So since I don't yet have any pictures from this past weekend (don't worry - they're coming soon) - how about a recap of the first weekend here - in Waterford. First of all, you must pronounce Waterford as Waaaatafaad. Okay, now that we're all on the same page with how to appropriately sound fancy while saying Waterford, how about I tell all about what we did!
We left work on Friday around 4, and headed down to the lovely seaside town of Waterford. Our original plan was to stay in a castle on the west side of Ireland, but after having traveled so much and then having a busy week at work, we decided to stay at the Waterford Castle as it was much closer. They didn't have any rooms inside the castle, but they did have a golf side villa we could stay in. It was perfect b/c it had three bedrooms and three baths, so we each had our own space.
One of the villas- they were really pretty. We couldn't actually go into the castle on Friday night b/c they had a wedding going on. So you just hold tight for the pictures of the excellent castle.
Welcome to the Waterford Crystal Tour. This is one of the molds they use. See how it says "American Football" - remember that - you're going to see something really cool in a second.
Everything here is handmade. These two gentlemen were blowing crystal for a vase. This plant in particular only makes special order items, not your run of the mill crystal glasses.
For example, this is for the Queen's Jubilee. How cool is that?
The process of etching was really awesome. It's almost all done by hand. Each apprentice has to memorize all the different cuts. For custom work (such as the Queen's Jubilee item above), they design and mark the cuts right onto the item. For more standard work it's all freehand. Very impressive.
And here I am with the BCS championship trophy! Remember the mold from earlier? Yep, pretty cool!
After the tour we headed back to the castle to hang out and enjoy the grounds. Now check out this beauty - Waterford Castle! The castle was from the 1400's and was just totally charming and grand.
The dining room in the castle was beautiful. We enjoyed dinner here on Saturday night. The food was great and the ambiance was really cool.
This is the breakfast room. We had breakfast here Sunday morning. I wasn't going to miss out on the chance to spend time in this beautiful area!
I think one of my favorite things about this castle was the decor. It was decorated in all "French Country/Shabby Chic". Yes, please. Check out how huge that fireplace is - I could walk into it.
We went on a nature walk on Saturday around the property. I couldn't get the boys to get a picture with me, so I just got a solo one with the castle in the background. ;)
And what's better than afternoon tea in a castle? We had a very relaxing afternoon chat over tea and beer. It was a pretty great weekend.
I hope you enjoyed my little tour of Waterford! Pics from this past weekend are coming soon. Bryan just sent them over to me last night and now I'm just trying to get them downloaded onto my computer. We're going to dinner with the client tonight, so with that and needing to pack for the weekend I won't make any promises that it will happen tonight. We're off to London this weekend! I'm super pumped to get the chance to see such a great city, even if only for 24 hours. Cheerio!
