The Island of Capri (Part 1)

The last stop on my Greek-Italian Cruise was Capri. And it was by far the best! I fell in love with the island.



We arrived there at about 11:00 AM, but the lead up to the island was part of what made it so awesome. That whole area in the Med Sea that we were sailing around was so beautiful. There are dramatic cliffs, amazing rock islands, and (I must mention this, because I am not always a nature person) some of the most awesome private yachts around. There was this one that was absolutely huge, and we got the pleasure of watching a helicopter land on it, and some very beautiful Eurotrash looking couples get off. I didn't recognize anyone....I was desperately hoping it would be some famous American or even Davie & Vicki Beckham or someone like that, but alas, even through the binoculars I borrowed from the yacht purser, I did not have a celebrity spotting.



The first plan of action upon our anchor just a few hundred feet from Capri, was a boat tour around the island. It was very cool. These little, wooden, completely open air boats came right up to the yacht and we loaded up. I lucked out in that, since I was in charge of this activity, I got everyone on the boats (each one held about 20 people) and then I was left with the last boat with only 8. So, our group had plenty of room to move around, very carefully because those of us in the front of the boat got splashed a few times, and snap pics, and just enjoy the scenery.



Our guide on the boat's name was Paulo. He was so typical Italian, it actual made me giggle a little. He was on the shorter side, a little pudgy, extremely dark skinned, had crazy afro-esque dark curly hair, talked very loud, used his hands when speaking, and was wearing a bright turquoise polo shirt, white linen pants, and very European looking suede shoes with the male version of the pointy toe. We were instant friends.



So, we load the little wooden boat, and start our journey. Being the conscientious travel director that I am, I, of course, asked Paulo where the life jackets were on the boat, and his response to me was...



"No need...no need...we have a great driver!"



And we are off. The ride was perfect. It was beautiful weather, albeit a little overcast. But, that actually made everything look even more impressive, because I snapped some great pics of the mountains and hills encircled by clouds. The ride made for a lovely breeze, and Paulo's commentary was priceless.



The island is pretty much all mountains, hills and cliffs. Breathtaking. I was trying to decide what the landscape reminded me of, but all I could come up with was that it resembled (on a much bigger, more awesome, and more exaggerated scale) the cliffs in Northern California around the 17 mile drive of Monterey & Peeble Beach.



There were all these gorgeous mansions hidden throughout the cliffs also. But, unlike a lot of other popular vacation home spots...they were so scattered that they actually fit into the landscape, instead of ruining it.



Another thing I noticed was the number of not just private yachts, but also just speed boats of all sizes anchored around the island. There were people swimming off the boats, and just relaxing in general on the decks. Paulo said that taking a personal boat or a rented boat with a driver out for the day is very popular because (and I did not realize this until it was mentioned) Capri has no beaches! It is all cliffs, and rocks. So, if you want to swim in the ocean, you have to do so from a boat.



This was another moment for me, when I was forced to consider that I was working, and not on vacation. Because, if I had been there on my own, I probably would have ditched the land part of the tour, gone straight to the dock, rented a boat and captain, and spent the rest of the afternoon doing cannonballs while it was anchored next to this picturesque island. It looked so refreshing, and fun!



As our tour around Capri continued, we saw some of the famous sites. Like the cliff that Emperor Tiberius used to throw slaves, and women who disappointed him to their death in Roman times. We saw the copper statue of the mermaid that is perched upon one of the rocks. And we also got to take the boat into some of the caves that line the cliffs of the Isle. Very cool.



One cave in particular had all this bright bright blue corral growing inside of it, and it was gorgeous. Seeing the blue corral mix with the reflections on the jewel like shades of the water swishing around was a memorable moment for me.



My favorite part of the boat ride was, of course, the little rock islands and the arches. There are all these small islands that just look like huge rocks in the water. The most famous of these, the Italian call the Faraglioni Rocks. They are awesome, and you can take the boats right up to them for photos and such. Then, the coolest part was when we boated under the famous Arch. It was just a little higher than the boat, you couldn't touch the ceiling despite my standing up and trying, but it was gorgeous, and the tradition associated with the arch is very sweet.



Paulo said that when going under the arch, the Italians believe that since it is so beautiful and romantic, you have to kiss someone. Well, we went under the arch, and all the couples on the boat kissed each other. The other TD kissed Paulo, the boat driver was too busy steering, and I, of course, sat there and stared into space.



I did decide that this arch is the new place where I want to be proposed to, if that day ever comes! it just seemed like such an amorous and awe-inspiring setting.



O. K. I am going to end this here, because it has gotten really long. There will be a part 2, and that will describe after the boat tour ended, and I actually explored the island.

Stay Tuned............