Kuhl Travels

And a bit more video, but it is OH SO GOOD!!!

2009-04-18T23:29:00.010-04:00

I had been waiting for assistance in preparing these video vignettes once I found the tape, but decided to go ahead on my own. Hope you like them.

Let's start with just a few words of wisdom from the groom

Words of wisdom from Larry Kuhlman on Vimeo.

To begin the evening, Lance chose a song for the bride and groom.

A song and some fancy footwork from Larry Kuhlman on Vimeo.

We have video of the celebration after the wedding, with dancing vignettes.

Let's Dance from Larry Kuhlman on Vimeo.

But, saving the best for last, here is Casey & Leigh's first dance

Casey & Leigh's first dance from Larry Kuhlman on Vimeo.

Now if you want to see the original dance scene from Ally McBeal, . . .

And for those fans of Ally McBeal, here is a different scene featuring Barry White live!

More pictures! And now Video also!

2009-03-20T10:03:00.003-04:00

The wedding video is now up and available. To view, either go to the posting for Casey & Leigh's Wedding, or click here

There are significantly more pictures now from Scotland, and Casey & Leigh's wedding.

The only pictures available before were ones I took. Since I was doing all of the driving, there were precious few of the Scotland countryside.

I have added photos taken by Sandi & Lance (thank you for sharing them), and will add others as I am able.

Enjoy

Shuttle Launch

2009-03-15T22:52:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, March 15, Doni and I drove over to New Smyrna Beach. We parked across A1A from Chase's, and walked over to the beach. I wanted her to see the liftoff of STS-119, or the latest liftoff of the space shuttle.

We got there just a bit early for her to be able to take some photos of the sea shore life, and then watched the shuttle lift off just at sunset. What a magnificent launch.

Click for pictures of the shuttle launch

Heading home

2009-03-13T02:35:00.003-04:00

I type this sitting at the Budapest airport.

Cameron was up till late last night editing videos from the wedding and reception. I will work on making those available over the weekend.

Yesterday was just an easy day. No schedule, no pressures, no "must-sees". We walked around the city center, found a really good place for lunch (falafel and hummus, taking Cameron back to his time in Syria). And had many a good conversation. Last night we explored a bit more, looking for a place to get some dinner, and ended up with Hungarian comfort food. No pictures from Thursday, as we were just kind of kicked back.

Budapest is a wonderful city. A lot of history here, with a real converging of multiple cultures throughout history. If you are wondering if it is worth a visit, I would thoroughly recommend it!

Well, my flight is back to London Heathrow, a frustrating airport. I have only 1 hour to get through security, and get to my flight to Philly. Once I get to Philly, I have 4 hours to collect my bags from British Airways, and then hike the 5 terminals, outside, to the Southwest Airlines terminal. It is a LONG hike, and I am hoping for good weather. Then back to Orlando late evening. Hoping that my niece Doni will still be awake, as she is cat-sitting Max. I have a feeling he will be anxious to get back home also.

Cameron, to you, I wish to thank you for a really good time together. The conversations were grand, and just being able to share time with you was very special.

Wednesday - Budapest

2009-03-11T03:35:00.004-04:00

Today is pretty reserved for "culture", I forewarned Cameron.

Cam had found a really nice place we headed to for breakfast his other time in Budapest.

Then on over to see the main touristy sites of Budapest. Walk across the Danube, see the Castle, maybe Parliament, maybe a museum or two.

Then tonight we will walk up to the Palace of the Arts, and take in Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro".

Probably a good day to take some pictures. :-)

Click for pictures of Budapest, Day 2

Tuesday - Budapest

2009-03-10T13:09:00.005-04:00

Cameron & I used today as a walking day, getting me a bit acquainted with the parts of the city he was familiar with. We went to both the touristy shopping area, and what at one time was the locals' shopping area. Pictures are here.
Lunch was at a GREAT little pizza place. 2 12" pizzas for ~ $8.00. Not bad at all.
For dinner, we headed up to Fat Mo's that looked like a nice jazz club / restaurant. The food was good, and then about 10:00, an early 20's crowd of 40 or so crowded into the back area, and a DJ started some Euro dance tracks for them. Kinda spoiled the old Chicago ambiance!

Click for pictures of Budapest, Day 1

Monday - Travelling day

2009-03-10T13:06:00.002-04:00

No pictures from Monday.
Cameron & I flew out of Glasgow separately, from the two (2) different Glasgow airports. I had a little adventure with the rental car after I had dropped him off to catch his train to the other airport. Suffice it to say that roundabouts at rush hour can cause you to miss your turnoffs. If you don't know what I mean, try driving (on the WRONG side of the road) in England during rush hour as you are trying to get to your flight!

Sunday, back in Glasgow

2009-03-08T16:54:00.005-04:00

Cameron and I just returned to Glasgow, and head out tomorrow. I will promise to provide more descriptions tomorrow, but to view the pictures (so far) of the weekend, go to this link

Those of you looking to know about the weather, let us just say it is BLUSTERY here. Casey's friend Joe had to sleep with earplugs in last night because the wind was blowing so hard. When Cameron & I got out of the car at our hotel this afternoon it was snowing great big snowflakes!

Click for pictures of Scotland

Will's kilt

2009-03-07T21:30:00.001-05:00

I asked Will to give me a description of the components of his kilt outfit. And I got the following:

From the top, HAIR- kidding!

The White shirt im wearing is a classic Jacobite shirt.

The waistcoat is a black lowlander (which i am) waistcoat.

With a thistle worn on my left shoulder.

Standard kilt waist buckle, usually worn with Jacobite attire and can have all different designs, mine was chrome with a basic design, some have everything from thistles to celtic swirls if you get fancy.

Worn right on my front is my Semi-dress Sporran, simple pouch for keeping valuables on me (kilts have no pockets) why not full dress you ask? Well thats traditionaly only for formal evening only events, and doesn't reflect the occasion any more or less, but isn't a day Sporran, which you would wear casually every day.
Here's some literature on it-

"The Semi-Dress Sporran Semi dress sporrans are much more versatile than the dress sporran. This is because they can be worn to day and evening events, while the dress sporran is restricted to formal evening events. The semi dress sporran is made with shorthaired skins such as seal but have a leather lid that folds roughly half way down the front of the sporran. The lid is often modestly embossed and sometimes has small metal details. They also have the matching skin tassels as seen on the dress sporran. This is the correct sporran to wear with the Argyll jacket that can be worn with an evening shirt and neckwear or plain day shirt and tie. The semi dress sporran is even more versatile though as it can be worn with day jackets as an alternative to the day sporran.
With the Jacobite style in mind you can get actual Jacobite kilt pouches, that arent too dressy, but accurate like this one-http://www.heritageofscotland.com/Sporrans---Rob-Roy/Sporran--Rob-Roy/pid,3485,cid,147964,product.php.
Or if you're brave there's always the very very traditional, entire red squirrel- http://www.mccalls.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=39_46&products_id=194

My kilt tartan was modern macdonald, which the boy always takes from the mothers side of the family, though my name and obviousely my fathers is from the Gordon clan, the only clan to own 2 districts, Dumfries and Galloway, (where I'm from), and Ayrshire (where we were).

The little pin on my right knee area is a Kilt pin of a Claymore sword, here's something I found that explains it well-

The kilt pin was developed at the request of Queen Victoria as the kilt became standard dress for the Highland regiments in the British army. She made this request as she feared the man exposing himself in public…. Thus the kilt pin was worn to hold both aprons of the kilt together, however the men found this restrictive so to remain 'in uniform' they pinned it through the front apron only.
So now the kilt pin is maintained as an important part of a highland outfit, it is worn through the top apron only, as if it is placed through both there is a risk of tearing. Thus the kilt pin is simply a decorative and traditional item.
The kilt pins we sell are available in a highly polished finish to match any jacket that has shiny buttons; it is also available in a matt or antique finish to suit jackets and sporrans that do not have the shine. Some kilt pins come with a coloured stone, this if chosen should be matching to a colour in the kilt
To keep us from scaring the haggis basically-- I mean horses.

My socks are called Kilt hose-

"Kilt Hose/Socks
There are a number of different colours to choose from when purchasing a pair of hose. Generally people will wear black or cream hose with the Prince Charlie jacket and also the Argyll Jacket.
When wearing a Tweed Argyll most people will match up the colour of hose with the colour of Jacket. Charcoal hose with charcoal jacket, Lovat Green hose with Green Jacket and Lovat Blue hose with blue Jacket. There are other colours available: Navy, Bottle Green, Red and Yellow. Some hose also come with a symbol stitched at the top of the hose such as a lion rampant, saltire etc.
The little flags on the socks are called 'Flashes' they're to keep my Hose from falling down and are actually part of a band that wraps round my leg, and look pretty sweet there I guess to, so they made them look ...well Flashy?

My shoes are Ghillie Brouges (90% sure, thats all thats listed name wise for shoes on the shop website i got them at)

Shoes Ghillie Brogues - The poorer highlander usually did not have any footwear as we know it today, what clothing they did have for their feet was generally the hide of an animal, usually deer. This was then lashed to the feet with strips of narrow leather called 'thonging'. As you can imagine this kind of footwear was not really very waterproof, so the highlander would in face make holes in these 'brogues' to allow the water out this prevented the wearer from getting sore feet. These holes are the forerunner for the patterns seen on the upper leather of today’s brogues"
I'd of done the deer hide feet thing but my sister would of killed me as you can imagine.

Almost forgot, if you look at my right leg, at the top of the sock, sticking out tucked in under the flash, is my 'Sgian dubh'

Pronounced "Skee(a)n doo"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sgian_dubh
This was a concealed weapon to keep on your person, as weapons were usualy left at the door to a house or tavern, like swords etc, but this provided a secret method of defense, or even attack...

Hope that describes it all for the most part, this was my choice of wear, as I don't think I suited the more formal and suave Prince Charlie or Argyll dinner jackets etc etc, I'm more of a Rob Roy man.

Will

The wedding cake

2009-03-07T18:20:00.003-05:00

Now, some will have questions regarding the wedding cake. Just what are those two figures perched on top of the cake? Well, for an answer, let's get the information straight from Leigh:

The cake toppers (and cake) were made by a Scottish company called Rainbow Sugarcraft. They specialise in cakes for all occassions and make bespoke cake toppers on request. We asked them to make a basic chocolate two tier cake and to put 2 animals on top - a Lemur (dressed as a bride) and a Howler Monkey (dressed as the groom).
The reason for the choice of animals is perhaps a little trickier to explain. However, it boils down to the fact that both C and I like watching animal programmes as it gives reign to our over active imaginations. On one occassion we were watching David Attenbourgh's documentary called "Life in the Trees" which featured mostly primates. It showed footage of a group of Lemurs. The Lemurs seemed like a busy, matriarchal, highly alert, ever vigilant and super organised crew. It then also showed footage of Howler Monkeys. In the programme the Howlers had a slightly auburn/ginger coat. They were super loud and spent most of their day swinging from the treetops bellowing at the top of their voices about nothing in particular.
Based on the above, some way some how, Casey decided I was a like a Lemur and I decided Casey was definitely like a Howler Monkey. We then decided to incorporate them into the wedding by putting them on top of the cake. I could not find a picture of an auburn Howler, only a black once. Hence the black version on the cake. The Lemur has the same bouquet flowers as me - cala lillies!
The cake company kept laughing at the cake toppers and told me on several occassions that I had ordered a very interesting cake. The leaves down the side of the cake are supposed to make the Lemur and Howler feel at home by giving the cake a jungle vine appearance.
Hope this explains what perhaps Casey and I should have kept to ourselves and not put on top of a cake!

Casey & Leigh's Wedding

2009-03-07T16:05:00.011-05:00

Casey & Leigh's Wedding from Larry Kuhlman on Vimeo.

Casey asked Cameron to do the following poetry reading. Turn up the speakers, relax, and enjoy!

Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog from Larry Kuhlman on Vimeo.

He Wishes For the Cloths of Heaven - William Yates from Larry Kuhlman on Vimeo.
Will's (Leigh's brother) reading

Click for pictures from Casey & Leigh's wedding

Click for pictures of Scotland, Knockinaam Lodge

Friday - Getting in

2009-03-06T21:51:00.000-05:00

Arrival day for most of us.

Brian & Lucy had flown in on Thursday, and spent that day touring a bit of Edinborough, and relaxing.

Cameron flew into Edinborough early Friday morning, and took transit down to Glasgow.

I flew into Glasgow and waited for everyone to convene. The jet lag wasn't too bad, as it was only 5am EST when I arrived. Had a full flight, but British Airways provides GREAT service! I spent the time waiting to get my luggage out to the rental car, and make all the arrangements necessary there.

Casey picked up Cameron and Brian & Lucy and then met me at the Glasgow airport. At that point, we were waiting for Joe and Margaret to arrive, and then in a few more hours, Sandi and Lance and Karen.

We spent the time catching up, and bantering, as seen in this:

'For(e) a Wedding from Larry Kuhlman on Vimeo.

As to followups to topics raised in the video:

No, we did NOT have kickball at the lodge, as the wind never would have allowed the ball to be still! Plus it was raining, and about 40 degrees (F)
Yes, we DID figure out something to eat. The airport restaurant.

And then, after Sandi and Lance and Karen arrived, we crammed the luggage into 2 cars, and all but Casey headed out to Knockinaam Lodge. I was in the lead, as I had a GPS in the car, which Cameron managed, with Brian and Lucy in the back seat. We only had a couple of incidents during the almost 3 hour journey:

Driving on the Left side of the road has it's own set of challenges. Taking turns thru intersections takes concentration. I automatically swung to the right side of the intersection on 2 occasions. Oops. I am sure Lance (who was driving the trailing car) and company had a laugh or two at that.
Also, trying to concentrate on navigating traffic through traffic lights gave occasion for Lance to be left with a "red light decision" on a couple of occasions. Both times his choice was to soldier on.
And as we got within a mile of the Lodge, the GPS gave us a wrong heading, and we just blindly trusted it, and went straight, when there was a sign pointing to the Lodge, clearly indicating a left turn. We got about 3/4 of a mile on up the single lane road with hefty ditches on each side, when we noticed Lance and company were no longer behind us. Oops. We waited, then I figured we needed to find them, so I backed up the entire way, back to the intersection, where we figured out that THEY had paid attention, and turned at the sign.

Itinerary for Europe Trip

2009-02-21T12:07:00.004-05:00

Thursday, March 5, 2009
Depart Orlando for Europe via Philadelphia and London at 2:20pm

Friday, March 6, 2009
Arrive in Glasgow, Scotland at 9:50am (Scotland time) / 4:50am (Central Florida time)
Meet my son Brian and his fiance' Lucy, and my nephew Cameron
Pick up a rental car and drive to Knockinaam Lodge
http://www.knockinaamlodge.com/
http://www.luxuryscotland.co.uk/knockinaam/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g551960-d290107-Reviews-Knockinaam_Lodge-Wigtown_Dumfries_and_Galloway_Scotland.html

Saturday, March 7, 2009
My son Casey & Leigh's wedding is in the early afternoon. MANY pictures, and some video will be taken.

Sunday, March 8, 2009
Everyone will head to different destinations that afternoon as the festivities wind down. Cameron & I will head to Glasgow, Scotland.

Monday, March 9, 2009
Cameron & I fly to Budapest, Hungary, arriving at 5:15pm (Central European Time) / 11:15am (Central Florida time).

Tuesday, March 10 - Thursday, March 12, 2009
Sightseeing in Budapest and surrounding countryside.
Thursday evening we have tickets to see Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro"

Friday, March 13, 2009
I fly back to the states. Depart Budapest at 8:30 am (Central European Time) / 2:30am (Central Florida time), and arriving back in Orlando via London and Philadelphia at 9:55pm

Prague

2007-08-15T17:43:00.007-04:00

We had a marvelous time in Prague. The city is wonderful, we both agree. Probably would have been better to be there 5 years ago, before the tourists discovered it. But then, some of the amenities wouldn't have been there.

The pictures on Day 3 were in the city center of Prague. The neatest thing shown is the Astronomical Clock, with several pictures showing what takes place as the clock strikes the hour. I will comment more in future posts.

The pictures on Day 4 were at the Prague Castle. What an extraordinary place. The pictures from high above were taken by Casey, after WE climbed 297 stairs straight up a winding 4 foot wide spiral staircase in St. Vitus Cathedral. If you see the pictures of the main cathedral, the main tower we climbed is on the left of most pictures.

Pictures from Day 1 of the trip - Amsterdam
Pictures from Day 2 of the trip - Den Haag (The Hague)
Pictures from Day 3 of the trip - Prague
Pictures from Day 4 of the trip - Prague
Pictures from Day 5 of the trip - Berlin
Pictures from Day 6 of the trip - Berlin, driving the autobahn, Erfurt
Pictures from Day 7 of the trip - Buchenwald concentration camp, Kassel
Pictures from Day 8 of the trip - Frankfurt, Rhine River valley
Pictures from Day 9 of the trip - Rhine River valley, Cologne
Pictures from Day 10 of the trip - Amsterdam

Amsterdam

2007-08-10T09:01:00.000-04:00

Part 1
I have made it safely to Amsterdam. Had a good flight, arrived ontime.
MartinAir has these cool "personal entertainment player" that were handed out to those in "comfort class". These units had ~10 movies available, older episodes of TV shows, documentaries, music videos, etc. I watched Wild Hogs again, and also a documentary on how Harley Davidsons are assembled.
And yes, the female flight attendants actually dressed in the red outfits with hats.

I got to the hotel, and already knew that checkin was not until 3. So I got the paperwork taken care of, and checked my suitcase with them, and then took my carry-on backpack and went on a walking expedition.
I saw the RiiksMuseum but didn't go in since extensive remodeling is in progress, and most all of their displays are other places. Also saw the Van Gogh Museum.
I found the main fashion shopping district, watched 2 men playing chess on a LARGE chess set, and found I had to purchase a phone, as mine doesn't connect to the transmission bands here (I will do some more research to find out if that is true), but I went ahead and purchased a SIM card anyway. I THINK my Euro phone number is +31 0619347836. I will do my research, then post the final information in a bit.

I am going to take a break, and get a good nap. Sleep on the plane was in 10 minute increments due to screaming kids, rough weather, and a sore left arm.

Outbound

2007-08-09T17:59:00.000-04:00

I am sitting at the gate, waiting for boarding to begin at ~ 6:15pm EDT. Got a really nice seat assignment, 4C, at the cost of $49 premium above the normal ticket cost.
For those not in Central Florida, the current temp is 94, with low humidity. I expect the temp to be about 30 degrees cooler upon arrival.
And my last work day before I left? I had more client calls today than I have had all week, combined! But thanks to Mike, we got all of the fires put out.
That is all from the U.S. side of this trip. I'll start with the Europe portion in a few hours.

Our Itinerary, as it is

2007-07-31T21:12:00.002-04:00

Thursday August 9 - Martinair Holland Flight #636 from Orlando to Amsterdam, direct.
Depart Orlando @ 7:00pm EDT
Arrive Amsterdam @ 9:40am local time Friday morning
Friday August 10 - Stay in Amsterdam, sightseeing, on my own for the day.
Saturday August 11 - Casey & Leigh fly in from their vacation, meeting me in Amsterdam.
Sightseeing in Amsterdam, and travel to Leigh's flat in Den Haag (The Hague)
Sunday August 12 - Casey & I take the train back to the Amsterdam airport and fly to Prague, Czech Republic
SAS Flight #552 from Amsterdam to Copenhagen, Denmark, departing @ 10:20am, arriving @ 11:50am
SAS Flight #765 from Copenhagen to Prague, Czech Republic, departing @ 2:00pm, arriving @ 3:20pm
Sightseeing in Prague.
Monday August 13 - Taking in the sights of Prague
Tuesday August 14 - Casey & I will take the train from Prague to Berlin, Germany, about a 4 1/2 hour trip
Sightseeing in Berlin
Wednesday - Friday August 15-17 - This part of the schedule is purposely left soft.
We will be sightseeing in Germany, but no details have been set.
We will spend part of this time in Berlin, stop at Buchenwald Concentration Camp, and probably end up Friday evening in Cologne.
The best part is I have rented a BMW 3xx series with navigation for making this part of the journey, have my international driving permit, and am looking forward to experiencing triple digit speed on the autobahns.
Saturday August 18 - Casey & I will take the train from Cologne to Amsterdam, about a 2 1/2 hour trip.
Casey will head back down to Den Haag to start packing for his return to the States.
I will head to the hotel right beside the Amsterdam airport for the evening.
Sunday August 19 - I fly back to the States
KLM Flight #6035 from Amsterdam to Detroit, departing @ 12:55pm, arriving @ 3:45pm EDT
KLM Flight #6416 from Detroit to Orlando, departing @ 7:06pm, arriving @ 9:32pm EDT

Startup

2007-07-23T22:18:00.002-04:00

Well, I guess if my sons can journal & blog, I can try it also.

I am heading out of North America for the first time in my life. I have had a passport for several years, but have never put it to use. Now is the time.

Casey (my oldest son), has been out of the States since the middle of January, 2007. He was in Sierra Leone until the middle of June, and now is in Den Haag, The Netherlands, better known to Americans as The Hague. To get details of his travels, go to caseykuhlman.typepad.com.

I will spend 10 days with him in Northern Central Europe, having our own "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" experience. Our travels will take us to:

Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Copenhagen, Denmark (briefly)
Prague, Czech Republic
Berlin, Germany
Cologne, Germany

Hopefully, this site will allow us to upload photos during the course of our trip so that you can keep track of our adventures and (I'm sure) misadventures.

A detailed itinerary will follow.