2019 Czech glass tour: 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.