... heaven IS a place on earth. It is called Capri, a lovely island off of the Amalfi coast. T and I arrived in a dreamlike, sleepy state. To get to Capri, we took a train from Roma to Napoli, and then a ferry, past Mt. Vesuvio, to the island. The seas were very rough, causing the girl in front of us to throw up, and I would have started a chain reaction if it weren't for T's tale of peril with the Meyers on a small plane (supposedly piloted by a preteen) in Zambia. It's a good one.
We decided to stay in the moutains beyond Capri Centrale, as that area is outrageously expensive, but we preferred it to the wildly touristy area. Anacapri sits about 800 meters above sea level and is a network of tiny little streets and homes with iron gates and hand painted tiles stating who lives where- ie Casa Antonio. Even the electrical lines are marked by these ornate tiles.
It was very confusing the first night when our taxi driver dropped us off a good distance from the hotel saying in broken English that cars cannot go any further into Anacapri. So we roamed the streets in the dark until finding an old lady to point us towards our hotel, Bussola di Hermes, the compass of Hermes. We were delighted to find a clean and colorful room- not to mention the vending machine sold cheap Italian beer.
By day, Anacapri has a bustling town center full of shops and markets, delicious food, and loud Italians. We rented a scooter to get a lay of the land the first day. For as brave as I am, taking that thing around the treacherous corners, practically nose diving down the mountains, dodging careless pedestrians, dogs, buses, and other more experienced moto riders, was quite an adventure. But T took good care of me even though he wanted to ride like the wind (and might have had I not been using his thighs as my imaginary brake pedals).
There are several beaches that we visited each day. Unlike the sandy beaches we are accustomed to, these were mostly cliffs and boulders with waves crashing into them. There were a few places with sand/stone, but it was hard to get a spot there.
Our favorite spot was near the famous Gratta Azzurra, or Blue Grotto. We camped out each day waiting for the waves to calm down enough to go into it. While waiting, we enjoyed jumping from the cliffs into the pristine water. By day, large boats take tourists near the miniscule entrance of this cave, then load them onto small row boats where they have to lay flat inside them in order not to knock their heads on the way into the cave. After 5, the boats pull out, and the brave few take their chances swimming through the 3 by 3 jagged hole. We, of course, took the swimming route. Once inside, the waters are extremely calm and the tiny bit of sun that shines inside is enough to light the deep water from far beneath. Our best words for the color it produced was neon sapphire. It was absolutely breathtaking.
We loved Anacapri so much, we stayed 5 whole days and loved every minute of it. The half way mark of our time has passed though, and we have lots to do, so we left yesterday. We first shuttled down the mountain to the harbor, then took a hydrofoil to Napoli, a cab to the train station, a train to Bari via Caserta, a public bus from the train station to Bari's port--- all to find out it was a national holiday yesterday and no ferries were running to Greece. C'est la travel. So we're camped out in Bari waiting for the ferry that will take us overnight to our next destination, Corfu. Update to follow.
Much love to all.
Our first view of the island
OMG, a clean shower WITH a curtain- and an SOS pull for the record
T celebrating our arrival while wearing new tie from street in Roma
Day one, exploring Capri via Moto
One of many stops to enjoy the view down below
T, AKA Cool Rider (that one's for you, Torsi)
Looking down from road
Enjoying some Limoncello with Monkey
On a surprisingly comfortable rock in Marina Grande
On Faro beach, too choppy to swim this day
Sunset from our balcony
Monkey and I on the chairlift to highest point of the island
T getting high
Atop Capri
From the peak of the island where the chairlift drops you- about 1,200 meters up
View to Marina Piccola and Faraglioni (3 rocks)
T on our balcony
Outside the Gratta Azzura
Enjoying Faro "beach"
After our beach day
On Via Vigna, leading to our hotel
There are many cats roaming around Capri, and this is T with one of them
View of Mt. Vesuvio from our ferry to Napoli
The start of a 10 hour travel day, still looking pretty good
