No wonder why they call this place Eataly. I fully accept the challenge of tackling a pizza larger than my head. It’s good to be back in Europe! We are hitting some amazing ports with an ever-changing itinerary on the Celebrity Equinox. There are some destinations that are brand new to me and some that are old favorites. It has been a nice mix so far traveling with the Hot Glass Team.
With some local art and a supreme pizza, life is simple and life is good in Livorno, Italy.
The Mediterranean is a nice mix of exploring the cities, visiting ruins, making the most of the waterfront and most importantly for me—eating my way through my time on the ship. Gelato how many days in a row? –No regrets!
This beautiful beach is located on the French island of Ajaccio, Corsica. At the peak of the summer season temperatures we are happy to go for a dip every chance possible. I was fortunate enough to get on a sea kayaking tour with two beach stops and a great group of guests. Lucky for me it was our day off because my arms were sore after three hours of paddling against the forceful waves of the ocean!
Glassblower Tom Ryder checks out a yacht.
One thing that you can expect at a lot of these fancy ports are some very expensive yachts. Tom Ryder loves to walk the docks and pick out his favorites. He was pretty taken by this all-black beauty. Maybe we should have asked them if they needed a hot glass blowing studio on board! Ironically enough, the “You Design it; We Make It” piece of the cruise ended up being a yacht as well!
Enjoying the local music in Ibiza.
That photo was taken on the boardwalk of Ibiza. What an amazing city that never sleeps! We had an overnight here and the team enjoyed tapas and roaming the streets full of boutiques and vendors and a vibrant nightlife. This one music vendor had headphones connected to the club CD’s and Tom and I enjoyed some fresh beats before the inevitable dancing ensued.
Charlyn Reynolds
Back on board the ship, the team is keeping the creativity fresh as well. Here is a photo of one of my favorite pieces made that cruise by Charlyn “Charky” Reynolds. She created an intricate murrine pattern with a transparent gold color to resemble a beehive. Once the form was finished, we added on about 7 adorable bumblebees that were pre-made and on hold in our pick-up kiln.
Hot Glass Show team onboard the Celebrity Equinox
Here is a great picture of our team with a selection of the pieces we auctioned off to help Celebrity’s support of the Breast Cancer Research Fund and in support of the Scholarship and Residency Fund at The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass. Charlyn Reynolds with her lapis blue murrine fish, Tom Ryder with his copper blue frozen Norwegian waterfall vase and myself (Taryn Bertolino) with a jade green patterned bowl with foot. Finishing my first cruise back on board strong—it’s good to be back!
The Museum collaborates with Celebrity Cruises to tell the world about glass. Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Equinox, and Celebrity Eclipse each include a hotshop on the top deck of the ship where Corning Museum of Glass gaffers present live, narrated Hot Glass Show glassblowing demonstrations. A popular activity for guests, the Hot Glass Show at sea reaches more than 300,000 people each year. The ships visit ports around the world. Read more posts from our world-traveling glassmakers >