"The average tourist wants to go to places where there are no tourists." ~ Sam Ewing

Papa and I have been super busy the last several days seeing lots of things and visiting lots of places!

On Thursday we got an extensive tour of the Orrefors factory! It was great we went EVERYWHERE imaginable with Micke. Here is one of the many mold rooms:

 There were just MILLIONS of old molds laying around!  Then we went into the prototype room where they have examples of everything they have made or tried to make with drawings!

 Then we went to where they make the pots that the glass is melted in inside the furnace.

 They are made by hand still and then slowly dried in this room for a long time.

 And then put in the warm attic for like 10 months before they can be used.  Then they are brought up to heat over the course of 5 days in the factory before they are put in the furnace and filled with glass to melt.

 Then we went to the packing and storage room which was INSANELY HUGE!  Those are bins of glasses in all colors stacked super, super high.

We went to where the mold maker works and keeps records of everything ever made in Orrefors since the beginning.  We also went into where the designers make little models or prototypes of products in clay or plastic.  It was really interesting and a little depressing that it is all becoming so few workers and why aren't the files properly stored somewhere safe or in a museum?!

 Then Micke helped me blow the ravenna plates that Papa and I cut the designs into earlier.

 And Papa watched and took some pictures.  I had to make a big clear bubble then stick it on the colored plate and here I am smoothing down the edges trying to not get bubbles.

 And I made two plates! They are pretty cool.  Micke made a bowl with the plate Papa decorated.  I haven't taken any pictures of the final products but they are good and I will show you soon!

 Friday I worked with Sigrid in the morning and the cold shop in the afternoon.  Papa worked all day in the cold shop trying to fix up the pieces we did sand casting on Wednesday.  Did I show you pictures of those?

Oh, well here they are!

We shouldn't have let the glass come out of the edges of the shape we made in the sand.  Now we are spending forever trying to clean them up in the cold shop. 

 Thats my alien foot! Ok, its really my foot but it looks alien-like...

Then we went and had more pastries at the best pastry place in town I recently found out about.  Well, first went to Pukeberg to see their museum and shop since it is just in Nybro.

 Then the barn and home to rest.  We were both tired after our long week!

Saturday we went to Kosta, which was all decorated for Christmas already, but I forgot my camera sadly.  We walked around the shop, the factory, the outlet store (where I found lots of books!!) and the Art Hotel.

Sunday we went to Målerås which is really different from all the other glass places here I think.  They had some new cool glasses:

 Some pressed glass plates:

I really wish this peacock didn't have the weird boobs, or balls, or whatever they are at the bottom of the plate...  

 And some really nice graal pieces:

 And some truly amazing engraving! I love this bowl, it has very detailed hand engraved details on both sides of the glass which gives it tons of dimension and sparkle.

 Some cool combos if glass and iron.  This guy was HUGE, probably 3-4 feet from top to bottom.

 And a funny bottle for your schnapps!

 This was in the design room which features glass from many different artists.

 More iron and glass from Mats Jonasson... a fat owl or a turkey?

 Today I thought we would more likely see people working in their respective factories and shop then over the weekend so we took off of school and drove all over the Glass Kingdom.  Turns out I had exceptionally bad timing everywhere we went!  We started at Kosta where they were just starting a 30 minute break... so I went and bought some socks then went back and saw a little bit of blowing but mostly they just stood around trying to fix something.  Then we went to Transjöhytta but they were at lunch.  We got to look around the gallery and talk to one of the assistants but that was all. 

Then we went to Åfors where we got to see them making some sinks like in the hotel designed by Bertil Vallien.

 They have four guys gathering glass in big spoons then pouring it into a mold.

 Then to get the bubble out of the deep glass they keep the glass molten above the bubble with flames so the bubble can rise up.  The one on the right is upside down and cooling just a little more before they put it in the anneahler and the one of the left is pretty freshly finished being poured so still SUPER hot!

After that we went to Micke Johansson's place and HOORAY he was actually working! We watched him make one vase then it was time for his coffee break, of course! Worst timing... OK, he could have not been there but still! 

Then we went to Boda where they have this awesome museum and some cool stuff.  It is going to be closed on Mondays in November... I got a magazine about it and we might try to go back one day after school to see the museum before Papa goes home.  But sheesh! Closed on Mondays?!?!

Oh well, back to school like normal tomorrow.  We are going to try some sculpture making which should be fun and hopefully successful!  I have to remember to bring my gloves... I should go write a note.