Capri - Day 3

 Today’s day began very early as we had to catch the ferry to Capri.

We walked along the water to arrive early as we were not sure how big the crowd would be on a Saturday.

Our boat was docked but was not boarding until 8:45 am.

We decided on the ferry to do the Blue Grotto first to beat the crowd.

The boat ride to the Grotto was excellent.

The water was calm and the morning sun was out with a wonderful breeze.

When we arrived at the Blue Grotto there were smaller boats that would pull up alongside our boat which held 23 people to the Grotto. During the ride we met Anne Sophia who was from Paris and traveling alone. The smaller boats that you needed to get into held three to four people. 

We asked Anne Sophia if she would like to join us on a boat so she would be able to enjoy sharing her experience with two new friends she just met.

We were second in line to go into the Grotto. The man controlling the boat would approach the entrance and ask everyone to lay down. He had to time the entry properly when the sea would go down and grab the chain attached to the left side of the stone wall. He would have to wait until the waves would go down enough to allow him to quickly pull the boat into the small opening before the sea had a chance to rise.

When you first enter the Blue Grotto everything is black and you can not see anything until your eyes adjust to the darkness. Once they adjust it is like you are going into another world.

We were in the Grotto for about ten minutes, where he took us all around to enjoy the experience. When it was time to exit, we were third in line to leave the Grotto.

The ride back to the port was just as great with incredible views.

We were getting hungry and lunch was the next destination.

Aperol Spritz

Caprese Sandwich

Chips

Caprese Sandwich with Prosciutto

Next stop was the cable car to the center of Capri for exploring and shopping.

When we got off the cable car we were near the clock tower and some incredible hotels.

On the island there is one Perfumery store where all specialty perfumes are made.

It was really nice to learn about the history and enjoy the scents of the region.

The woman in the perfumery said that we were so close to the Gardens of Augusto, we

should enjoy them as they were beautifully designed.

From the gardens we could see in the distance some ancient buildings. We inquired about them and found on it was a monastery founded in 1363. 

Certosa di San Giacomo.

As we approached the entrance to the monastery we found that there was an exhibit from a German artist by the name of Karl Diefenbach.

After we explored his exhibition we continued into the church.

On our way out there was another exhibition of artifacts that were found all over the island of Capri.

Time for lots of water and something sweet.

On our way back to the port, we came across some views that we felt were worth sharing.

We ended our day getting one last bottle of water at one of the many restaurants and as we waited we

noticed the below photo on the staff station. 

Italians do still smoke, but off at a distance to respect other people.

We love the packaging of their cigarettes.