Capri
Trip Start
May 14, 2008
1
7
17
Trip End
May 30, 2008
May 20 - My cold is really starting to get me down, but I don't want to miss out on anything. Gary's SLR digital camera with interchangeable lenses broke yesterday so after breakfast today Gary, Bonnie and Lynnette walked downtown to a camera store while I napped. Gary bought a new camera that is a lot like his old one, and when they got back to the B&B we started out on our journey to the Isle of Capri. It's a fairly good walk to the ferry port, all downhill with some fairly steep steps and narrow winding roads with no sidewalks, and a rain bothered us enough off and on that we used our umbrellas for most of the walk. There are a couple of ferry options and we chose the fast boat, which costs $29 Euro per person round trip. As soon as the ferry left Sorrento a major thunderstorm blew in. They issued barf bags to all ferry riders, but I was not aware of anyone actually using one, even though the half-hour trip was very rough. Capri is beautiful, even in the rain. It is a mountain with steep cliffs that rise from the sea on nearly all sides. According to Giuseppe, our Capri guide, Mousillini had a home there until 1952. We saw his house but the date could be wrong, since we had a mixed group of Italian and English speaking people and Giuseppe alternated between the two languages, and he had such an accent that the transitions between languages were not always apparent. We had a nice pizza and wine lunch in Anacapri (above Capri) a small town at the highest point on the island with a beautiful panoramic view, and just walked around the place most of the day. Lynnette bought some lemon-based perfume at a perfume factory, which seemed to be the only industry besides tourism. We took the last ferry back to Sorrento, and while we were waiting on the pier for it another big thunderstorm moved in. The wind was so fierce it broke Bonnie's umbrella and several others. The rain blew in at such an angle that we were all drenched and cold even though we were under a big awning on the pier and all had umbrellas. By the time we walked back to our B&B (all uphill this time) I was completely drained and had to lie down while G, B and L had another happy hour on the balcony. It kept raining all evening so for the first time we did not have a four course, three-hour evening meal. I'm hoping this cold runs its course soon!
