SEPTEMBER 22, 2013
Let the day of adventures begin.
Waking up in the hills overlooking Sorrento and the Bay of Nepoli was fantastic. We walked out to the terrace to a stunning view and found our host Giuseppina had set up our table with spectacular breakfast! It was an impressive spread of bread, sweet breads, fresh fruit, yogurt, juice, homemade lemon jelly made from the lemons in her garden! To top it all off she also made us fresh scrambled eggs from hens that she also keeps on her property. It was such a treat to enjoy such a full breakfast out on the sunny terrace. Just what we needed to start our day of adventures.
THE ISLAND OF CAPRI
To reach the small harbour, Marina Piccola, we had to walk down a crazy amount of steep stairs. Pictures do no serve them justice as we had to also climb them in the evening on our return! We bought our round trip ferry tickets for the day and boarded the highspeed boat for our day trip to Capri.
From a distance, the island, just four miles long and 1.5 miles wide, looks like nothing more than a giant set of rocks. Capri is located three miles off the Italian coast and is made of limestone, with giant cliffs and two mountains, all towering over a very blue stretch of sea. The geology serves up both interesting rock formations and natural grottos, the most famous being the Blue Grotto. On the manmade front, the white-washed houses and gardens, where lemon trees often dominate, cling to cliffsides, and bougainvillea and other lush flowers bloom and grow as if wild. Capri is a lovely, small resort island, that has been a favorite retreat of wealthy Romans, and has attracted visitors ever since ancient times. The Roman Emperor Tiberius (who was in power when Jesus was crucified) had a villa here. Capri is famed for its rugged beauty, its spectacular views, and its lemons. When life gives you lemons, make liqueur. Capri’s liqueur (called Lemincello) is famous worldwide.
One of the most anticipated highlights of our trip was what I had planned for us in Capri. I had arranged for us to rent ourselves a boat for the day from Banana Sport and to explore the island visiting various caves (grottos), beaches, snorkeling locations and just enjoy a relaxing day far from crowds and soaking in the sun. Before heading down to our boat hire we caught a local bus to the top of the town to enjoy some views of Capri and stock up on picnic food, wine and lemincello!
The staff at Banana Sport were very professional and answered all of our questions thoroughly. Their rates were competitive and are a much better option than cramming onto one of the many overcrowded tour boats that will take you around the island. After some quick instructions we were set off on our own.
Later in the afternoon the winds shifted and we knew it was a good idea to get a move on. Just as we were approaching, the legendary trio of sea giants, Capri’s Faraglioni , the staff from Banana Sport were out on the water checking in with people. Little did I know the hand signals being exchanged with Rob was Not a good sign. I thought they were just checking in due to it being late in the day and we have only made it 1/2 around the island. In reality he was warning us about the rough waters and large waves on the other side of the island. And sure enough as soon as we passed the Faraglioni rocks we were hit with strong north winds and very rough water! Luckily Rob has had his Coxswain license since he was a teen and has many years of sailing experience and was not fazed by the conditions. Me however… well I had to sit at the nose of the boat to help it from bouncing around so much over the waves. To make matters worse large tour boats were plowing through the waters next to us (not slowing down) created huge wakes that were dangerously mixing in the the already choppy waves of the sea. The boat went nose under a couple of waves and I was glad I had my camera tucked away in the dry bag! After some well needed reassurance from Rob we made it back to dock in one piece. And just for you folks who might think I am some sort of wimp (rob.. that includes you lol) even the company had to change arrival docks due to the rough conditions.. and the ferry back to Sorrento would not allow passengers out on the decks due to the rough conditions. Of Course looking back it was a great adventure and I would do it all again in a heartbeat!
The remainder of the evening was spent enjoying the sights, sounds and eats of Sorrento. We had a lovely 3 course dinner on the square and finished off the evening with a gelato and a long walk through town. This is a place where you could really sit back and relax. Such warm and welcoming people we can’t wait to return someday!
