The isle of Capri

We woke late, at 7:40. There had been thunderstorms during the night and heavy rain. It was hard to see any of the view of the bay of Naples from our room balcony because of low cloud. We had a lovely breakfast at 8:30 - juice, coffee, fruit and pastry - and were waiting in the lobby when a minibus came to collect us at 10 am. Lindy said I looked like a meerkat, my head popping up now and again to see if the bus had arrived.

We were driven to the wharf at Sorrento, where we met Sasha, our guide for Capri. He said we were waiting for a group of Spaniards so we had some time to take some photos of the area around the wharf.

When we were ready to leave, the group numbered about 40 - mostly Spanish with only about 8 English speaking.  Sasha explained that the blue grotto might be open, or it might not, conditions change from moment to moment. He handed out tickets for the hydrofoil and said to board at the back so we could be first off. 

The trip took about 30 minutes. The water was a bit choppy but the sun did finally appear as the isle of Capri grew larger. Once on the island, we went to the blue grotto wharf, where we were told that the grotto was closed. Sacha took us on a larger boat to see the entrance and to explain why we couldn't go inside. It's such a small entry. If we had been able to go in, we would have been 3 to a rowboat, plus the rower. All 4 passengers would have to duck low down to avoid being brained by the rock. Sacha explained that the water level remains constant in the bay, so it's not tides that prevent entry to the grotto - it's the movement of the water. In order to take the boats and passengers inside safely, the water has to be flat. We were disappointed but I understood that it is impossible to control weather conditions.

As the boat took us back to the jetty, Sasha gave us a potted history of the island. The dialect spoken there was a mix of Greek and Italian. Greek because it was the Greeks who settled there way back in history. The island only has one road so it's not possible to get lost on it. Back at the jetty, our group was divided into two and we each boarded a smaller bus to go up to Anacapri, at the top of the island's mountain. (Ana is from the Greek, and it means above.)

Because we hadn't visited the blue grotto, we had some extra time so stopped half way up to walk around a little piazza. After we'd visited some of the shops there and had taken photos, we continued on our way up to Anacapri. The road was a bit scary in parts - narrow and twisty, with long drops at the side - but the views made up for that. The sun had come out and there were only a few clouds so the day looked much nicer.

In Anacapri we were taken to lunch, at another, small family restaurant.While we ate the rain came down in buckets. When we went for a walk after lunch, the rain had stopped but water was running down the street, and the stairs had become waterfalls. There was nowhere to sit in the dry so we went to a cafe and had a coffee while we waited for 4 pm, when we were to meet Sacha. Coaches took us back down the hill to the wharf where we caught the last hydro back to Sorrento. While standing on the jetty, waiting for the boat along with all the other tourists, the workers who live in Sorrento also arrived. Then the rain came down again. It was torrential and there was only a little sheltered area. We all crowded underneath and tried to avoid the drips, laughing at the sight we all looked - like drowned rats.

We arrived back in Sorrento at 6:15, and said goodbye to Sacha. A small bus took us all to our respective hotels. The rain stopped and the clouds lifted so we had a better view from our balcony.

Dinner was as wonderful as the night before, with a bonus - entertainment. A husband and wife from Sorrento serenaded the diners with typical Italian songs. As we ate and listened to the music, we enjoyed seeing the twinkling lights of Naples on the other side of the bay. 

After dinner, Lindy was keen to try a limoncello, so we went to the bar. She quite enjoyed it but declined to buy a bottle to take home.