Capri, Amalfi, & Ravello!
September 24th, 2022 (G)
The train ride to Naples was uneventful, the action didn’t start until we arrived. Shortly after exiting the train station, we planned to catch a city bus to our hotel. A very normal thing to do. You may recall from past entries that the area immediately around train stations tends to be more questionable than other parts of the city. In Naples, we found an exception. The area outside of the train station was pretty rough looking, with trash strewn about in the streets and a menagerie of questionable looking characters. We quickly found our bus stop and waited. It was a minute or two later when one of the questionable looking characters, poorly disguised as a police officer, approached us, and flashed a laminated card that he claimed was his badge and officer information, before claiming to be a police officer. He then quickly asked us where we were going.
Knowing that this was almost certainly a scammer or some other form of unsavory character, we kept it vague, stating only that we were going to our hotel and that we had no need of assistance. The fake officer seemed to quickly understand our tone and facial expressions which strongly conveyed that the conversation was over and that we were onto him. We were fortunate that rather than escalating the situation he seemed to prefer to not draw any attention from the real police enforcement standing nearby with their rifles and he moved on.
We soon boarded our bus, which was extremely crowded. It was a pickpocket’s dream inside the bus, but we were vigilant and lucky. As we moved away from the train station the general state of things did not improve. Garbage was everywhere. There has been a long history of garbage issues in the city of Naples. During our time there we found only the waterfront promenade to be free of trash. We were relieved when we, at last, entered our hotel. We ventured out to the aforementioned waterfront promenade for dinner and then opted to spend the night in our room.
September 25th, 2022 (G)
The rain greeted us as we left for the ferry station. We decided to walk as it was only a “10-minute walk” which was a lie. It was at least 30 minutes to the ferry building and T and I are generally pretty quick walkers. After a half hour, we made it to the ferry building and we were very damp. The sea outside was a little choppy but nothing extreme, T and I had sailed through much worse on our first visit to Africa when crossing the Straits of Gibraltar. So, we were rather surprised to find that our ferry had been canceled. In fact, all the ferries to Capri had been canceled, except one.
That one ferry wasn’t leaving from Naples though. It was leaving from Sorrento which was a full two hours drive to the south due to traffic. We were the lucky ones though since we at least knew about the other ferry. T’s tenacity had paid off since she continued to question the ferry building personnel after having been originally told simply that all the ferries had been canceled. Armed with that knowledge, we set out in search of a means to get to Sorrento in time for the ferry. We were double lucky when we found a minivan taxi driving that was arranging a ride to Sorrento that needed two extra passengers. T and I jumped in the front seat with the driver and off we went.
Two hours later we arrived in Sorrento with enough time to split the Taxi fare 8 ways, buy new tickets for the ferry from Sorrento to Capri, and stand around for just 20 minutes before boarding the mostly empty ferry. The ride to Capri was smooth as there was little wind with the rain. We were greeted on the dock by a driver named Luigi that had been sent by our hotel at our request since we had decided to stay in Anacapri on the western part of the island instead of Capri itself. Luigi was kind enough to point out the main street of Anacapri and a few points of interest along the way to the hotel.
After arriving at the hotel and finding our room we decided to call it a day rather than venturing out again. The weather had remained chilly and rainy and we were both tired from the impromptu reroute to Sorrento.
September 26th, 2022 (G)
With our plans for poolside sunbathing squashed by the still chilly rainy weather, we spent most of the morning relaxing. Then since the weather had cleared some, we ventured to the main street of Anacapri. We had been tasked by a very dear friend to find a specific perfume shop and purchase some that we could send to her mother. The perfume was only sold on the island of Capri. After a bit of searching, we found the shop. However, it dawned upon us that we weren't exactly certain which perfume specifically we were searching for. So we took reference photographs and sent them to our friend so that we could return the following day and claim the correct perfumes.
With our mission temporarily paused, we spent time walking around, exploring the town of Anacapri, and eating gelato. After a few hours, we returned to our hotel and enjoyed watching the sunset from the rooftop terrace.
September 27th, 2022 (G)
The weather had finally cleared fully and warmed enough that after breakfast we decided to set out on foot to see the Blue Grotto. Our hotel was near enough that we felt the walk would not be too far and would do us some good after being cooped up by the weather. We had not walked for too long when we spotted a set of stairs that were not shown on the map but went in the general correct direction we needed. The road itself was a set of switchbacks without a real shoulder or sidewalk so the stairs which seemed like they would simply cut straight down the switchbacks appeared to be a welcomed option. We started down the stairs.
After a while, it became apparent that while they were still moving us down and in the correct direction, they did not meet back up with the road as we had anticipated and the quality of stairs and path was quickly dissipating into little more than a brush covered trail. Just as we were about to call it a loss and turn around to head back up the hill, we spotted another trail that went out to the right, which was also the direction of the actual road. Figuring that we didn't have much to lose by attempting to follow that path back to the road we decided to try our luck. We trudged on through thick undergrowth for a while, things were looking rather hopeless. Then all at once, the path cleared and we found ourselves once again on the main road and much closer to the Blue Grotto than we had expected.
We walked on the road a bit further, until once again we noticed a set of steps going downhill. This time, the stairs had a sign to accompany them. The sign stated that the stairs led to a fortress walk along the coast. Since the walk ended very near the Blue Grotto anyway, we decided to take it. We enjoyed exploring the network of old forts used by different nations centuries before to defend and control the island and thanks to a series of painted tile signs along the way learned a great deal more about the local flora and fauna of the island.
After completing our little deviation, we arrived at the hilltop above the Blue Grotto and wasted no time descending the steps down to a little shop that was just above it. Though it was still a little chilly, I had half a mind to jump into the water and swim into the grotto. However, according to the local shop owner, it was now illegal to swim into the Blue Grotto as only boats were allowed to enter the grotto. Well, we called it a miss and enjoyed a small lunch overlooking the sea from above the cave. The wind was pretty strong so swimming out to it may have been a bit dangerous anyway.
After lunch, we caught the bus back up to Anacapri. We had heard back from our friend and with new information were prepared to make the perfume purchase. Or so we thought. We had checked the hours and confirmed with the shopkeeper the day before that they would be open the next day at the time we planned to return. We returned according to that time, but in true Italian fashion the shop was closed and the shopkeeper was nowhere to be found. No note, nothing to indicate when they would reopen. Slightly baffled, we once again wandered the town for a little while, checked once more the still very closed perfume shop, and then began walking back to the hotel. Luigi spotted us on his way back to the hotel and we gladly accepted a ride for the return trip.
We spent the rest of the evening enjoying the rooftop terrace, watching the peregrine falcons dive for prey against the backdrop of the sea and setting sun.
September 28th, 2022 (G&T)
Our day to leave Capri had finally arrived. The weather was fair, so we were once again surprised to learn that our ferry to Amalfi had been canceled. So rather than one last attempt to acquire the coveted perfume we spent our morning in Capri at the docks making arrangements to catch a ferry to Sorrento, yet again the incorrect location. A key underlying takeaway of our trip to Capri was simply don’t plan on reliable ferries. The weather can appear fair and they will still cancel them. At long last, we were aboard a ferry. The crossing was uneventful.
Once in Sorrento we walked through the town to catch a bus to Amalfi. The beauty of the drive along the coast between Sorrento to Amalfi cannot be overstated. While I enjoyed the bus ride, I found myself wishing I had either rented a car or motorcycle to make that drive. Once we arrived in Amalfi a light rain started up again, but we escaped most of it by quickly hopping on another bus bound for Ravello.
This bus was the first and only bus that enforced the requirement of wearing masks. We were one of the first people on the bus because we had our masks handy, which also meant we secured a good seat. We continued up the mountains, made a few stops, and after about 20 minutes reached our stop. Our accommodation was close to the bus stop but we weren’t quite sure how to find it. We walked through town, down an old stone tunnel and stairwell, and made our way to a street overlooking the Amalfi Coast. Google Maps told us we were exactly where we should be, though we still couldn’t find it. Fortunately, a friendly middle-aged Italian woman stopped to help us. We were, in fact, in exactly the correct place. She showed us which door was the correct one. We thanked her and rang the buzzer to be granted entry.
Eleanor’s Garden, our accommodation, quickly became one of our favorites. It’s a series of a few old stone houses with their own large private yards and hot tubs and gorgeous views of the cliffs and coasts below. We were exhausted from another longer-than-necessary journey so we relaxed for the evening and enjoyed a glass of complimentary prosecco in the hot tub while it was raining.
September 29, 2022 (T)
The sun did not want to shine. The sky was overcast and it rained more than it didn’t. We enjoyed our breakfast. While eating breakfast, we met an adorable resident cat. We also learned we could have a bag of laundry done for only five euros so we jumped on the opportunity. After breakfast, we gathered our dirty clothes into a bag and brought it to reception where they let us know they’d bring it back to our room when it was done, and they did a few hours later. Since the weather wasn’t cooperating with us, we decided to take the day to plan more of our adventure and do a little blogging. Something you may not expect to have set this hotel apart from every single other place we had stayed in Europe - it had screens! We were so excited to leave the door open so we could see outside, listen to the rain, and not worry about mosquitos.
To our delight, the resident cat mosied over to our house and looked at us with curiosity through the screen door. G is, unfortunately, allergic to cats, but he agreed we could let him inside as long as we closed off the bathroom and bedroom. I got up, happily closed the doors, and ran over to the front door to let our guest in. We named him Ravello after the town (and it means “rebel” so we found it fitting). He sat on the couch with us for hours, gradually scooting closer and closer to me until we were cuddling. Ravello earned the nickname “circle cat” because at one point, he formed a perfect circle. He helped us get quite a bit of planning done that day.
Circle cat kept us company all afternoon and into the evening. It was starting to get late and G and I were getting hungry. We decided to check out a pizza place just down the hill. We brought circle cat outside and told him goodnight then walked down the hill to the restaurant. Had the weather been clear, the view from the restaurant would have also been stunning. The pizza was delicious. After dinner, we walked back up the hill and called it an early night.
September 30, 2022 (T)
The forecast was still disagreeable, but we were glad to see the sun peak through the clouds sporadically throughout the day. After breakfast, we got ready to venture into town. We walked back up the windy stone steps and explored the town. There were a few picturesque piazzas with a mountainous backdrop. What really caught our eye was a sign for “wine and drugs”. Naturally, we followed the sign into a shop which turned out to be a wine shop that also sold olive oil because “it’s addictive”. Alright. Well, we bought some wine. We also stopped at a gelateria (of course. chocolate and hazelnut for me, this time) for gelato, and at a tiny grocery store to pick up some provisions for dinner.
When we returned to our little house, we doused ourselves with bug spray because the mosquitos were ferocious, and we enjoyed the lovely coastline views in the sunshine. No amount of bug spray could ward off those mosquitos so we stayed out for as long as we could then went back into the safety of our house. We did some more trip planning and then cracked open the bottle of local wine. I made dinner (pasta with spinach and pesto) then we ate and drank wine and watched Netflix for the rest of the evening.
October 1, 2022 (T)
Our time in Europe was coming to an end in a couple of days. Today we traveled from Ravello back to Naples, our departure city. Transportation options were limited, private taxi for about 70 euros/person or a series of buses for about 15 euros/person. We chose the bus option. After breakfast, we packed up our backpacks and were on our way to a bus stop that was on the side of the road.
We walked down the hill, and down, and down some more until we got to the street. We found the stop and it really was on the side of the road. There wasn’t much room between us and the cars, but this was normal for the area so we weren’t worried. Our bus arrived and drove us to Salerno where we would pick up our connection. We had a couple of hours to wait so we grabbed some lunch and after we ate, we waited by a nearby fountain. The fountain looked pleasant from a distance, but up close, it was full of trash. We were sad to this and were ready to leave when our bus arrived. We boarded the bus and headed back toward Naples. On the way, we drove past Vesuvius and Pompeii.
We were dropped off at the central station, where we had arrived the week prior via train. This time, our hotel was just a ten-minute walk away. On the walk we got some seriously sketchy and trashy vibes again and decided we would hide out in our hotel until it was time to leave. We were pretty tired anyway.
October 2-3, 2022 (T)
We stuck to the plan to lay low and spent the majority of our time figuring out what to do while in Cape Town, our next destination. Both nights we were in Naples, we heard fireworks at odd hours of the night. Later we learned that is often used as a signal that a drug shipment arrived. I’m sure there are nice areas of Naples and I’ve heard it has improved a lot over the past decade or so, but it still has a ways to go to catch up to other Italian cities as far as cleanliness and friendliness go.
On the morning of the 3rd, we piled into an Uber and were off to the airport for our next country and next continent. We were so thrilled to have completed the Europe leg of our trip.