DAY 13 - THURSDAY 29th AUGUST 2013
Up before the alarm which was set for 7am - so straight up to Oceanview Cafe for a cooked breakfast and toast which we eat out on the deck. We disembark in Naples and head straight to the dock to buy a fast ferry ticket to Capri which costs €18 each. It leaves at 8.05pm and takes about 50 minutes to get there. We bought a return ticket for 3.25pm as we had read it is better to book a time so you don't end up having to wait for a later ferry and missing the boat leaving. Onto the Superjet and off we go.
[Kev - as you can see, one of the Disney ships was in port.]
It is quite choppy and cloudy as we approach Capri and one poor girl is definitely looking under the weather as we eventually dock. [Kev - 'under the weather' alright. She's curled up in a ball and has turned a very strange shade of green.]
We go to the bus ticket station and buy a ticket to Ana Capri €1.80. Tiny little buses to cope with the narrow winding roads but it is packed and we both stand up clinging on for dear life as the driver miraculously traverses the steep winding road up to Ana Capri. It is literally a close your eyes and hope for the best moment when we meet other vehicles coming the other way and judging by the state of some of the cars and buses they must have numerous scrapes every day where someone misjudges by just a few centimetres. The scenery on our way up is beautiful and being able to look down to the town below and the sea makes the journey very worthwhile.
When we get to Ana Capri we find the most picturesque town, narrow streets of whitewashed houses and shops clad in bougainvillaea and oleander. [Kev - isn't that where they get their wands from in Harry Potter?.]
We wander
around taking pictures and enjoying the scenery before getting a
chair lift pass. These cost €10 each and in spite of my
wariness about the height of these things I find the journey up
to be mostly enjoyable. It took me a while to let go of the
safety bar and feel comfortable enough to take photographs but
the peace and tranquillity on the journey up make it a must do
for anyone visiting this island.
[Kev -
'mostly enjoyable'? The whiteness of your knuckles as you cling
on for dear life say otherwise.]
At the top there are some amazing iconic views - there is also a cafe for those wishing to take refreshment before heading back down. Apparently if you can't face the cable cars there is a way of walking up and down to this viewing sight - but I would imagine in the heat of the day this would be quite strenuous. After taking multiple photographs we jump on the chair lift back down to Ana Capri.
[Kev - the end of the chair lift is way off in the distance at the top of the mountain.]
We then get the bus down to Capri town where we head off to Augustus Gardens and Via Krupp.
[Kev - this windy path is the Via Krupp I suspect it's easier to walk down than walk up.]
Again this is just too picturesque and a photo opportunity at every turn. After the long walk down Via Krupp we find ourselves in Marina Piccolo a really small seaside village where the pebbly beach is rammed with people enjoying the sun. We decide to get a bus back to Capri town and find somewhere for lunch. We eat at Restaurant Isdora and get a table on the upstairs terrace. We share a lovely Parma ham and rocket pizza and shrimp, parmesan and tomato salad, this is washed down with 2 beers, water and bread and is just short of €50 in total.
We take a walk
through the narrow side streets and eventually head down on the
funicular which costs €1.80 back to the port.
Catch the 3.25pm superjet back to Naples - and this is the only
time on the whole holiday that we see any rain - albeit just for
5 minutes.
Back to the
ship we go to the Oceanview Cafe to catch tea. Honey raisin scone
with jam and cream and a pot of tea which is all taken back to
the cabin to eat in the sunshine on the balcony.
We then have the onerous task of packing before rewarding
ourselves with a drink in the Molecular Bar which we take to the
Promenade Deck to enjoy the sunset.
[Kev - I have no idea what that chap is doing hiding behind my chair. The cad.]
Have another drink and give our tip envelopes to Sergey and his lovely assistant before going to the Ensemble Lounge.
[Kev - Sergay and Loida. They looked after us really well for the whole trip. I suspect Tam would have liked Sergay to have looked after her a little more. The hussy]
We had a reservation for 8.30pm at Tuscan Grille but as we were early we decided to go and see if there was any chance of eating earlier. Luckily it wasn't a problem and we had another lovely table for two by the window. We watch as we pass by islands with twinkling lights on as it gets gradually more dark. We start with the Antipasti of proscuitto, mozzarella and tomatoes, accompanied by a glass of prosecco with a chocolate dipped strawberry in it. Kev then has calamari with lemon aioli and I have grilled goats cheese salad with balsamic dressing which is accompanied by lovely foccacia bread, bread sticks and roasted garlic, and tomato tapenade. For main course Kev has filet mignon with blue cheese butter and garlic mash and I have spaghetti bolognese with a side of garlic mash as it was just define. The spaghetti was enormous and I really struggled - but we really enjoyed it. We had a lovely glass of red wine with the meal as recommended by the sommelier. Back to the cabin to change and put the suitcases out for tomorrow.
In the Molecular Bar for one last drink there and then back to cabin for bed. As we are getting ready we can see a storm rolling in on the horizon, the most amazing lightening storm which according to Kev we then sailed straight through and the rain lashed down so you couldn't see out. Unfortunately I missed this as the wine, cocktails and food meant I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.