We love the island - our day on Capri

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After squeezing Herculanuem and Pompei into one day, we took advantage of the amazingly glorious weather (after 8 months in London, we appreciate hot sunny days with a newfound zeal) and the close proximity to Sorrento - by jumping on a ferry to the island of Capri.

Laying claim to being the playground the rich and famous, Capri does have its share of celebrities (Sophia Lauren and Georgio Armani both have houses there, and one restaurant had 10+ photos of Mariah Carey visiting - funnily enough they were all photos of the same night) however it does have a sense of being very laid back and chilled out.

Tourists clamour all over the island in tiny orange buses, which do an amazing job of squeezing down the tiny allies that serve as both footpath and road. We landed on the island, as all visitors from the mainland do, into the port of Marina Grande. Essentially it is a shoreline crammed with tourist shops and busy American-style bars. In other words, our version of the gateway to hell. Adam and I arrived, looked at each other, and were ready to get back onto the ferry until we spotted a tiny bus shelter which appeared to be responsible for shuttling the masses around the island (and away from the scary men yelling "we make the sex on the beach" from the Cheers-esque bar near the dock.)

We stood in line for an hour, during which Adam nearly exploded about the state of Capri's public transport, until a series of tiny buses pulled up and collected more than 30 people in a go. New meaning to the terms sardines in a can. Adam managed to score a standing position at the rear window which is how we managed to get some stellar shots of the coastline.

The island itself is tiny, so the bus is the easiest and only way of getting around an island that is quite rugged and unihabited (I suppose they do their best, taking into account the cliff-faces and mountains). We bused it from Marina Grande to Anacapri, the tiny tourist Mecca, before hopping another bus to Capri Isola.

After time spent melting in the sun with our gelatis, it all became a bit much and we succumbed to the temptation of crystal blue water and the need to work on our tans (pasty white is a shade of tan!) and hopped on another tiny orange bus to a small cove called Marina Piccolo, home to some of the best beaches on the island. We handed over a 'small fee' (30 euros!) which entitled us to the use of a changing shed and a sun bed on the beach. Towels cost extra...

The water was great, however Adam and I suffered slightly from our first trip to a pebble beach! Not so comfortable compared to the sandy beaches back home, it was like walking ankle-deep in gravel! Once in the water it was great, but getting out and in proved a struggle to say the least.

Refreshed from our swim we headed back to the ferry and coasted back to Sorrento in the afternoon sun. It was a spectacular day, and one we now think of when the weather here in London is miserable. Which is to say, quite often.

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Photos

Adam loves a good switchback
Pun intended

Looking out to the Bay of Naples
Vesuvius in the distance

The private beach at Marina Piccola
At 30EU it was a bargain on a 35 degree day.