Day 7 - last day.

This is a day packed with bead factories.
First up is a very old factory we met over 20 plus years ago who owned one hand worked bead press, one tumbler, one stringing machine and only one employee. They had started before WW1 with the Grandfather, handed down to the father (who is now 91) and now run by the son. They lost the business to the communists after WW2, and the father spent time in a gulag for anti social activities. (which means he did not agree with becoming communist).
 They got their factory back in 1989 after the Velvet Revolution in a ruinous condition, which was when we met them. They now have 2 automatic pressing machines, a whole room of tumblers and fire polish machines and they farm out the stringing to a village 75 kilometers away with many old ladies who do the work at home. Their buildings are in excellent condition, and were in full production when we visited them today.

This is one of their very old pressing machines. Nothing used anymore, but on display for all to see.

We got to visit the father, who was still active in the business, and still upset about losing his factory to the communists in 1948 and having to buy it back.

Next a large bead factory in Zelezny Brod for more pressed shapes that originated from an old factory that went bankrupt in 2010 along with  Jablonex, and of course we all bought beads.

We broke for lunch at a fish restaurant along the river that runs through Zelezny Brod.

 After lunch we went into a small village to a husband and wife small bead factory started in 1998. They still threw the glass scraps onto the driveway like the old days. Yay, we’re still living in the old days and loving it!

Believe it or not, we were done by 3pm and returned to our hotel, exhausted and broke!

Well we all had enough for dinner at our hotel, with a special menu designed by the chef just for us.

Tomorrow we all head into Prague for connecting flights to Italy, The Netherlands and Riga, Latvia.

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May 30

We thought we would slip in seeing a castle before bringing the rest of our group back to Prague. So Guy, J-me and Pauline decided to visit a castle before heading to Prague. We went to Castle Sychrov.

While driving everyone back to Prague, we decided to stop along the way to have dessert in Czech Paradise on the top of the mountain, where a little restaurant is located.

After we brought everyone back to Prague, we went postcard and stamp buying at the Jablonec post office before checking in the car at the airport and checking into our hotel. J-me is a stamp collector (also called a philatelist), so she wanted to get a few special stamps. Those are no longer sold at the front counters, you have to ask for them. One of the employees walked up upstairs to sit with the person in charge of Filatelie (Philately) stamps and J-me went thru the books picking out ones she wanted for her collection.

After that we drove into Prague to the airport Hotel and had a nice dinner. Guy ordered a huge hamburger and the waiter told us that it was huge and could feed 2 people. Well, we never even finished it. It was almost 6 inches tall.

Tomorrow we, Guy & J-Me fly to Riga to begin our next adventure-  planning our new bead tour - The Amber Tour of Latvia and Lithuania.

Day 5 & 6

Woke up early to see a large bead factory with a bead shop up front and a wholesale warehouse on the first floor. So many beads to shop for, both in large quantities and in single strands. Everyone had so much fun!

Two of our very happy beaders shopping for beads!

We had to leave early to go to a filigree company to tour their factory and to see production. Fascinating!

And they cover glass perfume bottles with their filigree!!

Then back to the first factory to finish up shopping. Some of the group wanted to pay now and take their beads with them in their luggage.


We skipped a sit down lunch and hit the grocery store to make a picnic lunch instead while we rushed off to the large antik wholesale warehouse run by gypsies, where we shopped for over 3 hours for old beads, crystal chandeliers, chain, chatons, buttons, filigree, glass bottles and other wild and crazy items. This is the best stop of the day. Filthy, but fabulous.

Chinese food for dinner and a walk around the lake as night fell. The storm is approaching, it is supposed to rain all day tomorrow.

Good night.

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The weather came back with a vengeance- cold and wet.
But that didn’t stop us.

First stop was a crystal rhinestone factory that made rhinestone jewelry and components such as buttons, rhondelles, pave balls, cup chain and so much more. We all bought so much that we have come back the next day to pay and receive all our goodies.

Next was the only hollow glass blowing factory left in operation that makes Christmas ornaments and beads - 150 year old method of manufacturing using existing equipment. To get there We relied on our GPS (which I hate) and it took over a mountain road which really needed a 4 wheel drive Jeep with a winch just in case. But the views were incredible.

                                         Onward to the glass Christmas Ornament factory. They make hollow blown glass beads, using the old style pressing mold system. The machine was modernized in the 1950's to use gas and oxygen. They use brass mold shapes and ceramic mold shapes for larger blown beads.

          Imagine wearing a dress made from hollow blown christmas ornaments!

Coming back to Jablonec it tried to send us back the same way but we unplugged it. Reminded me of that movie Space Oddessy where the robot took control of the space ship. (what are you doing Dave? Put down that plug.)

We were hungry and randomly chose a hotel/restaurant that had a billboard on the side of the road. The drive was 1/2 mile into the forest, but it was a nice looking place with good food. Groan, we are putting on weight! Well, Guy does love desert.

This was a old Ski Lodge Restaurant and hotel. It had all kinds of hunting memorabilia on the walls.

Finished eating, we drove into Jablonec for our last appointment at a small, old bead factory. Sample cards were hung on the walls, boxes stacked in cupboards full of more cards. It was a feast from which we all partook.

Back to the hotel for naps, then dinner at Klub X. (no, it is not a strip join, but a very nice restaurant with a chef doing the cooking).

And then a few of us had desert. Yummy!