Swimming in Capri's Blue Grotto

I planned to take the 8:25am ferry to Capri this morning, so I requested that Roberto prepare a to-go breakfast for me in advance. Unfortunately, he forgot so I left the room at 7:30am as originally planned, but empty-handed. The walk down to Amalfi was as beautiful and peaceful as ever. When I arrived at the dock a little after 8am, the MetroMare ferry ticket office was surprisingly opened. I had the choice between two ferries (the 8:25am took 1.5 hours with two other stops and cost 14 euro vs. the 8:40am which took 55 minutes at 16 euro). I opted for the slightly more expensive, but quicker ferry. Trying to kill some time by walking around the main Amalfi piazza, I heard someone calling my name. It was Roberto, and he had driven all the way down the hill to bring me my to-go breakfast. After apologizing profusely for forgetting, he handed me the brown bag and returned to Punta Civita.
I boarded the ferry, but the only unfortunate thing was that the upper deck was cordoned off. So we all had to pack in the interior seating down below for the hour-long ride. When I arrived, I found an Internet café and relaxed until Kelli and Erik’s ferry was scheduled to arrive. In the meantime, I also walked up to the top of Capri, a hike that took a little over 20 minutes. Sweating profusely by the time I got to the top, I found the granita limone (lemon ice) stand calling my name. It was exactly what I needed to quench my thirst, as well as cool me down. I found a pay phone to try Kelli one last time to make sure that they were on their way to Capri. Luckily, she was able to get service and picked up my call. We decided that I’d meet them at the Marina Grande, where their ferry was scheduled to dock in a half hour’s time.
As I was waiting, a local Capri boater was trying to negotiate his service for a 2-hour boat ride around the island (for 110 euro). I was intrigued, but needed to run it by Erik and Kelli once they arrived. I saw their boat come in and easily found them amongst the hundreds of other tourists. First stop was lunch of course. We randomly chose one of the marina front cafes and feasted on pasta, pizza, and fritto misto mare. It was a typically long Italian lunch, and afterwards we debated on whether to hire the boat or to see the Blue Grotto. Since Erik and Kelli never experienced the Blue Grotto before, we decided on that option. The boat ride near the grotto only took 15 minutes from the marina. The 1+ hour wait thereafter was mainly due to the traffic jam of boats waiting outside the grotto. Since there is only a shallow, narrow opening, visitors to the Blue Grotto must transfer from the larger boats to the smaller 4-person boats to enter. The tide also has to be low enough for the smaller boat to fit thru the opening. Today, the conditions were perfect. Mario, a Capri-native was our boat captain. While in the Blue Grotto, we asked if we could get out for a “swim” - if you can call it that. Not being a very strong swimmer, I pretty much hugged the boat while in the water the entire time (if you look closely at the picture, you’ll see Erik, Kelli, me and a part of the boat that I am still holding on to:-)). But it was absolutely amazing, and just what we needed to cool off. My first visit to the Blue Grotto was not nearly as memorable as this one became.
After we got back to the marina, we decided to hike up to the top of Capri - the same hike I had done just hours earlier. Now all three of us were sweating profusely at the end of it. We took pictures at the top, overlooking the marina’s blue waters, which stretched out to the horizon. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to book the last ferry because it was already full, so I had to go on the 5:30p ferry back to Amalfi. This didn’t leave me much more time to explore the island. As quickly as we said hello, we had to say goodbye. My last Amalfi Coast ferry ride of this trip was as spectacular as the first. I stayed on the top deck letting the wind blow through my hair and the sun shine on my back. At Amalfi, I cruised around the main piazza and spent some time at the Internet Point. By the time I was finished, it was time to eat my last dinner in Italia. I debated on whether I wanted to return to L’Arsenale Ristorante, which is a couple towns over in Minori, or if I was just going to stay in Amalfi. As I exited the Internet Café, I noticed rows of chairs lined up directly in front of the Duomo’s steps. I could tell that a live musical concert was getting underway, so I found the only Ristorante Pizzeria with outdoor dining to enjoy the concert. The ambiance at Santa Andrea Ristorante was much better than the food. I ordered the sialetelli with seafood and the fritto misto mare, together with a half bottle of Ravello red wine. The meal took another couple of hours, and I had to hurry the waiter for my check because the 11pm bus to Ravello would arrive shortly. I caught the bus in time, and I surprised myself by knowing when to push the button to alert the bus driver to stop at the bus stop nearest Punta Civita.
During these past two weeks, I have fallen in love with Italia all over again. The country, the food, the culture, the language, and the people all intrigue me. There are still so many places in Italy that I have yet to explore, but can’t wait until the next time I am able to return. I have realized however, that I want to experience traveling the world with someone who I love and who loves me, someone who finds exploring foreign lands as fascinating as I do. Travel, just like life, is better experienced in the company of the one you love.

---

---