We then were able to walk through their factory where they actually produce the blown glasses. It was mesmerizing to watch! The workers would get a molten glass mix from the furnace, bring it to another guy who would begin shaping it while it cooled off slightly. Then while the glass was still rubbery, they would place it into the mold and blow through a long tube that would blow the glass to fill the mold. After the glass had cooled more, they would cut off the top of the glass and then slow burn it with a flame to make it just as smooth as the rest of the glass. Then the master on the floor would add the stem and base to each glass. Every time the glasses turned out perfectly! It’s amazing the level of efficiency that they have created there, especially when all of the glasses are individually hand-made.
After seeing the process in action, we walked through a really trippy exhibit in which we learned about how the different glass shapes and sizes drink wine differently. Apparently white wines are best drunk though a slimmer glass. More bold wines (reds) require a more bulbous glass that allows the nose to smell all of the flavors of the wine before you drink it. We then went into the Riedel store. Seeing as I do love wine, I was tempted to buy at least something there, but I refrained simply because I wasn’t sure how I would successfully get wine glasses back to the United States unharmed. Lots of people did buy things however, and best of luck to them! The boxes are huge so we shall see how they manage it.
We were supposed to drive back to the hotel, have time to change into business formal, eat lunch, and then leave for Swarovski at 2pm. Riedel went longer than expected however, so we ate on the road… again. Another AutoGrill rest stop. Woohoo! (sarcasm). We then got to Swarovski and had our marketing presentation first. It was interesting and afterwards we got free cokes (that’s a big deal over here!). Then we were taken on a small tour of Swarovski’s private museum that is not open to the general public. They had a lot of unique, cool stuff there, such as a chandelier from a James Bond movie, dresses made especially for celebrities, and huge crystals.
After that, we were bused over to Swarovski World, where they have a massive underground exhibit showing off everything that their crystals can do. There was a crystalline wall that runs like a backbone through the building that was something that 42 meters long by 11 meters tall! It was so pretty. By far my favorite part of the exhibit though was the crystal dome room. It was amazing! It was like you were inside the crystals of a kaleidoscope. If you stood directly in the center, your voice was magnified, almost like you were using a microphone. I will never forget that room.
After we walked through the exhibit and took pictures, we made our way to the gift shop. I didn’t buy anything however since I bought a lot yesterday at the Swarovski in Innsbruck. We waited around for a bit while some people made purchases, and then we loaded up the coaches and drove back to Innsbruck.
I just ate my dinner in my hotel room because I had packed an entire lunch that I had let at the hotel in hopes of eating it when we were supposed to come back between company visits. It’s getting to the point in the trip where any money saved might be useful at the end. I ended up just staying in, completely repacking my bag, showering, and going to bed early. I don’t sleep well on the buses, so I figured it best to get as much sleep as possible during the night. Tomorrow morning, we wake up early, load the coaches, and head off for our visit at the Audi manufacturing plant. Then we keep driving and end up in Munich for 3 nights!
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