As a bit of a treat to end the week we were taken by coach to visit a glass making factory. It was very cold and grey for the whole trip, but we got to see some of the Czech countryside on the trip so it was quite enjoyable after working between our accommodations the school/prison and the studios all week. Our guide was a retired glass blower and he took us on a tour of all the processes, which was very interesting, wooden glass moulds, powdered glass, the glass blowing area with men in shorts wearing only traditional leather slippers and socks on their feet, the cooling machine that takes the glass from hundreds of centigrade to a temperature where it won’t break at room temperature.
Then the ready-made glass that comes in from Russia to be processed, waxed and etched by rows of machines with points cutting patterns in the wax, brushed with squirrel tails, the acid baths and the packing areas. Pushing glasses into our bags and pockets as we worked our way through the last rooms we were herded through the shop and then back onto the coach to return and pack our stuff from the studios.
We had arranged a team dinner that evening to celebrate the exhibition in a local restaurant recommended by Zdena our guide, so we all went out and chatted about what we had done that week, the Czech guides said they were surprised by how much work we had produced in just that week, and the quality of the work.
