Small buses and smaller roads.....Capri

Monday, another day off, my parents and I decided to venture down to the Island of Capri. After getting up and looking at the cloudy sky, we decided that we would go anyways, it was better then sitting in my apartment all day. So we headed to the Fondi train station and got on the train to Napoli. Once we got to the Napoli train station we hopped on the metro to stop the ticket man and the internet said. The metro stop was in the part of the city that was right on the coast. We followed the signs to the port and walked up to the ticket office advertising boats to the islands, only to find out that the boats to Capri where sold at a port about 5km or 3 miles, down the coast! It was a nice day, so we decided we would walk along the coast to the next port, turns out it was a super long walk, and I was super annoyed with how close, but how far away it was, probably because I was so anxious to get to Capri!

After walking along the coast, from what seemed like one end of the city to the other, we finally got to the port that had boats to Capri. We bought our tickets and waiting at the docks watching the boats. Our boat, scheduled for 12:40, got there a little late, and we finally ended taking off from Napoli at around 1pm. We had the option of sitting inside, or sitting on the upper deck outside, we choose outside so we could see the view! It was about 30 to 45 minutes to get to Capri and it was absolutely beautiful! It was like one giant mountain in the middle of the ocean.

View of Capri from the dock

Once we got there we decided to take the bus up to the little town called Anacapri, its a little further up the mountain then the town center of Capri. We got on this tiny tiny bus, it had about 8 seats and standing room for about 5 people, and we headed up the mountain. The road looked like a one way road and at first we thought it was, until we saw a car headed right for us. There were large stone walls on either side of the road, mainly marking the entrances to the houses on the island. As the car approached us our bus moved over, inches from wall, only allowing inches for the car to pass. We were all amazed at how fast our bus driver was going and how it didn't even seem to phase him that there was another bus coming right after the car. Our bus driver stayed close to the way, and as the buses passed each other the mirrors were almost touching, the bus drivers literally could have stuck their hands out the window and given each other a high five as they drove by. The bus driver didn't seem to flinch as he rounded the corners of the road that zig-zagged up the mountain, at one point as he rounded the curve, the wall on the side of the road was so low and we were on the very edge of the mountain it looked like the bus was going to drive right off the mountain, that part was a little scary.

View from the bus ride up to Anacapri

From the bus window, how close to the wall we were

When we finally got to Anacapri, the bus lets you off right at the beginning of a little walkway that leads to the historical center of the town. As we walked down the little path we looked at all of the little boutique clothing shops, jewelry shops, and houses that lined either side of the pathway. We were super hungry, since by the time we got there it was about 2:30pm (lunch time). We passed a lot of little restaurants that were advertising lunch menus and all of these specials, but with my experience those places are really tailored towards the tourists and they aren't actually true authentic Italian food and they cost WAY too much, so I passed right by them. I found this little place that wasn't heavily advertised and the prices were as they should have been and it looked like authentic Italian food. The entrance to the restaurant was off of the main path, but you had to walk under this walk way of vines and then turn the corner and walk into the tiny dining area. It looked like an entrance to a private residence, so I figured not many people would be there, WRONG, we walked in and there was only one table left and pretty much everyone else there was American. Although there were a lot of tourists there, it still very authentic and very home cooked food. My dad got a pizza, my mother got a nice chicken salad and I got the gnocchi. IT WAS AMAZING! After the wonderful meal, I had their homemade, special recipe pistachio gelato, again AMAZING!

Church in the center of Anacapri

After our lunch, we finished walking down the little pathway to the center of Anacapri, when we got there, there was a beautiful old church and beautiful painted tile benches. There really isn't a lot in this area, just little stores and private homes to look at as you walk. Once we got to the center we decided to turn around and head back. We found this little leather sandal shop, where you can choose the type of straps you want and they will make the sandal right there as you wait. There are a lot of these shops all over the island, but this one made sandals in size 11!!!! So I stopped and looked at his options, and finally chose the sandal I wanted, as the man sat there and put together my sandal, I looked at the pictures on his shop window, only to discover a picture of him standing next to Kobe Bryant. He then told me that he was one of the best sandal makers in this place and he had made sandals for multiple famous people, Americans and Italians! He then told me to take a picture with him because I would want it and signed the bottom of my shoe and on our way we went! We got the bus back to the Grande Marina. The bus ride down the mountain was just as tight and just as scary as the ride up! Once we got to the marina we bought our ticket for a boat ride back to Napoli, and got on the boat.

The sandal maker

These boat was not even close to full, and only had the option for sitting inside, which was fine because the weather was getting very cold. This ride took about an hour to get back to Napoli, then we headed back to the train station and got our train back to Fondi!

Me in Capri

What an amazing trip! Capri is amazing and I really wish I had some more time to explore the little towns and what they have to offer! Maybe next time!

Italian word/phrase of the day: nave  "ship"

Waiting for the boat back to Napoli

Boat we took back from Capri to Napoli