Honeymoon Part VI - Isle of Capri

Our final destination was the island of Capri. We were not sure whether we would make it to Capri. The weather was rough at Positano, and the small ferry to take us to Capri was being thrown around by the waves. During those rare moments when the sea calmed, passengers would then literally sprint onto the ferry before the next session of huge waves that made the boat inaccessible again and the power of the waves would throw up the passenger landing attached to the boat. So there we stood, watching groups of people ahead in the queue sprint onto the boat. I completely freaked out watching a really old nonna and nonno scuffle onto the boat at an incredibly slow pace, hoping they would not get swept by the waves or fall over or slip. Paul, of course, thought this adventure and action was fabulous and wanted to take a video to 'capture the moment'. I guess OH&S is not as important in Italy.

Well, we did eventually make it to the boat and headed off to Capri. It was well worth the trip. We stayed in Anacapri for two nights and went on some lovely walks along the coast of the island with spectacular views of i Faraglioni (steep rocky islands near Capri). We also went on a small fishing boat to the blue grotto. You have to lie flat in the boat, as the entrance to the grotto is really small. Unfortunately, a large wave came as we were leaving the grotto and Paul was centimetres away from getting his face smashed into the top of the grotto entrance. After all the boats had left, Paul swam into the grotto for a second look.

It was fun to window shop and people watch at the shopping and restaurant areas in Capri. The island was covered with designer boutiques, trendy bars and restaurants, Jackie O sunglasses and a lot of white linen clad glamour babes.

We stayed in a villa (second photo from the top) which was the former summer residence of Queen Victoria of Sweden. She bought the property and spent many summers in Capri when her health was failing.

Part V - Amalfi and Ravello

Despite being an overcast day, our trip to Amalfi and Ravello was indeed special. The bus drive from Positano to Amalfi was a steep clifftop drive and although a bit hairy at times, it was an hour of breathtaking views. We visited the cathedral of Amalfi (bottom photo). Paul's cousin told us that Ravello was her favourite place on the Amalfi Coast, so we heeded her advice and went there. In Ravello, we went to the Villa Cimbrone, with its magnificent cloisters, beautiful gardens and the Terrazza dell'Infinito (Terrace of Infinity). Gore Vidal once described the Terrace as the most beautiful panorama in the world. Since it was a cloudy day, we felt like we were swimming in the clouds whilst standing on the terrace. The top 3 photos were taken from Villa Cimbrone. In the evening, we had pre-dinner drinks at Palazzo Sasso, a super-glam hotel famous for its views and apparently was in a book or magazine of 1000 places to see before you die. So I guess we've got 999 more places to go! The night ended off at Cumpa Cosima, a famous pasta restaurant in Ravello (photo in Part III blog post).

Honeymoon Part IV - Positano

We spent 3 nights in the stunning city of Positano. Our hotel, just like all the other buildings in this city, was built into the cliff and although it was a bit of a climb to get to the hotel the views were well worth the effort. One of the highlights was hanging out on the Spiaggia Fornillo (beach) and then taking a small boat belonging to the restaurant Da Adolfo, to their beachside restaurant in Laurito. We had a delicious seafood lunch and spent the rest of the day lying on the Laurito beach, swimming and reading. The above photo of Positano with the red flowers on the right, was taken from our bedroom balcony. We were thrilled that our balcony had such a maginificent view, and enjoyed a bottle of champagne on the balcony, compliments from the hotel. On our last day in Positano, we decided to do a day trip to Amalfi and Ravello.

Honeymoon Part III - Food Glorious Food!

Food highlights included pizza by the meter & Quattro Gusto (Four Corners) pizza from Vico; taking a private boat to go to a secluded beachside seafood restaurant at Positano; home made platter of 7 types of pasta from Cumpa Cosimo in Ravello; and lots of Limoncello!

Honeymoon Part II - Pompeii

We visited a brothel during our honeymoon. It was a great experience! There was a really long queue to get in, so must be a popular spot. This was one of the many interesting places to visit in the fascinating city of Pompeii. What was amusing was the sign on the road that pointed to where the brothel entrance was (see photo above). We were really amazed walking through the ancient ruins of Pompeii and understanding what life would have been like about 2000 years ago, before the city and its inhabitants were covered by volcanic rock spitting out of Mt Vesuvius when it erupted on August 24, 79A.D.

P.S. The 4th photo from the top is of a bakery.

Honeymoon - Part I - Sorrento Coast

We flew into Naples and headed straight to our hotel on the Sorrento Coast. It wasn't in Sorrento itself, but not far off, and we soon became accustomed to the fabulous buffet breakfasts (my favourite was the proscuitto crudo at brekky!). The hotel had a private beach, so usually after breakfast we would lie on the beach like a stranded whale (and let our tummies digest the seven rounds of breakfast that we had just eaten). From the beach, we had a picture perfect view of Mount Vesuvius. A few hours and ocean swims later, it was time to hit the swimming pool for several more hours of lying around and reading. Then in the late afternoon, we ventured to the hotel Wellness Centre for a spa, sauna and a massage bath (a jet powered massage bath with special salts). At night, we usually ate at the hotel, or caught the shuttle bus to Sorrento or Vico and found a restaurant in those cities. We spent 4 leisurely days at the Sorrento Coast where our hardest decision was 'beach or pool'?

Weekend with Ev

Ev came to visit us a few weekends ago from London...we had a lovely weekend together. Photo of our Saturday night dessert. I can't remember exactly what it was, but from memory, I think it was a platter with 3 different chocolate concoctions.