Isle of Capri.....

"'twas on the isle of capri that I found her
Beneath the shade of an old walnut tree
Oh, I can still see the flowers bloomin around her
Where we met on the Isle of Capri"

Well Henry and I needed a vacation.  It was pretty hectic around Rome with the naming of the new Pope Francesco.  We decided to take a trip to Napoli and Capri.  Originally, we planned on overnighting in Napoli and then heading to Capri for a quick visit and back the next day.  A destination in Napoli was the Museo Archaeological Nationale di Napoli.  I confess, I always had thought of Napoli as quaint and beautiful.  Gulp... I might even have named it as a destination spot at one time.  Henry quickly set me straight - Napoli's population is around 4MM (a big ugh for me) and I quickly decided with a place that size, I wouldn't be able to "settle in" therefore decided we should change the agenda.   Train to Napoli, quick tour of the Museo and then off to Capri.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I like small.   I like a place where I can get into nook and crannies and tiny spots versus large and unmanageable.   So, so, so glad we made the change.  From the moment we arrived in Napoli until we left, I DID NOT FEEL SAFE!..  Everyone looked Mafiosa, Everyone looked liked they were targeting someone else, Noone looked friendly!  Dirty, Dark and Dank is all I can think of.  Sorry Napoli, but I didn't like you!  Turns out most of the artifacts in the Museo are copies to boot.

Unfortunately we did not take many pictures in Napoli (other than museum artifacts and one I'll tell you more about later).  Personally I wouldn't feel safe taking out my camera.  The streets we saw, albeit not many, were a sea of hawkers lined up on both sides of the sidewalks. Dark and dirty and all selling little pieces of junk and some goods which we are certain were stolen.  We made our way to the Museo which was just about a block from the train station. It was easy to find. After our quick tour we headed back to the Metro to get back to the train station and catch the R2 bus to the harbour and our ferry.  The Metro is scary.  Trains run about every 15 mins. and we could only make out one train.  I hardly saw a tourist at all and was already feeling relieved we had changed our original plans.  I don't know what I would have done if I had to go out after dark in Napoli.   Bus was filled to the gills but the driver was helpful and pointed out our stop for us.

Ferry ride was uneventful and in my mind over a stretch of water, we went from Hell to Heaven.  CAPri (as Henry would say) is absolutely beautiful.  Now we weren't there at the best time of the year and it was still cold and plants were just beginning to bloom.   At least the place wasn't overridden with tourists (I can only imagine thousand of people traipsing through all my (I mean their) charming and lovely narrow streets).  I love CAPri.  The tight little gardens and every inch used.  Helpful locals and elderly men and women walking uphill, with their bags of groceries as if they were 10 years old.  I should be in such shape!  To those that have been there - you know what I mean.   To those that haven't been, you should!  Catch a ferry from Sorrento - it may be better than Napoli.  Just a small small sampling - you'll have to imagine the rest.

Flattering picture of the underground metro.  In reality it was quite dark and everything black with soot.

Just one of the many streets of Napoli.  As I said, we didn't take many pictures in Napoli.  You know when things don't feel safe.

Beautiful marina at Capri - although cold it was a sunny day for the most part.

This is an actual street in Anacapri which is above Capri (Ana meaning above).  This is our Hotel Bussola.  It took a couple of locals and a policewoman to get us there. Thankfully we travelled very light (spare undies, some toiletries and we were good to go).  Everything is either Up or Down hill on Capri

Hallway at Hotel Bussola. Absolutely clean and charming.  And, for only 60 Euro's per night. Lovely room with a balcony.

Had to have a picture of our sunset on the Isle of Capri....  I can only imagine how beautiful the Island in the summer when it's warm and sunny.

The gardens - beautiful!

Can you imagine waking up to that each morning?

The breakfast room.  Hotel was virtually empty at this time of year.  Henry heard movement in the room next to ours be we never saw another soul.

Downtown Anacapri

Shopping area of Capri

This is a typical street in Anacapri.  Vehicles (mostly three wheeled motorcycle trucks (sooooo cute, I want one), and motorcycles (scary how they drive them on these streets.  You hear something coming better get out of the way.   There are narrower streets too.

What more can you say....

One of the luxury hotels in Capri.  Most not yet opened for "the season"..

A Grotto... In an effort to lose some of that weight that we seem to have gained we did bravely walk down about 200 steps to get to this Grotto.   We chickened out and instead of hiking back up to Capri from here, we turned around and walked back up those 200 steps.  Believe me, I discovered a new muscle on the front of my upper thigh the next day.  I'll always wonder if it would have been easier carrying on or turning around and heading back the way we did. 

Well, there are many more pictures of charming beautiful Capri.   If I win the lottery this is a serious contender for me.   Having said that, we did have to leave and head back to Rome.  Unfortunately that involved a return trip to Napoli and a reverse order trek back to the train station.  Fortunately some Bangladeshi guys led us to the Tram stop instead of taking the bus back.  Did I say fortunately?  Well we were fortunate because this lesson only involved the loss of our food bag which also held our flashlight.  That flashlight really came in handy finding our way back to Hotel Bussola though.  I quickly grabbed a seat when I got on and Henry headed for the ticket validation machine.  I was wondering why he was taking so long and kept trying to validate the ticket - 99% of the people on public transit in Italy DON'T validate their tickets at all.  I thought he was just being stuborn and he was surrounded by three guys. I yelled at him to forget it but apparently the three guys had targeted him (which I didn't know) and were telling him to try his ticket this way and that.   At the same time the Tram was jerking and they were pushing and jostling him.  Long story short they got his bag open and then grabbed our "food" bag.   I must say I have told him on more than one occasion to take his pack off when on the transit.. he'll listen from now on.   Now, the reason for the following picture.  Henry noticed it first.....

This is the "love poster" shot during the Vancouver riots and was quite a topic of conversation in Vancouver after the riots. Pull Love is using the photo for advertising.  We saw this in the train station in Napoli.... Small World.

Well, Capri is lovely, charming.  The people are also very lovely and seemed to be enjoying the last few days of their island before the hordes start arriving.   It was a nice respite from busy Rome but on the other hand.....we felt more at home in our little apartment in Rome when we returned.  Funny, isn't it.