Crystals of Mystery

I'm sure all of you followers have some kind of jewelry made from Swarovski crystals or have at least heard of Swarovski. But do you know the true creativity, the playful side, the artistic half of the Swarovski company? You need to see Swarovski Kristall Welten(translated from German, it means "Crystal Worlds"), the stunning exhibition of the company that makes the world go round. Each exhibition is stunning and unique in it's own crystalline way. For instance, one exhibit is a crystal dome, another is a giant crystal kaleidoscope, and so on. Some exhibits have less to do with crystals than others. One exhibit has robotic manequin legs walking in space. You need to see the website(I must comment on their website) to see all the little details of every exhibit; I would take up a lot of your time if I were to post a complete list!

There's something for everyone: if you just care about buying crystals, there's a Swarovski shop, if you like making your own exhibitions, you can make jewelry and wire sculptures with wire, string, and colorful beads, and of course, if you like the weird, mysterious, the rich, and the modern, there's the museum. It has attracted over 900,000,000 visitors by date. A giant head that is made out of hedges and who's mouth is actually a fountain lures wandering tourists into it's location in Innsbruck, Austria, a little more than an hour away from Munich, a great city. Whether you're rich or not, you're sure to love this place!

p.s. This was meant to be Saturday's post, but we accidently spilled a glass of water on our computer(advise to followers: NEVER put a glass of water anywhere near your computer!) and you know how electronics do not go with water. We just got a new keyboard(50$) and I was then able to blog.

One Man's Junk is Another Man's Treasure

Have you ever wondered if you could walk in the the belly of a whale? Or was it in your New Year's resolutions to see a two-headed snake? Ever climbed up a giant slinky? Well, you can do all that(and tons more) at the City Museum in St. Louis, a collection of salvaged junk(one man's junk is another one's treasure!) transformed into the ultimate jungle gym. It used to be an old shoe factory until they changed it into a museum. They still have a small factory that makes shoe laces and you can suggest styles, buy laces, or see the machines if you have time.

The first thing you'll see is a huge maze of giant slinkies, bridges, and platforms looping and swirling around two Saber 40 aircraft fuselages, a fire engine, a castle turret, a 25 foot cupola and plenty of other larger recycled things. It is called MonstroCity and if you ever go to the museum, do not skip it!

Inside the museum, there's way more: there's the Museum of Mystery, Mirth, and Mayhem*, a collection of oddities like a Big Boy and featuring the World's Largest Underpants. Then there's the Enchanted Caves* which used to be a shoe-shaft but is now a large network of caves filled with fantastical beasts.

The Everyday Circus is a circus where talented kids can perform. The Skateless Park is a skateboard park without the skateboards( you slide down instead). The World Aquarium* is an awesome aquarium filled with exotic fish and features a two-headed snake(named We)! The first floor and Mezzanine is a forest of tunnels, ladders, and creatures where you can squeeze through a giant barrel, stroll in the belly of whale, and pop out of nowhere from a hole in the floor. Climb up a hallow tree trunk to get to the Mezzanine which is pretty much the same. That was my favorite area that I saw because it was really cool following tunnels that lead God knows where and then popping out of some hole.

Also here is the world's largest pencil; it's 76 feet long and really writes and erases! This big puppy is equivalent of 1,900,000 normal pencils! Imagine taking this to school!

On top of the roof is a small park with a ferris wheel, a pond filled with stepping stones and a giant rope swing. You can go inside of the school bus that sticks out of the building and helps you know that you are at the right place!

Fortunately (very) my aunt and uncle have moved back to St. Louis, so this summer I will be able to go visit this junky treasure again.

p.s. Do not go to the Circus! Although it was interesting, there are so many other cooler things to see.

*I didn't get to see this.