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Tuesday 16th May 2000 Capri
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Tuesday 16th May 2000
Ches started the day at breakfast by declaring that my feet/trackshoes were beginning to smell. Really offensive.
Life in Sorrento is extremely seasonal for the locals. Today is the day for clearing the hillsides-all among the lemon and olive trees etc. From sun-up, there is the constant whine of brush cutters (big whipper-snippers). Must be backbreaking work, as they are still going at sunset. This is followed by days of burning off the mostly green foliage they had been cutting. Makes for smoke to blend in with the mist. I initially questioned the poor practice of burning off, and wondered why they hadn't learnt to compost and mulch. You'd think they would have learnt something after two thousand years.
Having given up on the coffee at the hotel, and resorted to tea with breakfast, we took the bus to Sorrento, and I made a dash to a bar for a cappuccino-my caffeine levels were going to be low all week in Sorrento. Also stopped at a bookshop and bought a replacement copy of the Eyewitness Guide to Italy, which I had lost on the way home from Napoli the evening before. Made me even more peeved with the ticket inspector. Queued with masses of Poms on the dock at the marina, and caught the catamaran to Capri (for the final time, it is pronounced "car-pre" not "cap-re"). Harassed at the marina in Capri by taxi drivers offering tours of the island in open top cabs. We decided to take the funicular up to the main town, a bus to Anacapri, and the chair lift to the top of Monte Solaro. Best decision we ever made. Well, the bus trip to Anacapri wasn't! Jampacked, standing, we set off along a very narrow road which wound up out of town, around the top of the cliff face. I made the mistake of looking down. I suddenly realised we were on "that" road I had seen from the marina. It was built on pylons for a considerable section, out over empty air, several hundred meters above the water. My bowels turned to water. Survived the bus trip, like several million people before me, only to find that Anacapri was as cheek to jowl with people as Capri. People at the hotel had said the day before, that Capri was just a mass of humanity.
We immediately took refuge in the chair lift, a good 12 minutes from bottom to top. Most of the way I spent calculating how if I tied my shirt to my belt, and my belt to my shorts, and my shorts to my underpants, I could create a line to get me within 50 meters of the ground. That's a hell of a lot better than a 52 meter drop to the ground. At the top, I gave a blessing to David Dale. This was another of his must sees in Italy. Wonderful views of the entire island, and in particular the Grotto Verde. Didn't mind it so much when later in the day, we found it was too late for the Grotto Azura. We had a beer on the verandah of a bar, on the very top of the mountain, with only a dozen or so other people up there. Far from the madding crowd, we were in no hurry to come back down the mountain. By the time we did, it was 2.30 pm, and time for lunch. I accidentally discovered "Il Solitario", down a path between two houses, that vanished into the middle of houses and vine covered fences. Later found that the Lonely Planet Guide to Italy had also discovered it. Now they featured it for pasta at L7,000. We had Lobster with Fettuccine (for two) at L50,000. I don't think that's what they had in mind. There were only a few diners left when we arrived. We had a beer and mineral water while they prepared the lobster, which she talked us into, saying it was the special of the day, fresh locally caught. Insisted we both give her a kiss to thank her when we had our first mouthful. Happy to oblige. The place was well and truly empty when we left.
Now being 4.00, we thought to head off for Grotto Azura, which a local guide had advised that morning, that we leave until after 3.00 pm when there were less crowds. Guess what? We left it a little too late. They close the Grotto at 5.00 pm, so you need to be on the water by 4.00 at the latest (that's from Anacapri), and probably by 3.00 pm, from Capri itself. Who cares, we had a fabulous day on Capri, largely avoiding the crowds. Then again, there was the bus trip back from Anacapri to Capri to contend with, and the hoards trying to board the catamaran. Back home, we showered and changed and drove up to Sant Agata at around 8.00 pm. By now I have grown bold-no main street restaurants for us. We went down the grottiest looking street, and again up a back passage, which turned out to the main way in to a local eatery, Tavola Colda de Mimi. Primarily a take-away Pizza and Calzone and Arancini etc. Out back with a lovely tiled floor, and bamboo walls and roof, were eight or so tables. A family of mum, dad and miss two, a group of local kids (2 girls and five boys around 16), and a solitary local guy in his fifties, were already into it. We left it to the owner, who served two balls of pasta, filled with linguini, peas, sausage pieces, hard boiled egg, an topped with rich tomato and cheese sauce. Wouldn't have a clue what to call it, but 'twas great. With a beer and mineral water, simple and satisfying.
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| 20. | Tuesday 16th May 2000 Capri - Capri, Italy Jun 25, 2003 |
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