strong><em>Sunday February 14, 2010</em></strong></span><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffcc33;"><strong><em>Valentine's Day</em></strong></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Happy Valentine's Day! Normally New Years is suppose to make you think about how much has happened in a year but I couldn't help but think back on Feb da 14th. A year ago I was having a bomb Thai dinner with the sailors in Seattle, very appropriate and now I was in London with my 3 Moms, equally appropriate. My how times flies when you're having fun, or even just staying ridiculously busy ;-)<br /><br />We started off festivities right with cupcakes (from the Hummingbird Bakery, very popular, still unclear why) on our River Cruise of the Thames. We saw many highlights as we headed downstream including some places I visited on my last trip to London. The London Eye towered over us, with Westminster on the opposite bank. Farther along the Millennium Bridge, the Tate Modern (a very cool use of an old industrial building), the Globe Theater, the very ugly London Bridge, the Tower, and the much cooler Tower Bridge.<br /><br />My mom and Liz disembarked at the Tower while Eve and I continued on to Greenwich and the Maritime Museum. Our initials wanderings in Greenwich brought us to the Old Royal Naval College with its beautiful chapel that is very light and calming. I liked it far better than many of the medieval cathedrals that I've visited.<br /><br />We spent about an hour in the Maritime Museum, had a very cool exhibit on Arcitic explorations, I'm intrigued. Then we headed up the hill to the Royal Observatory to stand on the Prime Meridian! Despite being a completely arbitrary line that only exists because some folk in the 19th century agreed on it, standing at 0 degrees longitude was pretty cool.<br /><br /><br /><br />Then ensued a mad dash through the Underground and its related tram services to reach Kensington Palace. Despite our best efforts, insightful navigation, and almost entirely positive attitude Eve and I did not make it before last admittance primarily because we underestimated the necessary travel time and had the time for last admittance wrong! Oh well! We met Mom and Liz outside the gift shop (very hard to find them...) then went back to our hotel room through Kensington Park for a short respite before our Valentine's Evening officially began.<br /><br /><br /><br />A few pink drinks, sparkly tiaras, and exquisite luggage tags into the evening we donned our finest red and black attire and headed to the early seating at Veeraswamy, the oldest Indian restaurant in London. Despite our unconventional ordering method, discrete drink pranks, and menu thievery it was a very "proper" Valentine's Day dinner. There were even rose petals on the table! The food was delicious and I felt fuller than full.<br /><br /><br /><br />A quick drink in a very pubby pub concluded our London Valentine's day as was only appropriate...or at least until we all started devouring chocolate liquors and chips at 1 in the morning, no one was allowed to sleep haha.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447401718415856450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBw7mP530T9TYdRbZ9a7TGsMTxiRD1YF7C_xNrDllyegCHzLanrb_EyRgnkmG4G4YUf1Ei-0U-feqjCHzVEaQQX_XPMZLwMtOUU4vebC1w3cEdQJsBLoYix0BIgl9PTm5s4BW4C_eVZsx_/s200/horse+guard.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><em><span style="color:#ffcc33;">Monday February 15, 2010</span> </em></strong></span><br /></div><br />Following 3 marvelous days in London there was only really some time in the morning on Monday before we had to catch the train to Paris. I decided I'd like to see the Changing of the Horse Guard as it happens later than the Changing of the Guard (more sleepy time) and was just a walk from our hotel. <br />We saw the whole shindig, after nearly 20 minutes of waiting while whatever goes on inside goes on and the horses stamp and relieve themselves, the change finally occurs. The red dudes rode in and are staying and the blue dudes ride out. All the horses are matching, or as close as possible and don't seem to really dig this gig. The uniforms were quite a surprise since they look more Austrian or something of that nature than British. Who comes up with these tradition? I guess it's not so much a question of who as HOW.<br /><br />We had a spot of lunch at The Wolseley, apparently a favorite celebrity haunt, but also the name of a famous cardinal! Who knew? Afterwards we grabbed our bags, fought our way through the Underground just in time to make the train which was actually scheduled a bit earlier than we thought! Once we were on board everything was fine and we were speeding to Paris, France, the city more movies, books, poems, artists, historians mention passionately than anywhere else. Few people can speak about bleak London with the magnetism that Paris seems to inspire, now I was about to learn why.<br /><br />To be continued...Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-55974545095724327802010-03-03T08:50:00.001-08:002010-03-03T09:18:00.908-08:00Trying to do it all<span style="color:#000000;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGiDeAI9msW7r5BFsm4yGx-Swczu-C7goFIcbvFbz5NIfiZd2_bvqrNtZOiAaTJINgTOD_DbKW5gGcIHssy7F5WSvCJ04trWY7REVfBnpsxpf_2ncF39_rBN6mvJmepo7IHVaS1vZTfo_6/s1600-h/Parly.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444451095069155714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGiDeAI9msW7r5BFsm4yGx-Swczu-C7goFIcbvFbz5NIfiZd2_bvqrNtZOiAaTJINgTOD_DbKW5gGcIHssy7F5WSvCJ04trWY7REVfBnpsxpf_2ncF39_rBN6mvJmepo7IHVaS1vZTfo_6/s320/Parly.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div>After returning from a wonderful trip to London and Paris with the 3 most amazing women I know (to be further detailed later) I suddenly realized I have only weeks left here in Scotland!</div><div> </div><div>Getting back into the swing of Parliament especially now that I've begun working on my paper (I have to write a 15-20 page report for the International Studies Program so that when I return they'll give me credit, yay!) and have started working on an extensive briefing on New Media for Anne. </div><div> </div><div>However, there are 8 hours in a day and sometimes one just needs a break, like yesterday when I created the above piece of "art" on Paint. It's an interpretive view of the rest of the Parliament complex from my window, I'll take a picture of my actual view to show the contrast ;-)</div><div> </div><div>Now, trying to do it all. Here is my current list of all the things I'd like to do before I go:</div><div> </div><p align="center"><span style="color:#ccccff;">- Eat a Scottish Breakfast</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#ccccff;">- Climb Arthur's Seat</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#ccccff;">- Go to the waterfront in Leith</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#ccccff;">- Watch a sunset from Calton Hill</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#ccccff;">- Have a pie from the pie shop at the end of my street that never seems to be open</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#ccccff;">- Have fish and chips at The World's End</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#ccccff;">- Run through the Meadows</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#ccccff;">- Visit South Queensferry</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#ccccff;">- Go into a kilt-shop and buy a Ladies' kilt aka a skirt</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#ccccff;">- Go into St. Mary's Close</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#ccccff;">- Have a French Martini on George's Street</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#ccccff;">- Play/buy a Bodhran (Irish Drum)</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#ccccff;">- See a Pictish Stone</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#ccccff;">- Go whisky shopping</span></p><p><span style="color:#ffcc00;">Now that may seem like quite the list but I believe its all totally doable! Or at least totally tryable!</span></p><p><span style="color:#ffcc00;">Until I have tales from London and photos from Paris ready to go,</span></p><p><span style="color:#ffcc00;">Cara</span></p>Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-13922869447511446512010-02-26T03:39:00.000-08:002010-02-26T06:56:34.194-08:00Taking Away the Text<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div align="left">It's been hard playing catch up this far into my travels but instead of cranking out some more long-winded descriptions here are some photos! I got a new camera in November and I've been really happy with it so far, I still don't know how to use half the features but it has a great zoom and I can definitely say my experiences have been well photographed.<br /></div><div align="left">All these pictures are of things I've seen, not so much of people, they'll come later :-)<br /></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#33cc00;"><strong>The first few are the result of me goofing around with my new (exspensive, not to be lost, or mistreated!) toy:</strong></span></div><br /><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442520409387179986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPzvEQSPLnRU0MDXUXNsxA1g2rJTHcD7nIwGAzNcihI6ZRXoihE7HQ9ptbI_RXDheZy7u9DtI5AAQfelJJ39w-yJCsBcYZwHsgcaivPklVTdSaLAw2R0RiGDYk3P18tDiY7kxraZqPlFtV/s320/Buck+Horn+Lodge.bmp" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442521171609359906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8gYmXIrj6DYm1voly_4Re9-hNm7ihAfjW933-BNbxgZYLmx1KWfKfFN2QuvPdJLS4W93gsBzJ4EYWs6tmzKim0Eocn0setW5Qf0hXImgxZ0k1bvO1Ewmid0l6aVbuPr8IBgjjcjoLDrI/s320/Seattle+Docks.bmp" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442521339196577138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLlaHP6VPY_y3u_hU6jD4RWCRLXb0r_Ql0MLcEFPAQlbAVdtDlq46OS5NaWaKrg-keEKMHUPEhfWdrDYfSA1WzsRXbZD9OGPSr8aNDoTBOBBvFpq_XUpJMTZX-OMiSHn84v7HPtfC32oP/s320/Rose.bmp" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442521497243114882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegcjK6aVQwvzkdEJuIDHHhTeUWj0YSFu7Kkf25HDXzJ54E8iomRXl6R-8LGgGl03hXYbPab_bmVchDk4YrmHGt-L5gnCVyV6CPMUdM957u_J8cvUjUPWk9_uiDFbzYkt9U1b75YnLNILT/s320/Seattle+Sunset.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442521772419326178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06a0gWeGmY5xwDOiOzShJiWXYENa1WuD4TeP3pSvZe7cvrbBFSwM6Q8l7MR8pknJCIc3LvNUmTMCNayGUtl7VLIhQNrxLOVWXBttpEPzCC0_6FCpRVVBZax2N3nrnSAFFDwedDwNATzlr/s320/Open+24+Hours.bmp" border="0" /> </p><p align="center"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3333ff;"><strong><u>Scotland!!!</u></strong></span><br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442522659532834274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3rNrZc6gJStI9jv7r4pdJR775we7O1o3gTHE9VwS59m-DOdRg7ZCqtyOSPSdBz8yQyMcmwd2TMuJYWIp8pv-LFNt3KDneKMl8OL6B5DfOeMFmgxsPPelcAji_P65tvQdyssv14Epbh6d/s320/Scotties.bmp" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442563381501364546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqCEwq6Xzz9XwEJ5leoC9vyGq3SMhF7OXLGeoeXkwgox2BaI5zPDG5fNxRtiRsOJ71GpvH-Pmz6jgE43Rk59tx3PXJAy39huApuLvvr01N9gQ9delqAdS2cfom6k90zC0fNppf1mE-DRT/s320/Candle.bmp" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442522781040761362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhig6NOOOenAcswmicyqftC8D1vWkbS00cxzGU5yjsf9lTDFAElRR0H9D13PhheZFM8-6kfMB9gEZHNIYFHiLxtzjAVUNX4ZFgIARcHwQEL5QfmUby9-lNcFSI7g-YKsZpobaTcrzkgjp/s320/Edinburgh+Castle-Sunset.bmp" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442524288381649714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSmYm1loeF3ekQHS1lD0YeYBzqJrXIvPyQusTFUVLD9ovnn-cgiCURVLFqKoQDO_T7C2zRgZJAotSv4M9bs4tbfi3PcwirdWbqWAP9rYkLL9oTtbweJGdCPFnn2Xxd2hY9fwCULgbAPAs/s320/Glasgow.bmp" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442562261036352306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pgAAXaOjgq4fxV0RLTDnnLNdfve4i46b0fb4Gu3mhEdxM2oZ56KP3n5BGVTNdRmov1QdpRzPm5wzM4zP0c-AGhX7mCZYlz5xrnODBhTTfgvQANLCE0JxLZR6Z1SD_c9PAtwp9jARDEkb/s320/Sol.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><p align="center"><span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong>From our day trip to the Highlands:</strong></span><br /></p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442564411387213346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyThD7BoIABTyzNsm_gd4iOagEvUVvNHZ-eRtWSlnTR8OzLRWLGXMzbJgSjl_Qf3hvwB5qHHGWLnIDNy9dyy_QhlonHa3a3yw73gJqmXaaadg78IRQmfhxfWsDk_x_ES1goVDuyrz6ZJD/s320/Sun+and+Loch.bmp" border="0" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZfW65gbvmlExjT0J8qNrR_u-hV4LpafeXT9h9e93u9iiNzouww9S6lBDGlZe8CK0TeLWmXkyv5fRUPLSmrfj2Yg8yr6dUlQeo-PUmqNNipXwZVqA1dRW4vPabTwRCJ04OB22xJZkcST_V/s1600-h/Water%23.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442565100200387842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZfW65gbvmlExjT0J8qNrR_u-hV4LpafeXT9h9e93u9iiNzouww9S6lBDGlZe8CK0TeLWmXkyv5fRUPLSmrfj2Yg8yr6dUlQeo-PUmqNNipXwZVqA1dRW4vPabTwRCJ04OB22xJZkcST_V/s320/Water%23.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFaZiU7UWsQElzTJqf-urEtl0yuH6sxyP6-oFHJxBfs_ekopHVCUqepf3IjRqHsgieKetbi-VZZtibzEue6FavtNbaMp1eWgEqz9LMO6415fPeHxDsnVz49OqZEh-pk43Uo6zi4cy7bb68/s1600-h/Salt+Loch.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442565026099181346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFaZiU7UWsQElzTJqf-urEtl0yuH6sxyP6-oFHJxBfs_ekopHVCUqepf3IjRqHsgieKetbi-VZZtibzEue6FavtNbaMp1eWgEqz9LMO6415fPeHxDsnVz49OqZEh-pk43Uo6zi4cy7bb68/s320/Salt+Loch.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfJ7XsI798q_qnCjrko07RGsyre4XQpmurZi0RQxSh6u9d8mUCjUUzSn1Eopf63QKP1ZlD-EQKjrS7UIAHlJJdCkBiLZ67BRjAcjd4BcJcyjDcAbjm0wOCYUo_QCqDnPun0Ya9XZhm6Rf/s1600-h/Graveyard.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442564919541656738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfJ7XsI798q_qnCjrko07RGsyre4XQpmurZi0RQxSh6u9d8mUCjUUzSn1Eopf63QKP1ZlD-EQKjrS7UIAHlJJdCkBiLZ67BRjAcjd4BcJcyjDcAbjm0wOCYUo_QCqDnPun0Ya9XZhm6Rf/s320/Graveyard.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgN13dFE7gtDhIwvXuYlluVtTcJjmFALhtaarxI-BlilxtRpwi8MKfJhlxwYzukjVN1JdctoF73k-d7a2uvXipb7Vf-LAoY4Ra81I8XWh_aNOLyzwepbVOFNyMQS2aWLD550gfax1VCKAt/s1600-h/Celtic+Crosses.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442564839080381474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgN13dFE7gtDhIwvXuYlluVtTcJjmFALhtaarxI-BlilxtRpwi8MKfJhlxwYzukjVN1JdctoF73k-d7a2uvXipb7Vf-LAoY4Ra81I8XWh_aNOLyzwepbVOFNyMQS2aWLD550gfax1VCKAt/s320/Celtic+Crosses.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV469I7VrqOdHYIURmD5TchWXT47tM_17oPe1bSTEXbeFCQ_JSa1wayT-nOcflbmTNv7F5R-ZGD7Q9-iJ5CY0DuhGSlMxK1ykzVA8u5xK2ce9b3sgHzSEU2pQb6SrwFwoRzxN39CgcPvwU/s1600-h/Blue+Skies.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442564769872610930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV469I7VrqOdHYIURmD5TchWXT47tM_17oPe1bSTEXbeFCQ_JSa1wayT-nOcflbmTNv7F5R-ZGD7Q9-iJ5CY0DuhGSlMxK1ykzVA8u5xK2ce9b3sgHzSEU2pQb6SrwFwoRzxN39CgcPvwU/s320/Blue+Skies.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8QgheNuNwCmXSzaiDbce2_cwICRgoEAJnSYa9vQkz0wypQtvDYGmAMMjfLek0M-JAQb6nX-DhyphenhyphenoARNCr1T40EqdQr_6CMkp2Y_Hme_1HJmy65IE3zFBevDbYmK4qR3WJjRV9yQ3jFsms/s1600-h/Crooked+Loch.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442564649425364066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8QgheNuNwCmXSzaiDbce2_cwICRgoEAJnSYa9vQkz0wypQtvDYGmAMMjfLek0M-JAQb6nX-DhyphenhyphenoARNCr1T40EqdQr_6CMkp2Y_Hme_1HJmy65IE3zFBevDbYmK4qR3WJjRV9yQ3jFsms/s320/Crooked+Loch.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#ff9966;"><strong><em>That's All For Now Folks!<br /></em></strong></span><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><br /></strong></span></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-27994651850593989352010-02-24T09:06:00.000-08:002010-02-24T09:46:15.861-08:004th Floor<div>Working at Parliament has been a great experience so far, its very different from anything I've ever done and definitely a change from classes, homework, and exams. It's also been a surprisingly social experience and a very positive learning environment.<br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>My flat is about a 20 minute walk from the Scottish Parliament building which is an usual story in itself, the new building was design by Enric Miralles who apparently brought in some leaves and twigs during his interview, tossed them on the table and said, "this is my vision." It turned out pretty cool in my opinion. The building was/is still very controversial as it cost quite a bit more than expected and has a very modern look in a town know for its historical architecture.</div><br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441859970805445890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAccSmDiUX5TGswWmPHp3usvb2iDIPqdAA7ZFzFL3w-UEN0RlgXHu03pIKw-ocCeies2hAjn7moFTdOCQl5smz223S5w3ymzWJkwcxnOJ_nLDf35kUjcFflZhQin6VKMDGexU2LSm7nJt7/s320/scottish_parliament_in_edinburgh_from_air.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><p>From the sky it's suppose to look like ships coming into port and the lower glass roof like waves. This glass roof is actually the ceiling of the Garden Lobby where photo ops and interviews take place. This is also where the main staircase to the chamber is. I work in the building towards the top of the picture with that awkward looking staircase sticking out. It is known as the MSP Building, or MSP Block</p><br /><p>My MSP's office is on the 4th floor, the view from my desk looks out across the hall out onto Arthur's Seat and the beginnings of the Salisbury Crags. The building feels very light, airy from all the windows and the light wood. All the different building materials they used is almost as interesting as the final product (at least I think so...). The 4th and 5th floors are the Scottish National Party (SNP) floors, going down the 3rd floor is where the Liberal Democrats (LibDems) set up shop, the 2nd the Conservatives (Tories) and then the 1st and Ground floor are where the Labour Party, the 2nd biggest party can be found. I hardly stray from the top floors but I have nipped downstairs to look around, no devil's horns or diaboical plans in sight!</p><br /><p>On of the quirkest part of the MSP Block is the back side of the building:</p><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441862160362884498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 231px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsSKqEUCFjwJf3U6uCZaRF23D0AGoNbGRX8JDYObvSt3hDuhmdAkcreD_lTWfFXrYELEh0GTKdk8uqn_2A_TfpmICPb3Tk2nmRi9-8WaVDaN9Khayjth4lZlNlIq1rVmVxNXYKBT9AMDi/s320/Think+pods.jpg" border="0" />When I first saw this photo I thought these were all some type of bizarre staircases. I have since learned that they are the MSP's thinkpods, a very cool space which the MSPs have found a variety of uses for. Here is what it looks like from the inside:</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441863625092952258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwNFiU0H0-fgflr0o8ZTrIQxDW8EBiNnpxBKMiiDUsfmk1soP0Qc_IlK4vg2wN0N75m4bkvHq8dpmrtplKJ6g4oCWdbtP6uagEHSEn5-7FIX2zVJ4ycKqlFIbzGzJKgiTDsgSqtkYMIXh/s320/Da+Think+Pod.bmp" border="0" /><br /><p>Its just a small space to think and look out the window, or occasional Anne has all 3 of us that work in the office perch here to talk, the rest of the time it provides a place to keep her luggage (as you can see the red bag here). All in all its a pretty nice place to work, no cubicles in this building :-)</p><p>The hardest question to answer is what do I do? Its really easy to just say "I'm an intern for blah blah blah" and that kind of conveys I do whatever is needed and don't get paid, which is true but it's much more enjoyable than that! So far I've done a wide range of things which has been great, kept things interesting. Primarily I do research for anything Anne needs, whether its pertain to a question in chamber, something involving her committees, or even statistics she might need, one day, maybe. In addition to that I've been helping Anne decide what she wants her website to look like, contribute to designing a newsletter, written a few motions, arranged several events, acted as photographer at one said event, and answered the phone everytime it rings!</p><p>From what I've witnessed and experienced the most important thing for an MSP is to be informed, about petitions, motions, bills, questions, their constituents, a very wide variety of topics. There is no way any of that would be possible without handy dandy reseachers who find the information they need, whatever it may be and then tailor it down so it's exactly what their MSP needs and can be read quickly! </p><p>Another thing that I did not expect was how different each day is, for example Mondays and Fridays the MSPs are in their constituencies so the number of people here at Parliament significantly drops (though the flow of emails hardly ever falters) and we get to dress casual and leave earlier. Tuesdays are an in-between day, gearing up for the more chaotic Wednesday and Thursday. </p><p>While the second half of Wednesday's most MSPs are in chamber its nothing compared to Thursdays, that is of course depending what is on the agenda for the week. Every Thursday at midday are First Minister Questions followed by Themed Questions and then usually a debate. Decision Time, or voting is on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 5:00 and just in case any MSP gets distracted there are several chimes that sound throughout the building leading up to 5:00, just to remind them. When ever chamber is in session, especially during FMQs the hallways up here echo with Holyrood TV (the Parliament's live feed) being played on computers and TVs, things really get messy if someone clicks pause. These are also the days the business-y clothes come out and wow! amazing how everyone can look like a grown up.</p><p>That pretty much encompasses the duties of an intern, we also provide lively conversation and entertainment (unintentionally, I'm sure).<br /></p><br /><div></div></div>Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-23789194622159387202010-02-08T06:19:00.000-08:002010-02-08T07:34:27.147-08:00Edinburgh, ScotlandGreetings!<br /><br />It's been a while since I've even thought about writing here but most the other interns I'm here with regularly update their blogs, putting me to shame plus it makes it a lot easier to update people all at once! Woot woot!<br /><br /><div>I've been here in Edinburgh for a month now (yeah I'm really behind) but so far everything has been going great, minus a few unlucky situations, but I've determined all that will work out eventually.</div><br /><div>When I first arrived, on Friday January 8th, it was right towards the end of the terrible cold weather that had been affecting the whole UK. Consequently I finally arrived to Edinburgh 4 hours late with no baggage and the<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMb9ZddjlGfvYQhZZI7sEjZb7Fv0y3Fsrq5itA9aVOtv8e9wnn1ZL5moFDtc6j9peocCYjwbdo5DgfcEpIPx_Yr4ZdbccPIYpX2Wwn27A3KcBQN4UGFu0Cvafy9Jqzawn5EHq6s2ii_Ru3/s1600-h/Satellite+Image+of+Britain.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435882210900115778" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 263px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMb9ZddjlGfvYQhZZI7sEjZb7Fv0y3Fsrq5itA9aVOtv8e9wnn1ZL5moFDtc6j9peocCYjwbdo5DgfcEpIPx_Yr4ZdbccPIYpX2Wwn27A3KcBQN4UGFu0Cvafy9Jqzawn5EHq6s2ii_Ru3/s320/Satellite+Image+of+Britain.jpg" border="0" /></a> city was covered in a light layer of snow. It was very pretty but not so easy to get around town, cobblestone gets very slippery!</div><br /><div>Here is the satellite image of the whole UK that was on the front page of the Scotsman the day I arrived. It shows the whole of mainland Britain except for a small part of Scotland completely covered in snow! It's like something out of The Day After Tomorrow, spooky.</div><div></div><div>Saturday morning I went over to the flat I had arranged to let a room in. Although I've been gradually learning my way around the Old Town area of Edinburgh where I live, eat, sleep, drink, and work most the time (I have to go elsewhere to shop...) the Royal Mile has been my main route for most outings.</div><div></div><div>The Mile, is pretty cool in several ways. First of all its a long, straightforward street with an assortment of restuarants, pubs, tourist shops, and sights that are all easy to find and visit. Beyond that it is the heart of Old Town and all the buildings and churches still have their historical facades with closes and wynds weaving in and out of the buildings. This part of town has been densely populated since Edinburgh's early history. </div><div></div><div>At the top of the mile is Edinburgh Castle the biggest tourist attraction in town. It is built on the Rock which is a part of an ancient volcano. Here is another reason why the Mile is interesting. The Mile slopes downhill away from the Castle all the way to the new Scottish Parliament building (where I work!) but it is sloped like that because of glaciation as a glacier slowly moved downhill and carved out the modern landscape the town has been built upon. Oh yeah, the nerd in me went crazy!</div><div></div><div>My flat is on Victoria Street which is a short, steep cobblestoned road right off the mile. It's also right next to the Grassmarket (use to be where the cattle market was held) where there are a ton of resturants and pubs. We're on the 1st floor and technically its a 2 bedroom apartment with a kitchen, living room, shower room, and toilet room. However, due to the long history of the building there is another random room right next to the street. I have no clue what it might have originally been for but somebody built in a lofted DOUBLE bed and there's a little desk, some shelves, and all-in-all its the perfect amount of space! I've dubbed it my "bat-cave" so far no serious ladder issues, thank god I brought my headlamp!</div><div></div><div>The rest of the flat is great too, everyone calls the living room my opium den (not because of the presence of opium hehe) but it is very colorful and...bohemian, I guess would be a good word. The bathroom set up is actually comical. There is a toilet at one end of the hall, it's "victorian" with a wooden seat and pull handle with a porcelain fish on the end, to clarify splinters are a non-issue. At the other end of the hall is the shower room. The shower is raised a little and the top of it goes up into this bizarre raised space in the ceiling, they definitely had to squeeze it in. All over the place the guys have hung up cool photos, articles, pretty much anything they thought was interesting I guess, it makes for some good reading material over a bowl of cereal.</div><div></div><div>Clearly, I'm very happy with my living accomodations and I hear some wild things late at night from the street below, all part of it's character. At first it wasn't so warm and cozy, literally, since the boiler broke my second day in and we had no heat or hot water, and I had only one outfit. It took 10 days for me to get both of my bags so that first week was definitely...interesting. It was challenging to not look like a dirty hobo at work but at the same time much worse things could have happened. I'll continue with my first day of work soon! (Oh and I have pictures to share as well)</div><div></div><div></div><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div>Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-54159706426503835932008-08-27T18:43:00.000-07:002008-08-27T19:04:00.869-07:00Thank God for Starbuck's InternetHello!<div>As silly as it sounds I am eternally grateful for the Starbucks not too far from mi casa. Its quite a happening place but best of it has internet and chair tea, perfecto. Let's see what have I been up to. Two weekends ago I visited D.F. again I really love Mexico City. Its so massive I could never have imagined a place a) so full of people and b) so sprawling. The metro seems unending at it only connects a fraction of the city. This time around I was with a group of students in my program. Saturday we visited Teotihuacan a city of ruins found near Mexico City. It is perhaps best known for the Sun Temple and corresponding Moon Temple. However there are pyramids scattered everywhere that form a faint image of the city that once dominated the area. Not so long ago all the remains were buried under dirt and appeared to be only hills! </div><div>After Teotihuacan we continued on to Mexico City and while the rest of the group checked out the very cool Museum of Anthropology which I visited the first time around myself and a couple others headed out to see more of the city. We made our way to Zona Rosa which is the liberal/gay district. It was a nice little area but annoyingly full of American chains I didn't even bother to take photos. Along one of the main streets we did discover a series of "artistic" benches which lead us to El Monumento de Independencia. We also visited Garibaldi Square home of the famous mariachis although it was too early in the evening for too many to be performing. </div><div>Sunday was a hectic, jam packed day. First to El Templo Mayor, Aztec ruins right next to the heart of Mexico City, the Zocalo. The Spanish built right on top the most impressive and sacred part of Tenochtitlan (the Aztec City). Before checking out of our hostel we did get to watch a replay of Michael Phelps final olympic race. Most of the Olympic broadcasting down here covered sports like archery, taekwondo (Mexico won two golds), speed walking, weight lifting, wrestling, and occasionally swimming. Speed walking was pretty interesting to watch, who knew? Any how we also visited Los Bellas Artes, more murals, Frida Kahlo's house which is now a museum and awesome, and La Plaza de Tres Culturas site of a student massacre in 1968. Drove by the Olympic Stadium from that year too then headed back to Querétaro utterly exhausted.</div><div>Last weekend was another trip this time more laid back and without a guide. Saturday we headed to Guanajuato about two hours away. Its a gorgeous city nestled in an amazingly green valley with colorfully curving streets just like I expected to find in Mexico. The city also boast the childhood home of Diego Rivera which we visited so I have now been steeped in the fascinating history of two of Mexico's most famous artists. That afternoon we journeyed to San Miguel De Allende a major ex-pat city and home to many skilled artisans. The best part was easily the hot springs just outside the city, the most relaxing sunday yet.</div><div>I only have about 10 more days here in Querétaro and I just can't seem to get enough of the city! Classes are getting busier as we near finals but my friends and I have also become more adventures in the evening finding new cafés to study, pastelerías, resturantes and places to find souvenirs. This weekend will be my first and last full weekend in Querétaro who knows maybe I'll even go with my family to church, maybe.</div><div>Besos,</div><div>Cara</div>Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-37393883363281787292008-08-15T09:44:00.000-07:002008-08-15T10:02:29.673-07:00BYOTP- Bring Your Own Toilet Paper¡Hola! I have now mastered using accents, the upside down question marks, and exclamation points on my computer, very exciting. Today I turned in my first essay and had a pretty intense midterm. TGIF, I'm done with the terrifying stick shift autobuses, university bathrooms that lack toilet paper, and long-winded presentations! At least for this week. <div>Ever since I returned from Arkansas things have been pretty hectic. I didn't seem to miss that much during my trip other than illness. In addition to a couple outbreaks of food posioning two students were really ill and ended up going to the hospital Monday. Both are doing fine now but one of them actually had typhoid and decided to go home so our merry bunch is short one :(which when you only have 9 in a class and 22 overall is quite a loss. Wednesday I had a presentation about Mexican weddings, my partner and I each had to talk for 8 minutes so if you have any questions on the topic, I probably have an answer. The weather has been milder, at least temperature wise, than when I first arrived with thunderstorms in the evenings after really nice, warm days. These thunderstorms are unlike anything I've ever experienced. Tuesday night I swear the thunder and lightening was right in my neighborhood. </div><div>Tomorrow morning we leave for D.F. for the weekend and I will finally get to see the pyramids in Teotihuacan! Until I return to Querétaro.</div><div>Love,</div><div>Cara</div>Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-39384759586967424592008-08-07T09:43:00.001-07:002008-08-07T09:54:59.949-07:00Los Luchas LibresBuenos dias!<div>I guess I'll begin with last Tuesday which turned out to be pretty hectic. After classes a group of us went to have a cooking lesson with one of the señoras, their family actually runs a bakery out of their home. We made fresh pineapple juice, bomb guacamole, and chalupas. My favorite part had to be the guacamole, the chalupas were pretty good, simple, but a little to fried in grease for my taste. That same evening our group had tickets to a lucha libre, Mexican wrestling match, headlined by the famous Dr. Wagner. We watched several fights before the main event. It was quite a production. Dr. Wagner and his partner entered in blue and white practically demanding the crowds' attention. Their two opponents were clothed in black and red spandex, which is always....attractive. They were clearly the villains of this match. It was pretty ridiculous to watch and the crowd got equally ridiculous. And just when you thought Dr. Wagner was getting his butt kicked he made a spectacular come back and claimed the last two rounds (they do actually have three rounds and a ref, all official like). It was a pretty fun evening and, its safe to say it was an important part of our, "cultural experience."</div><div>Tomorrow morning I have to get up super early to catch a bus to D.F. for an intermission in my Mexico experience. Next destination: Monticello, Arkansas.</div><div>Until I return,</div><div>Cara </div>Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-64588036705558700282008-08-04T10:03:00.000-07:002008-08-04T10:24:05.776-07:00Mi primero fin de semanaI have officially been in Querétaro a week! After finishing classes friday I went home and collapsed, speaking Spanish so much is certainly tiring. It's a good thing I didn't go out friday night because on Saturday our group took a trip to Bernal about an hour away from Querétaro. Bernal is famous for its monolith, one huge piece of rock kinda like an iceberg with only a piece of the whole formation visible above ground. We hiked a good ways up the monolith and had an amazing view. The hike was more difficult than i thought it would be in part because of the increased elevation and the route we chose. It definitely seemed worth it though as we ate lunch up top with amazing views all around. After we descended we spent some time in the town of Bernal which is much more touristy than Querétaro. After we returned to Querétaro I was exhausted and took an extra long siesta. Somehow though around 9:30 I managed to find the energy to go out to a local bar called Barro KDA (like barracuda).<div>Sunday was a wonderful day of rest. I only left the house in the evening to go with my señora and señor to visit some family. My señora's brother did not approve of my American pronunciation. So for the next 45 minutes I was being drilled on how to say my "R's" roja, rey, carro, arroyo, etc. He even took a page out of My Fair Lady and had me reciting "the rain in spain falls mainly on the plans!" He was very nice but es muy insistente, or persistent.</div><div>Today it's back to classes including a field trip to the mercado to practice our food vocabulary.</div><div>Hasta luego.</div><div>besos,</div><div>Cara</div>Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-4746935251880822132008-07-31T09:47:00.000-07:002008-07-31T10:21:05.777-07:00QuerétaroI know it's been a while between posts but the computer lab on campus has all blog pages blocked! However, I know have wireless for my laptop and am in business!<div>To begin, Mexico City. My first night I was lucky enough to run into two other Oregon students that were staying at my hostel. We made plans to meet up the next morning and begin our whirlwind tour of D.F. Our hostel was in a prime location next to one of the main plazas. We were a short walk from the Palacio Nacional and the Diego Rivera murals, as well as the city's main Catedral which was built in the 1500s. We also visited the Anthropology Museum which was really interesting and included a lot of the early history of Mexico. </div><div>After the two guys headed to the airport to pick up some of the other students I hopped on a bus tour that took two hours, I saw a lot of Mexico City but I didn't expect to take so much time getting back to my hostel. By the time I got back, there were several new faces in our group. We went to bed early since we were planning to get up and go see the Basilica de Guadalupe. The metro system in D.F. is unbelievable. It can get so crowded at times your simply along for the ride and there are so many different lines since the city itself is so vast I had to transfer so many times. All for only 2 pesos per ride!</div><div>After visiting the Basilica which was unfortunately under renovation and sported some impressive scaffolding, myself, Markus, David, and Dana took a "tour" of sorts from the hospital to a futbol game! The match was between Cruz Azul and Chivas. Dana and I decided to support Chivas because they sold flattering women's jerseys, haha. The game itself was really fun and the second half kept things interesting. In the very last minutes Cruz Azul scored to tie the game 2-2 the fans went crazy and we got showered in beer.</div><div>Following the game we grabbed our bags from the hostel and caught a taxi to the bus station to catch a bus to Querétaro. Barely a block from our hostel a little green slug bug cab came hurling towards us and crashed into the back of our cab! No one was hurt and the damage to our taxi was minimal. The other cab though, had its front smashed in. Needless to say we were all pretty shaken and when our replacement cab arrived we quickly put on seatbelts and begged him to drive slow, which of course this being Mexico City, he didn't.</div><div>We caught a 9:00 luxury bus to Querétaro which was the most comfortable 3 hour trip i've ever taken. Arriving in Querétaro around midnight we checked into our hotel and immediately went to sleep.</div><div>Sunday was my first day and after a quick tour of the downtown along with a call to my host family I headed to their house at about 2:00 in time for the main meal of the day, La Comida. My señora and señor are a very sweet older couple who have been hosting students for more than 20 years! My señora Irma is a crafts teacher and the house is filled with her creations, mostly dolls (they aren't too creepy though). Their children and grandchildren came over for comida making a grand total of 10 around the table. It was my first attempt conversing for a significant period of time and by the end of the meal I was exhausted. </div><div>Classes began at 9:00 Monday. I have 3 hours of class a day, five days a week. One class is composition with Lulu (best professor ever) and the second class is oral skills and vocabulary with Betty. There are 9 of us studying 200 level Spanish and its been a really fun group. We finish class at 2:00 and head home for comida and a siesta, my favorite part being the siesta.</div><div>The city of Querétaro itself is far bigger than I had imagined but it's really easy to get around between walking and taking the buses(which make me fear another car accident). El centro is full of great places to eat, drink, and hangout. So far the weather has been pretty warm and sunny interrupted but only the occasional thunderstorm. </div><div>Well, my second class is beginning soon and tomorrow we have our first prueba or quiz so today i'll be studying instead of siesta-ing!</div><div>Besos,</div><div>Cara</div>Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-60029644020162459462008-07-24T18:21:00.000-07:002008-07-24T18:25:33.605-07:00On the Road Again¡Hola!<br />I have just begun my next great foreign adventure of the summer. Its been pretty unexciting so far. I flew from Oakland to LA then to Mexico City where I will be staying the next two nights before heading to Queretaro for my stay. So far the only thing I can really say about Mexico City is that it is sure crowded! Unbelievable. Tomorrow I plan on heading out and seeing as many of the sites as I can in a day. Everything has gone smoothly thus far but it sure feels strange to be traveling without my other half! Dakota you better read my blog now that I´m not writing about you! haha. Well my love to all and I will let you know how Mexico City is other than full to capacity.<br />Besos,<br />CaraCara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-34558709903766686072008-07-01T18:20:00.000-07:002008-07-01T18:28:52.809-07:00The Longest DayHello again,<br />Monday following Euro 2008 we got up and headed out to get tickets to tour the Parliament building (definitely not Dakota's idea, haha) which was a very interesting, concise 45 minute tour so she didn't have anything to complain about. We also visited St. Stephen's Basilica which is home to St. Stephen's forearm(?). We climbed numerous spiral staircases to reach the top of the tower which turned out to be spectacular. 360 degrees of Budapest.<br />Tuesday, our last day we slept in a bit because the first leg of our flight home leaves Budapest at 6:45 a.m. local time meaning we are leaving for the airport at 3:45 (very soon here) so we decided to not go to bed. Once we did get up we visited the Market Hall, Statue Park which is where they put all the communist statues after the Soviet Union fell, and cooked dinner. Packing was also a major event of the day. The only explanation for the cluttered state of our dorm was that our backpacks threw up. Putting them back together wasn't that easy especially with our purchases from Market Hall.<br />Budapest has been an interesting city, frustrating at times (when resturants or bars are closed when they are suppose to be open) as well as fascinating. However I am very excited to spend time at home and to have my phone back :P so i can talk to everyone that isn't at home.<br />We're heading out to wait for the cab in a few so until I head to Mexico in a few weeks...<br />Love,<br />CaraCara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-74376551104316328522008-06-30T02:24:00.000-07:002008-06-30T02:36:16.415-07:00Buda and PestHello,<br />Dakota and I got into Budapest Friday evening after a few hours on the train. We set out to figure out the public transit here and find our hostel. This, however took far longer than expected due the "off-yonder-ness" of our hostel. There were no resturants nearby and the so called "10 minutes to downtown" was really "a 15 minute tram ride to the metro station which you then have to take to get downtown." It seemed like a pretty chill place but it was loud with this annoying dog, needless to say we found plenty of faults. So, we packed up the next morning checked out four nights early and moved to a hostel that was actually in the city. Our new hostel has been nice. There is free internet and our room has these cool little balconies. Also there are numerous resturants, bars, and signs of life nearby.<br />So far in Budapest we've visited a House of Terror Museum which was about the Nazi occupation soon followed by the Communist regime. We visited replicas of their prison and execution room, fun. Also, we spent a wonderful saturday night at the Turkish baths. That was very relaxing although we smelled like sulfur after. Sunday we ventured across the rive to the Buda side of things where there are several old churches, a labrinyth, and of course a palace which is home to the current Hungarian president. All of this is on top of a hill with a fabulous view of the Danube and the Parliament building (where we are heading today). From up there we saw some type of street fair taking place on one of the bridges so we trekked it downhill and found a neat arts and crafts type fair. There was music and performances on the far side of the bridge so we wandered all the way across before heading back to our hostel. Last night was also the Finals for Euro 2008 between Spain and Germany. We got great seats outside of this bar called Jolly Rogers with a big TV and surround by football fans. It was very unAmerican haha :)<br />Anyhow we're off to see more of the Pest side today. And kota is anxious to check her email so until later.<br />Love,<br />CaraCara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-6879412632440306982008-06-28T02:05:00.000-07:002008-06-28T02:32:23.138-07:00SlovakiaHello Again, sorry for my tardiness between posts.<br />We just got settled in our second hostel in Budapest, the first one didn't work out too well. But more about that later. We had a fun last night in Prague, which included meeting a street performer from Montreal named Alex who was really quite entertaining. We also ended up going out to possibly the coolest club I've ever been to. From the courtyard, to the bar, to the dancefloor everything was made from recycled industrial materials, mostly from the communist area apparently. There were light fixtures made from tire wells and irons (there were little blinky lights coming through the holes in the irons). And the entire outside/balcony was an intricate work of metal. I'm not quite sure how structurally sound it was but it looked cool.<br />Tuesday morning (not too early though) we took off for Bratislava the capital of Slovakia. It was suppose to be a 4 hour train ride but it ended up taking a little more than 6 so most of our day was spent traveling. Bratislava is a good size city along the Danube and was the site of many Hungarian coronations, fyi. I won't regurgitate much more from the tour book but we did visit this Palace which is now the Presidential residence and has less obvious security than the American embassy (surprise, surprise). They also have a castle too which was fun to walk around. And of course cheap beer. We liked that about Slovakia. We spent our first day walking around the Old Town and seeing most of the major sights(there really aren't that many especially if you only visit one church, like us). The next day we took a ferry boat that was really cool it went 62 km/h through the narrow canals of the Danube all the way to Vienna for the day. Unbeknowst to us this was the day of the semifinal game between Russia and Spain(woot woot). The streets were filled with fans and the Imperial Palace was home to a "FanZone." Which kind of ruined the effect. It was pretty wild and the Spanish fans were by far the more enthusastic group. We only got to see a few main sights in part because of the game and in part because of the intense thunderstorms that set in.<br />For example, it was overcast but still warm and we were wandering around outside of the main cathedral when all of a sudden I see all the fans that had been partying in the street running towards us. Not quite sure what was going on Kota and I ran too just as we felt the rain pelting our backs. We hid in an exspensive scarf store while it was absolutely pouring and the gargoyles on the church were releasing impressive streams of water. Nearly everyone had taken cover and the ladies in the store were really nice, but we still didnt touch anything. Like I said, it was pretty wild. We returned to Bratislava that evening where it was storming beyond belief. Winds, rain, thunder, lightning, the whole deal. We made it back to our hostel eventually but nonetheless we were pretty wet and carrying our purses in trash bags they gave us on the ferry. We stayed in after that.<br />Our last day in Bratislava we mostly hung around, had a nice lunch and some ice cream, then headed to the train station for Budapest, Hungary which we are exploring now.<br />More to come soon (I swear) I just hate to monopolize the computer.<br />Love,<br />Cara<br /><br />p.s. I can not for the life of me find an exclamation point on this keyboard so please bear with me and just imagine my exclamations. Kisses and hugs(imagine...)Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-82666930165110068042008-06-23T10:10:00.000-07:002008-06-23T10:23:04.299-07:00Prague-nessHi!<br />Today is our last night in Prague and we just got back from buying our train tickets. We head to Bratislava just before midday tomorrow and should be there by late afternoon. Prague has been great! Our first day we mostly wandered around the district we are staying in called Zizkov, which is pretty laid back. The next day, Saturday we headed to "Old Town" and saw some of the more famous sights like the Astronomical Clock and the Jewish Ghetto where there's this insane graveyard that is crowded beyond belief! It looks like something out of a Tim Burton film. It was a really nice day until we got fined on the metro :( our bad for not having tickets. That's just how the cookie crumbles. Sunday we visited a contemporary art museum that was...interesting, very interesting. We also got tickets for a classical music concert at the Rudolphium which is a gorgeous building and the show itself was pretty epic. Today we got up and out to see the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle two of the major tourist spots. (Liz, I took a photo in front of your saintly likeness). The weather has been really really warm which is a very nice change from Oregon but drains my energy. Between that and all the walking we've done I will sleep really well tonight!<br />Love,<br />CaraCara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-46049983132882875252008-06-19T11:21:00.000-07:002008-06-19T11:25:12.491-07:00The Clown and BardHello!<br />Now over 19 hours after we left home, Dakota and I have reached Prague and our hostel. We both took wonderful naps during our five hour layover in Frankfurt and now are trying to stay awake long enough to be on Prague time. Nothing too exciting has happened which is a good thing in many ways. We'll be here for like five nights so we have a real chance to see a lot of the city.<br />Love,<br />CaraCara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457287993061505320.post-4074670477587907512008-06-17T09:21:00.000-07:002008-06-17T09:36:33.671-07:00PreparationsHi all,<div>Today Kota and I begin packing for our Prague/Bratislava/Budapest trip. We fly out from SFO tomorrow at 1:00 which is the beginning of a very very long travel day. We'll arrive in Prague at 5:30 on Thursday local time which is 8:30 a.m. West Coast time. Dakota and I are having a panini breakfast with the girls tomorrow morning before heading out to the airport. Next time I post I will have officially begun my trip! </div><div>Until then,</div><div>Cara</div>Cara Kuhlmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00796403680185848009noreply@blogger.com1