Capri: The Emperor's Retreat

Our second day we awoke early to head to the island of Capri (pronounced KAH-pree according to my know-it-all sister Sally.  Turns out she was right.  You win this round Sally.  Love you so much Sally, thanks for the heads up).  Sorrento is split in the middle by a gorge, with beautiful, fort l ike hotels and residence built into the cliff face.  We walked down a winding, cobblestone path to the Marina Grande:  The harbor.  There we bought a ticket for the ferry to Capri.  There were also options to Capri via jet boat or private boat, but the ferry was most affordable, and therefore best.  So said Shaffer.  So let it be done.

Sorrento Marina

Capri Marina

The ferry was enjoyable.  We stood outside and took in lovely views of Sorrento and the first part of the Amalfi coast.  The water was brilliantly blue, and the coast dotted with charming towns tucked into the cliffside.  It was a magical 45 minute trip.  We entered Capri via the Marina Grande (aren't Italians original?).  There are several ways to get to Capri Centrale:  inter alia a bus, or a funiculare:  A cable car that transports you up the cliff to the town, located high above.  But of course, we saw the narrow alleyway, with stairs and a sign claiming that Capri Centrale was a mere 750 meters away.  So we walked.  And we sweat in our already 3 day old clothes.  And we very nearly died. 

Italian trail of tears

But we reached Capri Centrale eventually, and hurried over to buy an overpriced Lemon slushee.  We ordered the extra large size.  The slushee cart was right beside the exit to the funiculare where people from the ferry were just exiting.  People from the ferry that came 20 minutes after ours, that is.  We did not spend much time in Capri Centrale, opting instead to catch the bus to Anacapri, thanks to the sensible advice of one Sophie Kamesar.  Who better be reading this.  Or we are dunzo Sophie.  Dunzo.

Shaffer's over-priced slurpee; extra-large.

And what a bus ride it was!  Up the side of a mountain on an old, one lane road.  Breathtaking vistas spoiled only by the very real possibility that you might be the last thing that we ever saw.  The size of the bus made us confident that we would be fine in the event of a collision with a vespa or fiat.  The size also made us confident that our fall into the sea would be quick, and our splashdown violent.  The bigger they come...

Thankfully, with the help of a skilled driver, we reached Anacapri.  The island of Capri was a favorite retreat for Roman Emperors of yore, and you could see why.  The island has only one harbor, the Marina Grande, and the rest of it is protected by sheer cliffs, making it easy to defend.  Time seems to move slower there, with friendly people, small, lazy shops, and a quiet pleasantness in the air.  Our first stop was the Seggovia, a chairlift running from Anacapri to Monte Salaro, a 1,900 foot summit.  Initial fears that the ride might be overly exhilerating proved incorrect, as the ride was a slow, scenic trip with breathtaking views of Anacapri, Capri Centrale, and the Mediterranean Sea.

American doing his best to look awkward.

We paused on top to take photographs of both the sea and the island.  There was not much up top, but there was plenty to see.  We met honeymooners from Seattle.  While glad to meet fellow Northwesterners, they were a bit standoffish.  Also, they seemed to be quarreling a bit ("No, stand this way!  With your back to me!  No, your other back!  Gosh!!!")  We give them about six months.  But her ring was huge, which makes me think that he is very wealthy.  So we give them however long it takes to maximize alimony.  Guess its just the lawyer in Shaffer.

View from on top

Our favorite tree on the island of Capri. :)

After a pleasant ride back down, we had our first Italian pizza on a charming terrace overlooking downtown Anacapri.  Pizza in Italy is, as you might imagine, quite different from American pizza:  The crust is quite thin, and you almost had to eat it with a knife and fork.  We had Pizza Margherita:  Pizza with tomato, mozzarella and basil.  We devoured it.  Seriously.  That poor pizza had no chance.  It was fantastic. 

PIZZA!!!!

No more pizza. :(

Afterward, we caught the bus back down to Capri Centrale, and walked the steep but scenic route back to the harbor.  There is more that we would have liked to see:  The Blue Grotto, Villa Jovis, Il Faro (the lighthouse) and others, but all were fairly expensive.  This time around, we are trying mainly to just soak up the Italian culture, which we were doing.  We will be back, and then we will hit the things that we missed.  Capri was, overall, a fantastic get away.

We had thought about taking a bus down the scenic Amalfi coast, but scrapped that idea.  Again, cost and time were issues, and we wanted to explore more of Sorrento.  We were taking siestas regularly during the day:  Part of this was due to some jet-lag, but we had also been in the same clothes, in 90 degree weather for four days.  When the locals started giving us strange looks and wrinkling their noses, we decided it was time to head for the hotel, the shower, and a brief lie-down.

Stinky Americans having a great time.

We spent our last day exploring Sorrento, and peeking in the various churches, restaurants, lemon gardens and shops.  Amy got a lovely new dress, with all of the colors of southern Italy.  Our camera battery was dead, and would not charge, and we thought we might have to buy a new one.  As one had been stolen, this would have been the third camera we had bought in anticipation of this trip.  Thankfully, helpful clerks at the fotocentre were able to supply us with a cheap, and effective, external charger.  Saving us some money, and getting us right back into taking pictures.

Our final day we enjoyed two meals.  First, lunch at The English Inn.  Sorrento is a tourist town, where many different people go on holiday:  While there we met other Italian tourists, Americans, Germans, Dutch, French, Canadians, and Irish, to name a few.  Many of the restaurants, like this one, cater specifically to tourists.  While locals are, for the most part, very friendly, some seem a bit jaded.  Our waiter at The English Inn, greeted us by saying:  "Oh great, Americans.  I loooove Americans.  Americans are the best."  We decided on another Pizza Margherita.  I tried to order in Italian.  Our waiter stopped us and said:  "No, no, no.  You have to decide.  You talk in Italian, or you talk in English.  Which is it?"  Hunger makes cowards of us all.  I chose English.  Amy had a glass of wine, and Shaffer ordered a Cuba Libre:  A mixed drink with Coca Cola, Rum and Lime juice.  Our waiter just laughed:  "Si, si.  Cuba Libre.  American Libre."  Cheeky bastard.  (To Tim Costa:  Shaffer is well aware that you will think less of him for drinking a "fruity drink" instead of our traditional bourbon.  It was 95 degrees outside.  Deal with it.)

We had dinner at Il Buffalito, a ristorante advertizing its famed Water Buffalo Cheese.  We skipped that.  Amy had Gnocchi once again, and Shaffer had a pasta dish with spaghetti-like noodles and claims, cooked in white wine sauce with garlic and parsley.  For dessert, we had possibly the best tiramisu in the world.  Nay, the galaxy.

Mmmmm.....

This is not Tiramisu....this is heaven.

Next time:  Driving in Italy, the Tuscan countryside, wrong turns, Twi-hards, Meat Loaf, and a little slice of heaven:  Volterra

Arrividerci