Waterford
Today was a great example of what it should be like to be studying abroad. Yesterday I decided on a whim to buy a bus ticket to Waterford online. This morning I woke up, made my way to city centre and walked about 15 minutes from St. Stephens Green to the Busaras station. By 10:30, I was riding across the Irish countryside.
My only plans for the day in Waterford were to see the crystal factory. Using city buses, I made my way to the Waterford Crystal visitor centre and did just that. Here are some interesting facts:
Although Waterford Crystal has been around for over 200 years, their current primary factory in Waterford has only been in operation for 36 years. In that time, the 1400C furnace has been turned on the entire time. If the furnace were to be turned off, it would take 6 weeks to cool properly and an additional 6 weeks to heat again.
Training as an artisan to work for Waterford is a long process. Learning to blow crystal takes 3 years; learning various cuts takes another 3 years. To become an engraver takes another 4 years, totaling 10 years from inept crystal oaf to masterful crystal artist. When cutting crystal there are no patterns on the piece. Each cutter memorizes up to 80 intricate patterns.
Blowers and cutters are paid by the piece. If a piece of crystal doesn't pass the rigorous quality control inspections, it is shattered, reused in the furnace, and the workers are not paid for the piece. Engravers are paid by the hour, but a mistake still means no paycheck for the time spent working.
Most famous crystal sporting trophies are Waterford crystal. So is the Millenium Ball dropped in Times Square on 1/1/2000. Replicas of these pieces and special commission works are kept at the Waterford factory just in case replicas or repairs need to be made.
After the tour, I browsed downtown Waterford, ate dinner and listened to live music at The Bank (which, contrary to its name, is a pub), and caught the bus back to Dublin.