We arrived in Cobh, the port city of Cork, at 8 am. I have booked a tour to the Waterford glassworks today. It is interesting to see how it is all done. The town of Waterford is one hours drive from Cobh so we get t see some of the green Irish countryside.
And it is green! Especially after visiting some of the earlier places on this tour. Some of the old buildings along the route were made by the vikings, it is almost like being home.
Waterford Crystal was founded in 1783. While waiting for our guide we had a look around the showroom. Some beautiful pieces! We saw some 'sculpturs' inside as well, including a viking ship about 1m long, beautiful. All pieces to be cut are marked in black pen and most are cut by hand. You would need a very steady hand not to damage anything.
All pieces are checked several times, if not good enough it is smashed and goes back into the oven to be melted and start again. Very interesting how they blow a blob of glass and turn the pipe to cool it while using various tools to shape it. If neccessary it gets reheated and reshaped. Then it is cut off the pipe and passed on to the next station. Further on if it is a vase or bowl they get marked and cut.
While walking along we saw some of the beautiful pieces. A grand piano with stool. The keys were marked and the black keys were sanded and looked white in the glass. At the end we were back in the showroom. So many beautiful pieces, so many beautiful prices! The Viking Ship costs 42.000 Euro, did not have enough in my pocket.
On the way back to the ship, we drove to Lismore to see the castle, only from the outside, and have a look around town. There was a mark on a stonewall, saying it was 36 meters above sea level. There were many stonewalls in Ireland.
mums pics -
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