I primi di dicembre sono stata invitata in Austria, nel cuore del Tirolo, per scoprire il comprensorio di Hall-Wattens e i Mondi di Cristallo di Swarovski…. un week-end all’insegna di luci e colori. La regione di Hall raggruppa dieci paesi: il più famoso è appunto quello di Hall in Tirol. In questi luoghi regna la natura e la cultura e la tradizione vanno a braccetto con la modernità.  Siamo arrivate in treno ad Innsbruck; il viaggio è stato veloce e anche molto piacevole, grazie alla compagnia di altre colleghe blogger.

Una volta arrivate ci hanno subito accompagnate a conoscere i Mondi di Cristallo di Swarovski. Bisogna dire che visitare questo parco alla sera è un’emozione incredibile, poichè le strutture di cristallo sono molto suggestive per la loro brillantezza.  Le installazioni che mi hanno colpito di più sono il Festival delle Luci dove nuvole di Swarovski sospese incontrano luci e suoni e l’installazione dell’Angelo, dove ognuna di noi ha potuto esprimere un desiderio, che un Angelo di Cristallo ha poi portato in cielo. La sera abbiamo cenato al ristorante di Daniels Kristalwelten e poi siamo rientrate in hotel.

La mattina seguente siamo andate alla scoperta della cultura di questi luoghi che hanno qualcosa di sacro e di magico. Mag Gaby, una guida bravissima, ci ha portate alla scoperta di quello che è accaduto nel medioevo all’interno della Torre della Zecca a Hall in Tirol. Abbiamo così scoperto che qui, nel 1486 fu coniato il primo tallero del mondo.

Dopo aver visitato la cittadina di Hall, ci attendeva un pranzo tipico Tirolese e in seguito una degustazione di grappe di Der Bogner, ad Absam.

La sera non ci siamo fatte mancare un giro per i mercatini di Natale, dove abbiamo provato i kiachl, dolci e salati, gli spatzle e il Vin Brule. Alla domenica siamo tornati ai Mondi di Swarovski per recarci nel famoso “Gigante”, dove al suo interno abbiamo visitato tutte le stanze addobbate di cristalli e dove viene raccontata la storia di questa incredibile famiglia. In questo museo interattivo puoi addirittura perderti da tanta bellezza; ambienti diversi creati da cristalli ti accompagnano in luoghi suggestivi e pazzeschi. Nelle stanze del “Gigante” di Swarovski si possono trovare pareti create con 12 tonnellate di Cristalli, lampadari che illuminano stanze fatte di specchi o riproduzioni di personaggi come Gandi, Martin Luther King o Albert Einstein, che Daniel Swarovski ha voluto come collaboratori anche dei giorni nostri, per la loro capacità di portare pace nel mondo.

Un messaggio bellissimo e incredibilmente profondo. Dopo aver bevuto un aperitivo alla Vip Lounge e fatto shopping da Swarovski, siamo andate a pranzo. Il treno di ritorno ci attendeva per le 15.20. È stato un week-end all’insegna della cultura e della bellezza; questi luoghi sono davvero incantanti e io ve li consiglio vivamente!

English

At the beginning of December, I was invited to Austria, in the heart of Tyrol, to discover the Hall-Wattens region and the Swarovski Crystal Worlds… a weekend of light and colour. The Hall region is made up of ten villages, the most famous of which is Hall in Tirol. In these places’ nature reigns and culture and tradition go hand in hand with modernity. We arrived in Innsbruck by train; the journey was fast and also very pleasant, thanks to the company of other fellow bloggers! Once they arrived, they immediately took us to the Swarovski Crystal Worlds. It must be said that visiting this park in the evening is an incredible emotion, because the crystal structures are very impressive for their brilliance. The installations that struck me the most were the Festival of Lights where clouds of suspended Swarovski meet lights and sounds and the installation of the Angel, where each of us could express a wish, which a Crystal Angel then brought into the sky. In the evening we had dinner at Daniels Kristalwelten’s restaurant and then we went back to the hotel. The following morning, we went to discover the culture of these places that have something sacred and magical. Mag Gaby, a very good guide, brought us to the discovery of what happened in the Middle Ages inside the Mint Tower in Hall in Tirol. We have thus discovered that here, in 1486, the first tolar in the world was coined.  After visiting the town of Hall, a typical Tyrolean lunch awaited us, followed by a tasting of grappa from Der Bogner, in Absam. In the evening we did not miss a trip to the Christmas markets, where we tried the kiachl, sweet and savory, the spatzle and the Vin Brule. On Sunday we returned to the Swarovski Worlds to visit the famous “Giant”, where we visited all the rooms decorated with crystals and where the story of this incredible family is told. In this interactive museum you can even miss out on such beauty; different environments created by crystals accompany you to evocative and crazy places. In the rooms of the “Giant” of Swarovski you can find walls created with 12 tons of Crystals, chandeliers that illuminate rooms made of mirrors or reproductions of characters like Gandi, Martin Luther King or Albert Einstein, that Daniel Swarovski wanted as collaborators even today, for their ability to bring peace in the world. A beautiful and incredibly deep message. After drinking an aperitif at the VIP Lounge and shopping at Swarovski, we went to lunch. The return train was waiting for us at 3:20 p.m. It was a weekend of culture and beauty; these places are really enchanting and I highly recommend them!

If you want your child is smart, tell him a fairy tale; if you want it to be very intelligent, raccontategliene more. “(Albert Einstein). Read aloud, telling stories and fables for children is essential for their growth. You dear parents you have this wonderful habit? As early as 6 months age a baby is able to listen and early reading helps develop cognitive skills, helping linguistic literacy. not only the stories goodnight also develop emotional and social skills of the child, who identifies herself in the characters and plots stories, stimulating also the logical intelligence. even the adult-child relationship is strengthened because reading is a real labor of love. the parents of children aged 0 to 6 years are in fact very keen on this activity. the tales can be considered a true school of life for children. Indeed, according to experts, the stories we tell them help them to recognize and deal with the fears, allow them to explore their emotions and relationships with others. You can reserve to reading a particular moment of the day: before bed or after a meal, the important thing is that it is a moment of tranquility. It takes a few minutes but repeated every day. This can help you make the time bedtime a pleasurable event, characterized by an extra dose of time, attention and cuddles. How to share books with children? When they are very young, children need that habits become a ritual and that they are always equal to themselves. You have to choose a comfortable place to sit or recite nursery rhymes of her favorite book. Eliminate other distractions (television, radio, stereo). Hold the book so that the child can see the pages clearly. We must try to read participation, create the characters’ voices and use mime to tell the story. Vary the rhythm of reading and asking questions about the plot. Let him face the same questions, and encourage it to tell the story again (but it will happen only after 3 years). Indeed Ginevra sometimes makes me so many questions that we can not finish the story because it is too late and now she sleeps. Another good idea is also to bring it to the library, where you will find a welcoming place and a wide selection of books! Reading is the most important activity that parents can do to prepare your child to school. A child who receives daily readings will have a richer vocabulary, will express itself better and will be more curious to read and learn about many books. Do you understand now why the Ginevra talks to exhaustion? Dwell on new words and discuss the hot topics stimulates children’s learning, as well as forming the “quality time” spent with their children. What is the favorite story from your children? And you of when you were little? Good day…