We don't give a whole lot of thought to glass. It is uniquitous yet we don't think about it that much. But a visit to th Corning Musuem of Glass reminds us how important and how vital it has been to the modern world. It is literally in everything from windows to telescopes.

And here at the premiere company for glass is a wonderful musuem devoted to all things glass including the history of it.

This museum is located in Corning New York which is in wine country the fingerlakes region.

Quick Note: Much to my surprise glass has had a long history in diorama making. And they have some amazing glass dioramas here at the museum. If this is something you are interested in I have put them in the diorama section of my website: Glass Dioramas at the Corning Museum of Glass

They of course have a glass blowing show. It takes place at very frequent times all throughout the day. It is in an amphitheatre so everybody gets a good look at the glass blowing process. This is probably the largest draw to the museum and it is fascinating. There is a narrator that explains the process and the various things that are happening. And there are large tv screens to give the audience a close up look at things.

Throughout the day and in different locations around the building there are shows going on like this glass blower shown in the next picture. And they even have a glass breaking demonstration. That show is very very popular! I couldn't get close to it. The show was over flowing with people watching! It was mobbed!!

As far as the museum goes there is of course lots of glass from the centuries and from all over the world.

And here is some gold ruby glass from about 1680 Germany.

And this over the top glass table complete with glass punch bowl. Or is that a gravy boat? I can only imagine how much this thing weighs.

And here is a model of a 3500 year old glass furnace that was recently discovered in Egypt. This is half the furnace so we can see into it.

And of couse there are thousands of glasses from all of time and from every corner of the world. But don't let that narrow your vision. This museum covers every aspect of glass.

So let's take a look at some of the lesser thought about applications of glass that were on display in this museum.

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Will Travels Medieval America -

Will is on a quest to build a castle. And as part of this he has embarked on an adventure across America visiting castles, blacksmiths, meaderies, museums and all sorts of medieval places. You can follow along on the adventure! Yes, there are castles in America and Will is visiting them!! Check it out here: Medieval America