Thursday, February 20, 2014

Europe Day 32 - Part One

So this morning Lilly, the proprietress, explained hurling to us, because all the streets, houses, buses, everything, was decked out in black and hello flags or black and yellow checked flags (and here I thought they just really like Hufflepuff…). She said those were Kilkenny’s team colours, and that they were in the Irish All Around Final and had had a tie, and the rematch was soon. The sport sounded like a cross between football/soccer and hockey.

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So we drove to Waterford!

Where the crystal is made!


So Waterford crystal is… a thing. Which I didn’t really know about, because that sort of thing isn’t on my radar. But it was on my mum’s radar, and she wanted to go. So. We went!

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We had a lovely breakfast again before departing.

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And it was a drizzly day.

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They have a rather large showroom, which is also a store, in front of the factory. So you could wander around and generally lust after things.

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I particularly liked this vase

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The web was so pretty and delicate. Check out that price though D:

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Tea in the cafe! While waiting for the tour to start.

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Crazy crystal clock in the foyer.

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I really like their seahorse, it’s so cute 8D

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A mould!
The moulds are made from beech and pear woods.

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I believe the tour guide said these can only be used 10 times before they burn through. I remember the number was pretty small.

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Lots of moulds.
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So many, because we were in the mould room 8D;;

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The blue prints are pretty extensive!

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Then we moved onto the firing room. Well. I don’t know what they called it.

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But there was fire.

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The dude was blowing into that pipe while he spun.

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This is a different guy, spinning, but I can’t remember if it’s the same piece of glass.

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Yet another dude, LOOK HOW HOT.

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They actually tossed quite a few of these. Well, not tossed, but remelted. They keep only the best!

More from the factory coming soon.

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