This weekend, I once again joined my sister for a weekend excursion. Since the weather was crummy when I woke friday morning, I decided to take my time. Eventually, I rolled out of bed and made my way to Termini. From Termini, I took a train to Naples.
While on the train to Naples, I met a nice couple from England: Bob and Sue. They took care of me as their own, and even insisted on me joining them when they left our air-conditionless cart. Once we got to Naples, we journeyed together to find our way to Sorrento.
My sister, Blanche, was waiting for me when I arrived in Sorrento. After checking me into our Palace... the place was called the Hilton Sorrento Palace, and it was... we made our way into town to get some grub. The stroll was nice, though both of us were a bit disappointed with lunch. It took them four tries before they brought me the right dish. Who knew hamburger could be so complex?
When we made it back to the Palace, we went swimming in our own imperial indoor grotto... ok, maybe not, but it sure seemed like it. The indoor swimming pool was magical. It was truly something special. I can't even describe it. Check out the pictures. "Ballerific"... was all I could say... all weekend!
After a quick dip in the Palace Pool, we showered and made our way back to town for dinner. Salvatore sat us in the VIP section, and then the owner of the restaurant greeted us and took our order. It was ridiculous! The meal was exquisite. Tony... our other waiter... we had two... even found a flower, and tucked it behind my ear. Then, he invited us out to a bar. He was very persistent, and very cute! Still, I chose to behave myself and go to bed. We had a long day ahead of us! Salvatore, who's older than Dad, offered me a private tour of Capri. The third waiter wouldn't stop staring. They loved me... and I loved them. Antica Trattoria was delicious and fantastic!
When we woke Saturday morning, we were off to Marina del Cantone. I had been there three summers ago with my parents, and was excited to go back. When we arrived it was just as I remembered it... a little whole in the wall Paradise, that few people knew about. Alfonzo and Alessandro were still there, though they did change slightly. Though they tried to remember who I was, there was very vague if any recognition. We spent the day lounging on the beach. It was wonderful.
When we got back to the Palace, we grabbed our stuff and found our way to the Marina. From there, we took the hydrofoil to Capri. The hydrofoil is an extremely fast boat that should not be taken by sane individuals.
When we got to Capri, it was even more fantastic than I remembered... mainly because this time I wasn't just visiting for the day... we were staying for TWO nights! Not only were we staying in Capri, we were totally BALLIN! When we arrived at the Marina, we were greeted by Davide. Davide works for the Marriot, and is stunning. He had our luggage taken away, and escorted us via cable car to the hotel.
Once we got there, we were upgraded to a room that cost more than my life... ok not really... but damn! We were staying in some suite extraordinaire that cost 1500 EURO a night x2 = 3000 Euro for two nights. It was practically an apartment! The balcony was the size of my apartment in Rome... maybe not, but wow. The view was breathtaking. We had a bathroom with marble and mosaics, a hall way, a bedroom with two big fluffy beds, a living room with a big luscious couch. The terrace/balcony was my favorite though. It had TWO tables and a couch. AMAZING!!
We dinner at the place suggested by Davide, and then went to Billy's, a local pub. haha... It's where all the cool twelve year olds go to drink with their grandfathers? Maybe? Still a bit confused about that one...
The following morning we woke up early in order to make it to the Blue Grotto. The wait was a little long, but it was well worth it. We took one bus to Ana Capri, and then another bus to the Blue Grotto. Then, we stood in line and waited our turn. When it was our time, we got into a little boat, tucked and covered, and watched as our guide pulled us into the underwater cave. When we got inside, it was unbelievable! The water glowed a glorious royal blue color, unlike any water I've seen before. Some of the guides even sang!
When we got out of the grotto, I felt the need for some swimming, and so we attempted to find a beach. Though we were unsuccessful in finding a "traditional" beach, we did find some stairs that go all the way down a cliff, and into the water. And so, I decided to go in... then, I made Blanche follow suit! After getting out to take some pictures, my next trip in was via cliff jumping into the beautiful blue water. It was the coolest! We even met the coolest Italian grandmother EVER who joined us for our cliff-side swim. She lives in Ana Capri. She told me all about it... in Italian... and I responded... IN ITALIAN! I was impressed!
We continued our adventure with a stroll through Ana Capri. It's absolutely fantastic there. It's such a charming little place. It's more low key and down to earth, than the glamorous Capri that is studded with the rich and famous, designers lining every window, and fabulous people around every corner. The "normal" people live here... my kind of people.
After lunch, we took a chair lift to the very top of the island. I felt like I was E.T. flying to the moon on his bicycle, except I was on a chair. Though terrifying, this is definitely the coolest thing I have done so far in my time abroad. The views were unbelievable. No worries though, I tool TONS of pictures!
When we made it down from the top of the world, we headed to Marina Grande for some last minute beach time. Then, we headed to the hotel. Once there, we went to the roof-top terrace and enjoyed the whirlpool jacuzzi, then we went back to the also ballerific pool. :)
By the time, we made it back to our room, we were exhausted. So, after a fantastic dinner for two, we went straight to bed.
We awoke early to have breakfast at the hotel. There's nothing like a little Spumanti to start off your day. Then, we headed down to Marina Piccola for some glorious beach time.
On the way home, we took the slow ferry... just as I prefer... then we jumped on a train back to Roma. I'll be visiting Blanche in her hotel throughout the week. She's staying at the Grand Flora Mariott... Ballerific of coarse...
Meanwhile, back to reality for me...
My fall break trip is being canceled. So much for booking it two months in advance! I wonder when they are going to tell me. I found our from someone else... Anyone have any ideas for me? My fall break is in two weeks and I have nothing to do... I think I'll sleep on it...
Till Tomorrow... Buona Notte...
Signing off,
Ciao Bella...
No comments:
Post a Comment