Waterford

We arrived in Waterford in the dark, without a hotel reservation, and in 5 o'clock traffic. Luckily, there is one main road along the river which brought us to a lovely old hotel named The Granville Hotel. It was the perfect price, and included parking and breakfast.

By the time we arrived, it was close to 6pm, and the shops were beginning to close. We found this was true all over Ireland, shops close at 6 and restaurants/pubs start serving food at 6. We walked around town, which was decorated for the holidays.

The next morning, we headed out to Waterford Crystal. The woman who sat next to Ellie on the plane from JFK to Dublin works at the reception desk, so we got free admission to the tour. I have a whole new appreciation for crystal now.

These are the wooden molds used to form the crystal. Yes, even Justin Timerlake has a mold.

As a part of the tour, we watched how a vase is made from beginning to end. From the glass being blown, shaped, marked and etched.



While we were at Waterford, they were working on the People's Choice awards too. (not pictured)