The day went to plan but not how we intended. We reached the sites but not in the way we would have liked. Yet we had a fantastic time and made the most of our day on Capri.
We walked through sleepy streets as Sorrento woke up and arrived at the port in time for the first ferry to Capri. With the essential cappuccino and Nutella-filled croissant in hand, we walked along the harbor wall to our ferry’s dock. Under a well placed covering, we queued while a brief yet heavy morning shower washed the streets as our boat arrived.
We arrived into many large groups of tourists at Capri harbor. It seemed many were from cruise ships in Naples having caught their first ferry. We headed to a preplanned cafe on the front and enjoyed some people watching over breakfast.
Having consumed our morning fuel, we headed to our first destination – an up market shopping street called via Camarelle. It was a short distance on the map but we learned the value of local knowledge. We had seen a sign to “funiculare” as we left our boat and knew we were riding a cable car later so dismissed it but it made a lot more sense as our short walk turned into a long climb. We convinced ourselves that the view was better as we had paid for it with sweat and calf pain.
While there were few others climbing the path, we rejoined the crowds at the top as we wandered through narrow streets. Everything was extremely well kept with beautiful buildings and every designer store we knew of, often with multiple shops. It was a time for window shopping rather than actual purchases!
Our next stop was the cable car from Anacapri. It looked a short mile on the map. The Google-suggested walking route took us back down the hill to the harbor then back up. We’d had enough hills so we agreed to take the more direct route by road. It started ok but the sidewalk disappeared, the road narrowed and steepened and the cars, buses, and scooters whizzed by faster. The “no overtaking” sign seemed obvious yet was still ignored. We were doing well with buses missing by inches until a lecherous scooter rider shouted in Bailey‘s face as he flew by. We had no choice to continue, but at least the view continued to grow. A final long flight of steep steps brought us to a parade of beautiful boutique shops and window shopping was great therapy as we meandered toward the cable car.
We enjoyed resting while queueing for the cable car and were soon on our way up the mountain.
We still had a few hours before our return ferry which we spent relaxing. We found a local beach which was not great but the water was refreshing. Janet and Peter chilled at a cafe (while blog writing 😊) and Bailey and Jett took the funiculare back up to the fancy shops! We grabbed a functional dinner before a ride back to Sorrento on the ferry’s top deck.
On arrival in Sorrento, we dreaded the climb back up the hill. One full bus left just as we arrived. Once we learned the next bus wasn’t for an hour, we started the walk. Soon we came across a taxi stand and we all rejoiced at being taken all the way back to our apartment. Our driver was talking about a big football game that evening which sounded ominous…
Soon after we arrived back in our apartment, we could tell the football game had started by the noise outside our window. It was the last game of the season and Naples were close to winning the national championship. They scored their first goal just as we were turning in. The shouts, horn blaring, and fireworks continued late into the night as they won the game and the town celebrated. It was not the best night’s sleep!
The Adventures of the Cajunlimeys 