Naples, Italy

We have been to this port twice without actually seeing Naples! The last time we headed down the Amalfi Coast, which is beautiful, and visited Pompeii. This time we joined a private tour to the Isle of Capri. Our group met on the ship at 7:40. There were only 8 of us so very manageable. We headed off the ship before 8. We had to go thru a large terminal to meet up with our guide. We walked from there to the ferry on the next pier and boarded the boat for Capri. It was about an hour ride. 

Once on the island we saw many people go directly to smaller boats to go the Blue Grotto. The woman who arranged the tour had been to Capri twice before without being able to get into the grotto. We were hoping for better luck. Our guide said it is easier to get into the rowboats that take us into the grotto from shore than from another boat so we would take a bus there. A rowboat????? The one main road to the other part of the island is very narrow so we had to stop many times to let other buses pass, or any other vehicle. There was a lot of traffic. We saw from the pier a road and bridge high up a cliff, we would be taking that road. They call it the Mama Mia road because that is what people say when they go by that one section. Is was VERY high up with a drop straight down at the edge of the road. When we arrived at the Blue Grotto we were told to take all our belongings as we would not take the same bus back. The roads and parking are such that they just rotate the buses. The next group ready to go takes the next bus. 

From the drop off point we took a number of steps down to the water. We could see about 3 or 4 larger boats with maybe 20 people each, offloading into very small row boats. They were all painted blue and white. They put one person on the floor in the bow with 3 people packed on the floor in the back. The waves were quite high so it was a bit challenging getting into the boat not to mention maneuvering onto the floor. Mel was in the bow, I was first in the back. After me came 2 larger women. The first one sat on my leg, that wasn't great but there wasn't much she could do about it. It was so rough. She got settled then in came the third. She had little room to sit then arrange her legs under the seat of the man rowing. Unfortunately she already had knee issues so had a really hard time. Once we were all settled we were taken to get in line with the other boats. We had to wait our turn. When we got near the entrance it was almost unbelievable that anyone could get in there. It was probably less than a foot wider than the rowboats and not very high. When a wave came in, there was less than a foot clearance. The rower had to time it perfectly when the wave went out to pull our boat thru the entrance by a chain attached to the rocks before the next wave came in. The lady in front of me scooted down so I was the highest point in the boat. It was wondering how many people have been decapitated attempting this feat. Once inside there were about 4 other boats. We all just went around the edge of the cave then back to the entrance. Because of how the light reflects in the water, it appeared to glow blue. It was very pretty but more of an adventure than anything. We then had to crawl off the floor and get out of the boat with the high waves. It was a relief to be back on the stairs. We heard that it closed about 20 minutes after we were there. They cannot go in when the tide is in or if the water if rougher than it was. Our guide said it is open about 25% of the time so we were very lucky. 

Our next stop was Annacapri, the smaller of the 2 villages on the island. We walked thru town seeing some of the beautiful shops and hotels, to an overlook for pictures. That area was the start of the 800 stairs that would take you down to the port, at one time the only way to reach that village. We met back at a chair lift to the top of a hill. It was a one person lift. We had a great view most of the way up but the top was totally fogged in. That was unfortunate. Once down the lift again, we went to a nice restaurant. Most of us had pizza. It was good, not outstanding. 

From Annacapri we went to the village of Capri. We walked all the way to the other side of the island, maybe a 10 minute walk, so not very wide, to a beautiful park. Again there were designer stores and very beautiful hotels along the way. We had about 20 minutes to look around before riding the funicular down to the pier. There we also had about 20 minutes before getting on the boat back to Naples. I think Mel and I both slept most of the way back. We had a short walk back to the ship and were onboard at about 5:00. It had been a very nice and adventurous day.