From the beginning of our trip we wanted to go to Capri. I distinctly recall a moment in our living room, with the map of Italy laid out on the floor, a bottle of wine, and us sprawled on the floor, Molly proclaimed, "Capri! I want to go to Capri!" She found it on the map and pointed at it, "It's here! And we're here! Let's go!" So Molly got her wish and I'm forever thankful for that evening when Molly decided it was Capri or bust.
Capri is an island off the southern coast of Italy. We took a train to Naples and from there took a ferry to Capri. Now, Naples is a very dirty city and super sketchy. We had no idea how to navigate the city, so we had to grab a cab. He took us to the port, Molo Beverello and told us where to get our tickets for the ferry. We went to get our tickets and they claimed that we had to walk to the other side of the port and get our tickets there. Confused, we made our way to the other side of the port, where we had no idea where to get tickets, and they sent us back to where we started. After much confusion, we finally figured it out and got our tickets. We had to wait for a little bit but we were on our way to Capri!
When we got there, we grabbed a latte then jumped on a bus to Anacapri where our hotel, Hotel Bussola di Hermes, was located. After a death defying bus ride, we asked directions and walked the rest of our way to the hotel through the narrow roads of Capri. When we arrived at the hotel we immediately felt at home. The women at the front desk was extremely nice and helpful. She upgraded our room to a room with a gorgeous view and basically gave us an itinerary, which would prove helpful. She told us about two different hikes we had to do and a chair lift. So we settled into our room and then went out to explore. Now when I say we "hiked" in Capri, what I actually mean is we took the hike of death. The trails in Capri our basically just hills and stairs and stairs and more stairs. Now, don't get me wrong, I would never change a thing about this trip, but I do remember thinking a few times that I might die. The first night we took a hike on the Anacapri side near the Villa San Michele. It was so beautiful and I immediately fell in love with it.
Capri is the most amazing place not just because it is beautiful and magical but because the people there are so nice. If you pass someone in the street they will say "Buona sera!" or "Buon giorno!" No where else in Italy will you find that. The pace here is completely different then anywhere else. It's slow and relaxed. No one is trying to get anywhere fast and they just love living life here.
The next day was one of the best days of my life. After breakfast we took a chairlift up to the highest point of the island. This was amazing. Not only were there gorgeous views on the way up, but when we got up there it was just completely breathtaking. If I could have my way, this is where I would want to get married. It's just absolutely gorgeous and serene. After spending at least an hour up there, we made our way back down, grabbed some pizza and started on our next adventure.
Time for some serious hiking through some seriously gorgeous surroundings. This hike was on the Capri side of the island and we got to see the Arc di Naturale, some cool caves, and the gorgeous waters of the Mediterranean Sea. We didn't get to go swimming but we did get to lay out in the sun by the sea. This hike took much longer than expected and was much more physically demanding than expected. But I would never change it, it was the experience of a lifetime. But I was so happy to see flat land again.
We were leaving the next day and we still hadn't seen the Grotto Azzuro! AKA, the Blue Grotto. We had heard that this was a must do in Capri and we couldn't leave the island without seeing it. The morning that we left we made time to go see the Grotto Azzuro. And let me tell you, I'm so happy that we did. It is the most amazing natural wonder I have ever seen. You pay these Italian men a ridiculous amount of money to take you on a row boat into the cave. You go through a way to small opening and into the grotto. They serenade you as you are just staring in wonder at the ridiculous blue water. I mean BLUE water. Beautiful blue water. Then when they take you back out, you're like wait... let's do that again! But alas, you must leave the beautiful grotto behind.
We made our way back to the Marina Grande, had some calamari, and dipped our feet into the beautiful waters of the Mediterranean. Then we were back on way to reality, where nothing is as beautiful as the island of Capri.
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