Saturday on Capri

September 26^th. Saturday on Capri.

 

Today we drag our butts out of bed early for our day trip to the beautiful Isle of Capri where we can hobnob with the rich and famous. We make our way to Sorrento Port , far below on the sea. Sorrento is built high above on the cliff top. It’s a long zigzagging stairway down, I counted 107 steps, then a bit of a hike and we meet up with our tour group, lead by Peppe.

It is a large group and we board a jet boat for the Island. Peppe is as efficient as a drill sergeant, herding all of us along and making sure we get the most out of our day.  In 20 minutes we are at the Port of Capri. We disembark and make our way to a couple of small buses that will take us to the village of Anacapri perched on the top of the cliffs on the highest Part of the island. There is a road, built in the late 1800’s. It is a series of sharp hairpin turns zigzagging sharply up the cliff. It is a long way up and the road is steep and narrow. We meet other vehicles coming down, passing so close the mirrors almost catch. They call this road the OMG road because that is what the visitors say when they travel it.

Before the road was built the locals who lived there had only one way of coming down to the port to get their supplies. They would walk down a steep set of stairs (772 stairs), get their supplies and carry them back up on their heads. And this was the woman’s job. As our guide said, the men were not nearly as helpful back then as they are now!

 

Anacapri is a lovely little village. The streets are lined with little shops and restaurants. They depend almost entirely on tourism for their livelihood. There is a cable car that takes you from Anacapri, skimming above the town and taking you on an eagle’s eye journey to the highest point, Mt. Tiberius.

Instead we choose to explore the shops:  beautiful wool panchos, scarves, coral jewelry, handpainted ceramics. Everywhere there are Capri sandals, handmade in front you. You choose your style, colour, embellishment and in n0 minutes you have your own personal pair. They range from about 75E to 200E depending on the style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We wander down the winding streets to a lookout point at the top of a set of ancient stone steps, once used for transportation. Centuries later they are still there, still intact, but no longer used. Far below the sea shimmers in the sunlight, across the bay Mount Vesuvius holds centre stage.

High above at Anacapri the view is amazing, a 360 view across the sea with Vesuvius at centre stae.

We continue to the church, Chiesa Santa Anna, unique for its beautiful hand painted mosaic floor depicting the Garden of Eden. The church has a number of alcoves all frescoed with beautiful intricate depictions and ornate statues.  We make our way up a narrow winding circular staircase to the choir loft, housing a huge pipe organ. From here we can look down and take in the entire mosaic below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We glance at our watches, it is almost time to make our way back to the meeting point. Peppe is serious about keeping us on track!

We wind cautiously back down the OMG road to the village of Capri, the larger town on the island. Capri town caters to the affluent. Here the shops are high end designer names, expensive perfumes, jewellery, clothing, leather. The narrow streets are jam packed with people, elbow to elbow.

Capri Port

The famous Belltower

The dome of the Basilica

After a short tour we decide to get out of the crowds and instead take a boat tour around the island.

 

We circle the island as our guide points out the landmarks and points of interest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our skipper expertly guides our boat into grottos and through a natural arch. One grotto has water a brilliant emerald green, another is encircled with bright red and orange coral. The white grotto offers stalagmites and stalagtytes and even one the shape of the Blessed Virgin if your imagination is good.

The Coral Grotto

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Green Grotto

 

 

It is a quiet relaxing afternoon, away from the crowds, on the water.

 

 

 

 

The unemployed Boat People, one of the 10 most expensive yachts in the world "The Grace". Several of these are docked along the shore.

We return to the Island for one last chance to explore the harbour, then board our boat back to Sorrento. We are beat. My Fitbit has long ago buzzed to alert me that I have done my goal of 10,000 steps. And its only mid afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back at the apartment we rest, recharge and freshen up before making our way back down to the centre for dinner and a little time in the markets.

We are winding down our time here, only one more day before we head to Greece.

 

Come With Me……

Eat, drink, walk...

September 25^th.  Sorrento.

It is Friday and we are spending the day around Sorrento today.

We start the day with a 3 hour Food Walking Tour from 11:00 to 2:00, wandering through the downtown area stopping at 8 local restaurants and eateries to sample local dishes and specialties.

Our first stop is Hopera, a little family owned pasticceria or bakery where we begin with sfogliatelle, a flaky pastry, somewhat like a croissant but filled with ricotta and topped with custard and berries. Mouthwatering.

 We continue down Via Corsa to Bar Rita, a little deli where we sample arancini, a local specialty that is sort of like a rice ball that is coated and cooked, along with a refreshing orange flavored mineral water. I can already tell this is going to be a very filling lunch!

We visit a very popular pizzeria with a giant oven where they slip in rows of pizzas and paninis on a long wooden plank and bake them for only a few minutes at 800 degrees. The thin crust is crispy but moist and so delicious and the local mozzarella cheese is gooey and thick. The specialty is Saltimbocca, ham with mozza in a panini. Buffalo mozzarella is one of the special foods native to this area. I swear this is the best pizza or panini I have ever tasted!

Saltimbocca, local specialty Panini.

We tour a lemon orchard. It is a haven right in the centre of town, 3 acres of lemon grove where the lemons hang young and green. They harvest lemons 3 times a year and have just finished so the trees hold only green fruit now, the next harvest is December.

 

At the production area an elderly gentleman  peels lemons, the zest is used for their famous Lemoncello. The fruit is used for many other things like marmalade, soap, perfume. We sample Lemoncello, a walnut (another local special produce) liquor, lemon marmalade and a host of other lemon goodies.
They say the lemons in Sorrento lead a hard life.

Lemoncello

We head down the alley that borders the old wall of the ancient city. It is a market lined with shop after shop of local items.  We stop at a vendor who brings us a tray of dried meats and cheeses. The provolone di monaca and mortadella are fabulous! Tourists pass by, trying to sneak portions off our tray. We have permission to slug them if they do!

Next we pop into a lemon store, every manner of lemon candy and treats. Like almonds coated with chocolate and lemon… yummmm.

We stop for lunch of Caprese Salad and fresh gnocchi with a Sorrentine (tomato) sauce and Crema de Christi wine, a light white wine made from a local grape. The Roma tomatoes grown here are so fresh and full of flavour I could eat them at every meal.

We finish up with Coconut gelato, stuffed and satisfied. Excellent food, an excellent guide (Tamara from San Diego) and a good walk through the town.

 Tamara shows us the way to Marina Grande. We bid good-bye to the group and head off to discover the ancient fishing village that sits far below Sorrento on the seashore. We see it from above but want to go down. We wind through the town to a steeply sloping path that winds downward to the sea. It is quaint, charming, still a fishing village. Local fishermen are cleaning their catch by the shore. I pass a little beachfront café owned by a group of fishermen. They are having a lively singsong with the patrons. 

Here it is removed from the hustle bustle above, here we savour the quiet without cars and horns and hordes of people. We sit at a little bistro table and enjoy a cold drink in the hot sun of the afternoon. We meander along the shoreline, poking in a few small shops and stopping to pick up beach glass.

We make our way to a bar on the pier for a cold beer overlooking the brilliant blue of the ea, the sun warm on our faces.  Around us people doze on lounge chairs in the sun.

 

Finally we make our way back up the hill. We stop at the Excelsior Grand Hotel, advertising live jazz on Friday evenings. Sounds like a plan….  We watch the sunset, sipping a cold glass of wine and listening to good music.  What could be better! 

 

 

Ciao……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius.

September 24^th. Sorrento, Italy.

I was bone tired as I hit my bed last night. Well, it’s actually a pull out sofa bed in a little apartment we have rented for the week downtown Sorrento, just minutes from the main square. I had left the patio door wide open to enjoy the cool sea breeze gently cooling down the room. Bang! I am awakened sharply by cracks of thunder. The patio door slams shut rudely. I jump up to close up the room but the wind howls and shakes the flimsy door.

I dig in the dark for a pair of earplugs I carry but never use and crawl back under the covers and back to sleep.

The morning dawns cloudy and cool but the sun is trying to peak through. We check the weather channel and decide it is not going to rain any further and leave our rain jackets behind as we head off for an early morning start to a full day exploring the ruins of ancient Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that buried the city 2000 years ago.

 

The bus winds along the coast high above the Bay of Naples, town after town dotted along the bay, so dense you can’t tell where one starts and the other begins. We pass Piano del Sorrento, Meta and finally arrive in Pompeii. Pompeii was once a bustling commercial and trading centre. It was not built on opulence as some of its European counterparts, but on commerce. The ruins tell the story of a busy centre, practical, organized, efficient. Footprints of shops with small homes above, carefully planned streets – some built for pedestrian only traffic, some to accommodate carriages and carts. Streets and squares were carefully planned to accommodate the life within. Streets that sloped to carry water and sewer down and out, with the lack of a sewage system. Only the occasion villa that housed the privileged along with an impressive theatre which would humble most we see today.

Pompeii has roots in both Roman and Greek cultures, and evidence of both are throughout the structures.  Sitting in the shadow of the towering Mount Vesuvius, the people were oblivious to its menace. It was believed Vesuvius was too tall and too large to be a volcano. When it began spewing streams of gases and ash skyward in the year 79 ad, the people did not understand the danger and by the time they started to flea the city, it was too late. The entire city was buried under meters of ash. Polini the Younger, nephew of the then ruler wrote his observations of that day…. Ash and debris spewed 7 kms high into the sky. Then a cloud of ash and smoke that resembled the shape of the Mediterranean Pine descended over the area. Many were killed, not by the ash, but by the toxic gases that were emitted. Pompeii was devastated, abandoned. Now the ruins are carefully being reconstructed by archeologists, rich in history and telling the story of life 2000 years ago.

  

 
 


It seems The Red Light District was big in ancient Pompeii. Engraved signs in the cobblestone lead the way. These paintings on the wall of the brothel depict the 'menu' of services available.

As we make our way through the ruins the sunny sky begins to cloud over, thunder begins to rumble in the distance, then closer. With no shelter we huddle against bare stone walls as the sky opens and we are drenched by torrential downpour. Soaked to the bone, we hurry toward the exits and make our way to the Tiberius, a nearby restaurant where we try to warm up and dry off a bit, debating our next move…. Call it quits or continue on to Mt Vesuvius.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch, the rain has stopped the sun peaks through the crowds and we head to the volcano, still classified as an active volcano but dormant since that fateful day 2000 years ago. The bus takes us to the 1000 metre mark and the rest is up to us. The remaining 350 metres in height is a steeply sloping zig-zag trail that takes us to the top. Here we can walk around the gaping giant crater, see the rivers of lava rock evidencing the dramatic events centuries ago. A massive funnel, the crater drops inside the ring of lava, wisps of cloud wafting up from the gaping hole remind us of the steam and smoke of that day ions ago.

 

It was a good day, a long day, an educational day. We walked the streets and ruins of ancient Italy and peered down into the heart of a massive volcano.  An unbelievable experience.  And that was just Day 1….   Come With Me.

 

 

 

 

View over Bay of Naples from the top of Vesuvius.

Mt Vesuvius. Dormant since AD 79.

On the road again... Italy and Greece 2015.

 

 

 

September 22^nd.  On my way to Europe.

Off to an ominous start. I head to YVR early on Tuesday morning. Its 7:30 am and I meet up with my sister, Michelle. We have arrived at YVR with ample time to spare. All checked in, we stop for a tea and make our way to our gate. It is 8:30 and our flight is at 9:10.

As we near the gate we see the notice, the flight to Montreal has been delayed. Now departing 11:30. I begin to panic … this is not a good thing! That means we will miss our connection to Rome. And Cynthia will be in Montreal waiting for us.

We quickly grab our stuff and head to the Air Canada Service counter. They confirm we will miss our flight out of Montreal and there is no later flight to Rome today. However, they can get us on a flight to Toronto and on to Rome if we hurry. This means we will have to meet up with Cynthia in Rome. And who knows where our luggage will end up. We have to boot it to the other end of the terminal because the flight to Toronto departs in 15 minutes.

Arriving in Toronto with lots of time to spare, we are assured our luggage made the flight and we settle down for some very good, very expensive wine before boarding our overnite flight to Rome.

 

 

 

The journey continues…

Sept. 23^rd.  An 8 hour flight later and a few winks of sporadic sleep and we land in Rome at 10:30 am. (That’s 1:30 am in Vancouver.) The sun is bright, it’s a beautiful day. We have a train to catch from downtown Rome’s Termini Station at 12:26 but first have to see if our luggage made it, clear customs and immigration, meet up with Cynthia and get downtown to the terminal. In less than 2 hours….

 

But the Gods are with us today. Our luggage is there and we are through in less than a half hour. It takes longer than that to get your luggage in YVR! And there is a shuttle departing immediately for Termini Station. Hooray!!!

On board now, we settle in to our big comfortable seats on the Trenitalia train and enjoy our ride through the Italian countryside toward Napoli (Naples) on the Amalfi Coast.

 

From Naples we transfer to an old, heavily grafittied Circumvesuvia train which will carry us to Sorrento. Finally at 4:06 we are there… almost 24 hours later.

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Caio Bella Italia… the sun shines, the sea glimmers in the bright light. We drag our suitcases through the rough, cobblestone alleys to our apartment, home for the next 5 days. The adventure begins.  Come With Me……..

 

Entertaining us on the train.

And the next adventure..... countdown to Europe.

September 19th.  Getting ready for my next adventure. On Tuesday I am heading to Europe for another epic sister getaway, although, three weeks is probably a bit more than a getaway!

We start by flying into Rome where we transfer to three trains making our way to the Amalfi Coast. You know those amazing photos you see of charming colored houses stacked on Cliffside  overlooking the sea?  That is the Amalfi coast in the south of Italy.

Five days there and we fly to Athens where we will visit the ancient Greek ruins like The Acropolis, the Parthenon, Temple of Zeus, etc.

From there we board a ferry and sail to Santorini in the Greek Islands... gleaming white buildings with brilliant blue rooftops and domes overlooking the cobalt blue Mediterranean Sea. Here we will stay in a historic cave hotel.  Then on to four days in the Yades Spa on the island of Paros and four days exploring Mykonos with its iconic windmills and vibrant town centre.

Come with me and my sisters as we hike to the top of Mt Vesuvius and walk through the streets of Pompeii, once covered with the ash from the massive volcano. Join us on a walking food tour of Sorrento and wander through the picturesque villages of the Amalfi Coast, as we take a jet boat to explore the Isle of Capri and The Blue Grotto.

Come with us as we wander through narrow winding cobblestone walkways and up twisting stairways dotted with brilliant tubs of flowering blooms spilling over the blinding white of the buildings. Where breathtaking vistas await at each twist and turn.

Come with us as we go from plane to train to boat and back again. As we sip cold local wines and limoncellos, cool off with freshly made gelato, and savour the flavourful, mouth watering specialties of both Italy and Greece, two of my favourite types of cuisine.

Countdown,  only 3 more sleeps... come with me,,,,,,,