I Remember ... the Isle of Capri

After quite a night we were up bright and early for breakfast and preparation for a day in Capri. It was a sunny day with a warm breeze and the view from the dining patio was amazing. We once again boarded our tour bus and a short time later we were dropped off at the dock and loaded on a large ferry that took thirty minutes to get to the Isle of Capri. A few members of our group did not join us this day as they were not feeling well.
The Isle of Capri was made famous as a vacation hideaway of Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius. It is only four miles by 2 miles and has only two towns, Capri and Anacapri. Today it is mostly a tourist destination ... a great place to explore. Our first experience was riding the funicolare to Capri Town ... now the song makes sense! We were dropped off near the Piazza Umberto, the town's main square. The first thing you notice about the island ... it seems like most, if not all homes and buildings are white. There are narrow alleyways, lush flowers and gardens all sitting on top of limestone cliffs above the sea. We toured a garden and visited a few shops. Loved the perfume store, especially the lemon-scented solid perfume. Passing up a purchase was my one big disappointment. It was probably 26 euros ... but I had to remind myself that I would be on unemployment when I returned home.
We joined the optional excursion, "Capri Highlights." Minibuses took us on a drive to Anacapri with spectacular views of the Mediterranean. The streets are so narrow that when two minibuses pass each other their sideview mirrors almost touch. If heights bother you, this may be a problem : ) We had tickets to ride the chairlift to up to 1,900-foot summit of Monte Solaro. It takes about 15 minutes to get to the top. I was pretty hesitant about the ride since each person rode individually in a "hanging basket."

It just didn't look secure but I braved it because I wanted to see what was at the top. (Notice the "death grip" on the chairlift pole in the picture on the right. This is where you'll find the best panoramic view possible. Amazing!
In the afternoon we enjoyed a harbor tour of the island by water to visit some of the white and green grottos. The water is a color that I cannot even find a descriptive word for ... you must see it with your own eyes. The boats pulled in the island grottos (caves) and in the darkened area the colors changed to the most beautiful shimmery green ... both the water and ceiling.
We saw the high cliff from which the Emperor Tiberius is said to have thrown women and slaves to the death. Yikes! We also motored through the natural Arch and the Faraglioni rocks. It was not only beautiful but a refreshing ride on such a warm day.
We boarded the ferry for our ride back to Sorrento.