May 16, 2017 – Capri, Italy
Ciao Tutti! I am frantically trying to get caught up on my Blog. I’m several days behind. So the next few posts may be rather brief but I will try to hit the highlights of each of the sites that we’ve hit.
On this beautiful Tuesday morning we are all moving a little slow. It is not because we’ve all had too much to drink, it is more likely the result of the “food coma” that dining experience we all had from the night before.
Today, we will be headed by ferry to the Island of Capri. We are not sure what to expect. We’ve read a number of different travel guides that suggest that one of its most famous attractions the Blue Grotto is not really worth the time and effort. The Blue Grotto is a seaside cavern that can only be reached by boat. From the boat that takes you out there, you have to transfer to smaller row boats that take visitors in in small groups because of the small size of the cavern. Neither Elisa nor Carolyn seem interested in taking a ferry only to get into a smaller boat and then get into yet a smaller boat to see the Grotto. So we have crossed this attraction off of our list.
To begin our trip, we head down to the ferry landing to pick up our tickets from the small ticket office. If you weren’t looking carefully, you might mistake this tiny building for a lifeguard tower. With tickets in hand, we await our ferry. Near the ferry landing, on exhibit, is a rusty old anchor, which we all think is what we need to keep “Moby” (Carolyn’s suitcase) from rolling down the hills of Positano. 😉
The ferry ride over to Positano is very calm and smooth. Elisa decides she does not want to risk getting seasick, so we sit on the lower level out of the wind and enjoy a smooth ride. Trent decides to head up to the upper deck to get some pictures of the deep blue water and sheer cliffs that characterize the Amalfi coast. When he was walking / falling down the steep steps from the upper deck to get back to our seats on the lower deck, he slipped and caught himself with his left hand and arm. Unfortunately, in the process he twisted his shoulder and perhaps the added weight from last nights dinner also contributed to his injuring his shoulder. He was in pain for most of the rest of the day and we are hopeful that he will recover as it hurts whenever he moves it. We think perhaps he might lose a little weight now as he will only be able to eat with one hand.
Upon arriving into Capri, we are immediately swarmed with hawkers for boat tours and restaurants. We all feel that Capri has been overly commercialized. The shops near the ferry landing are not nearly as charming as those in Positano. This entire area has the feel of arriving into the port of Ensenada. As beautiful as the setting is, we all feel a little disappointed. After exploring the lower harbor area, we purchase tickets to the “Finunculare”, a steep tram that travels directly from the harbor the center of the town of Capri. The ride up is very steep and the floors of the cars sit like stair steps with each tiny car holding no more than 6 passengers – (who had better be good friends). The tram rides through the middle of a lemon orchard and the view out over the harbor and back to the Italian mainland is beautiful. Views of Mt. Vesuvius and neighboring Naples are spectacular, even though it is a bit hazy today.
Upon reaching the top, we explore the small town of Capri and its many shops. After a lot of walking we consider walking out to some of the outlying sites – there are a number of ancient Villas on the Island – some of these villas were constructed and used by Roman Emperors as a summer retreat. There is also a sister town on the Isle of Capri – Anacapri. We are told that it too is very beautiful but once again we don’t quite have the energy to make the trip. We consider the charm of Positano that we had just left and decide that we will say “Ciao” to Capri.
We make our way back down to the harbor area and decide to find a shady cafe where we can enjoy some lunch and do a little people watching while we wait for our ferry ride back to Positano. Once again, we enjoy some beverages and a nice meal. It is fair to say that all the food we have had in Italy has been good – even when we have stopped at one of the many AutoGrills that line the Super Stradas. Some meals have certainly been better than most. One thing I can assure you of though is that if you think you will come to Italy and lose some weight because of all the walking you will do, we can assure you that such a diet doesn’t work. None of us has been disappointed in the quality of the cuisine.
We enjoy the ferry ride back to Positano in the open air of the upper deck. The ride back is beautiful and the waters so calm that many of us doze off under the warm Amalfi sun. When we get back to the harbor in Positano, we rejoice in the beauty and charm that it has to offer. Now that it is mid-week, the town is not nearly as crowded as when we arrived on Sunday. It is now much easier to make our way up the hill back to the main road where Most of the hotels are. Trent is leading us back and we make our way up using a different route. We head up toward the front of the beautiful little church that services the lower area of Positano. Off to the left side are a set of stairs that Trent assures us will lead back to the same spot on the main road that is very near our hotel. Although we are all tired we begin plodding up the steep steps. After we struggle up the first 200 steps, we think we will be very near the street – but no – we have only reached a landing area where we are afforded a chance to catch our breath and take in the beautiful view. After we are done taking in the view, we turn around and are greeted with a view of another set of stairs. This next set of stairs make the first ones look small and level. This set of stairs seems to reach up to the blue skies above and surely could have served as inspiration to Led Zeppelin’s rock classic Stairway to Heaven. We also notice that these steps are leading away from our hotel. We now know that if we take these next 400 steps we will end up on the level above our hotel and probably ¾ of a mile away. So, we decide to head back down the steps we had just come up – with all of us giving Trent the “international eye-roll” the whole way back down.
As we reach the bottom of the steps we encounter a young Japanese couple, who look as though they may be on their honeymoon. Each of them are rolling suitcases – strong sturdy cases that look to be made of aluminum. The woman’s suitcase dwarfs her petite stature. Each suitcase is of a size that makes Carolyn’s “Moby” suitcase look like a minnow. The couple are looking up the steep steps and then back at their suitcases. The woman then says something in Japanese in a harried tone to her new husband. In my mind i imagine the translation of what she is saying as, “there is no f—ing way I am carrying this suitcase up those stairs.” Undeterred, the husband, who is not much bigger than she is, grabs both suitcases by their handles and is now carrying them up the stairs. He groans a little under the weight but steadily makes his way up. We feel bad, knowing that what looks like the top of the stairs to them is only the landing to a much longer and steeper flight of stairs that can’t be seen from the bottom. We hope that they are not staying at the same hotel we are, otherwise it may be a short honeymoon for that couple.
Now that we are back in out room we have the time to shower and rest a bit before we are taken by shuttle up to La Tagliata. This is a restaurant that sits high up in the hills of the Amalfi Coast and overlooks the small town of Positano. Once again it is a good thing that we all had a light lunch of antipasto, pasta and a main course….
More later.
Ciao
Comments