We had the most fantastic day today! We’ve been watching the weather in Naples very closely for a week or so, and the early forecasts for today in the city looked perfect. We wanted to go to the island of Capri (say KAH-pree, not kah-PREE as in the pants), but knew we needed sunny skies and low wind to be happy on the 45-minute hydrofoil ferry ride from Naples. We had both today, and comfortable temps (high 60s) to boot.
We had carefully checked the schedules for the ferries running between Naples and Capri to see if we could do this on our own. Those looked good…and then we saw that we were in port with the Celebrity Constellation and the Pacific Princess today (coincidently we are alumnae of both those ships!). Though none of the three ships in port was particularly large, their combined passenger population along with a normal weekend crowd meant that the ferries to and from Capri would be running full. Plus the cruise ships offer excursions that would nearly fill the the last ferry returning before they sailed. We decided that the prudent thing to do would be to take a ship excursion, guaranteeing us spots on those last ferries. However, by the time we made that decision, the ‘Capri On Your Own’ excursion was full. We were waitlisted for it but cleared the waitlist just yesterday.
Sunrise over Mt. Vesuvius from the Promenade Deck
We were up early and in the Windows dining room when it opened at 7am. As soon as I finished eating, I walked off the ship and into the port terminal to use the ATM. We needed more euros to get through the next few days. I’ve found it difficult to forecast our cash flow needs. In some ports, we have fairly cheap days but when we take a €100 taxi tour, it really eats into our funds. Fortunately, getting euros at ATMs, whether at banks or storefronts or the port terminal today has been extremely easy with a good rate of exchange.
We met our group in the Stardust Theater and almost immediately were off the ship and walking to the ferry terminal right around the corner. Our guide, Francesca, purchased the ferry tickets and passed them out, and soon we were on a comfortable, two deck hydrofoil crossing the bay. After we arrived in Marina Grande on Capri, Francesca gave us some pointers, told us what time to be back (4pm) and we were off.
Capri, located almost due south of Naples just off the Sorrentine Peninsula, is a small, 4 mile by 2 mile wide island with about 13000 inhabitants. It became famous as the vacation getaway of Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius, and, later, as a refuge for Europe’s artsy gay community. Oscar Wilde and D. H. Lawrence both frequented the island. Now, it is its stunning scenery- towering sea cliffs, colorful grottos and picturesque villages perched on mountainsides- that attracts hoards or tourists from Naples, Sorrento and the nearby Amalfi coast.
The first thing G and I did was purchase tickets to take a boat around the island for €18 that was leaving immediately. Because it’s a small island, the boat ride was about an hour long. We had great seats at the front the good sized boat, and our trip was narrated in both Italian and English.
It was quickly apparent that Capri is just one big rock. On the opposite side of the island from Marina Grande, sea cliffs rose over 1000 feet from the water, and were dotted with frequent caves and inlets. Our boat went up to three of them, Grotto Bianca, Grotto Meravigliosa and Grotto Verde. The water was iridescent blue and blue green, the color created by the sun reflecting off the white rock under the water. In Grotto Meravigliosa, huge stalactites clung to the ceiling of the cave.
At Feraglioni, our boat steered right through a rock formation similar to Los Arcos in Cabo San Lucas. Supposedly, it’s called Lovers Arch, and it’s a tradition to kiss your partner as you pass underneath it, but we missed out because G was wandering around the boat at that moment (because of course he was). ;-) At the far end of the island was a lighthouse called Faro (Italian for lighthouse) di Punta Marina.
Faraglioni
Cruising through Faraglioni
Grotto Miravigliosa
Grotto Miravigliosa
Grotto Verde
Grotto Verde
Faro di Punta Carena
The famous Blue Grotto of Capri was closed for the season. The difference between the Blue Grotto and the ones we’d seen on our boat tour is that, smaller boats (dinghys) can enter through a three foot high opening in the rock and go fully inside the grotto. Our boat today could only go up close to the ones that we saw, but that beautiful water color was the same.
We arrived back at Marina Grande; used the public toilets there (half a euro each to use a toilet with no seat…you gotta love Italy!) and bought public bus tickets to go up to Anacapri, a small village atop a mountain on the island. There was already a queue to ride the bus, and when the small bus arrived, it was immediately obvious that everyone in line was not going to get on that bus (I really can’t imagine the crowds in Capri in August). After the seats were filled, people kept boarding until it came to G and I. We had a choice: squeeze in against the door or wait 30 minutes for the next bus. We squeezed in, with G actually standing in the stairwell.
The public buses on Capri
The bus started to climb on a road we had seen earlier, clinging off the side of the mountain. It twisted and turned as it navigated the switchbacks on the mountain. The drop off was just a couple of feet or so from the edge of the bus, and G, in his position pressed against the doors, looked down and couldn’t even see the road under the bus. At one point, the switchback was so tight that our driver had to drive first around a rotary to get the right angle to make the turn. The real highlight was when we passed a small truck hauling bags of cement on a curve with oncoming traffic. I was right at the front of the bus with an up close view of that excitement.
G’s first words when he saw this: “I gotta ride on THAT!”
And so we did. :-)
Once at Anacapri, our plan was to ride a single chair chairlift up to Monte Solara, the highest point on the island, but we were deterred by the price (€11 per person round trip), the time required (13 minutes each way plus a recommended 20-30 minutes at the lookouts at the top), and our concern about the safety of the chairlift. Instead we enjoyed a nice lunch in Anacapri and boarded another bus down to Capri Town, and mid way up the mountain above Marina Grande.
Love oranges displayed with the leaves!
In Capri Town, we purchased limoncello granitas (like a sorbet) and walked around taking in the sights. I sat on a bench with a beautiful view of the island and placed an Amazon order for Mom. I place orders for her while I’m sightseeing with some frequency. Last year while on a boat ride in Picton, New Zealand, I ordered her shoes from Zappos. Today it was an iPad charging cord from Amazon. Ain’t technology the BEST?!
We eventually purchased tickets and rode the funicular down from Capri Town to Marina Grande, where we met up with our group and were given tickets for the ferry ride back to Naples. We returned on the 4:30pm ferry, and, as we had feared, even though an additional ferry was added, they were both filled and people were left on the pier. However, because we were booked on an excursion, we were guaranteed seats on the return ferry.
Bay of Naples with Mt.Vesuvius in the background
Capri Town
Funicular from Marina Grande to Capri Town
We saw the most incredible sunset from the ferry, the best one we’ve seen so far this season. And we arrived back in Naples about 5:15pm. We walked through the port terminal back to the ship, and G went directly to the dining room to get our table by the window while I went back to the room to drop off our day bag and do something with my hat hair (I’d worn my Tilley hat all day in the sun). It was a fairly hopeless effort.
Sunset view taken from hydrofoil back to Naples
Unfortunately, both of our iPhone batteries as well as our backup battery were exhausted, so tonight’s dinner was the only one for which I won’t have menu photos to eventually post. I had hot and sour soup, salad and coconut shrimp curry and, like all the food we’ve enjoyed onboard, everything was delicious. We said goodby to waiters Rico and Derek (they were so amazing to us) and promised them good reviews in our post cruise survey.
We skipped all entertainment tonight and returned to the cabin to pack our big suitcases and set them outside our door. I can certainly attest to the fact that packing up after a 10-night cruise is much, much easier than packing up after 150 days of cruising. Packing after five months of cruising is like a relocation.
We will be up early tomorrow, but I told G tonight that, compared to a port day, tomorrow should be a cakewalk. And so will begin the third part of the first segment of our around the world adventure.
Another sunset pic from the hydrofoil
Life is good. :-)