Our cereal for the day. Kind of like a Honey Nut Cheerios store brand but not as good.
We had to walk to Sorrento in order to catch a ferry to the Isle of Capri. Chris had started suggesting that we catch the 10:15 ferry, then the 10:45, then the 11:15, and finally we walked on to the 11:45 ferry, sitting on the left side of the ferry for the best view.
Capri was a busy tourist destination and chock full of people. Chris purchased tickets for us to take the funicular up the hillside and we found even more tourists and small trucks transporting luggage. What an awesome little town. I loved the twisty turny narrow streets as we wandered through the crowd.
Chris found a cool takeaway spot for lunch from TripAdvisor.com. The girls picked up some food from a little bodega down the block. With a little more searching we found a little piazza not too far away with a low ledge perfect for us to sit and enjoy our lunch.
A couple from Canada who had already spent hours trying to find their hotel while dragging their luggage behind them passed by our little piazza after stopping to catch their breath. Google maps had a hard time homing in on a location in the narrow, winding streets. And then we saw them again, still lost. The husband seemed determined to find the hotel on his own. He should have asked for directions.
We wandered around the island, stopping to tour a once private rose garden--Giardini di Augusto. It was small but the views were stunning. Seriously, the water was magnificent and clear. Flat Amy liked it too.
Chris was feeling overwhelmed by all of the people and found a solution to fewer people by catching a bus to Anacapri on the other side of the island. It was definitely less crowded with a more laid back feeling. Kristen found a cute hat to buy. And of course, there was gelato.
Once back to Capri, we climbed up to the Belvedere Cannon for an even better view. It was just stunning.
The French placed a cannon in the strategic location of this plateau in 1808 to defend the island’s southern sector. In the 20th century, and during the period of residence of the numerous colony of German painters who stopped here to paint, it was known as Malerplatte (Painters’Square). From here, there is a fine view of the Faraglioni rocks, the Sirens’ Rock, the Carthusian Monastery, the Gardens of Agustus and the Grotto of Ferns, an important prehistoric station, where finds dating to the Palaeolithic era and the bronze age have been discovered. (www.capritourism.com)
Our return ticket to Sorrento was at 6:30 pm. To get to the ferry earlier in the morning we had to climb down a huge staircase built in to the side of the hill and in the evening we arrived back in Sorrento and that darn staircase was still there. The girls were not thrilled when I took off to climb them. Apparently I walk too fast. And climb too fast. Especially uphill. 130 steps.
In an effort to make the girls happy, Chris bought bus tickets from Sorrento to Sant’Agnello. If you travel to Italy, you’ll also find that the bus system is not always reliable, especially in the evening. We waited and waited. No bus. We waited next to a group of German students being “instructed” by their teachers to be on their best behavior and to be back at the bus stop at a certain time. Chris turned and joked, “I don’t speak German but I still understand. Don’t mess up!!” They all laughed.
And we finally decided to walk the half hour back to Sant’Agnello. We were all looking forward to riding the bus...and not walking.
I started a load of laundry while Chris started the broadcast from President and Sister Nelson, and Kristen dug in to some chocolate cake at 10:30 pm. Our schedule was a little off.