Breakfast

We began the day by having a lovely breakfast @ Hotel Antiche Mura with American faire like scrambled eggs, soft (not crispy) bacon, and OJ that tastes like OJ as well as Italian cold cuts and cheeses and bread and rolls and Nutella. Particularly impressive was the desert table with a lemon caprese cake, apricot shortbread cookies, etc. and cappucino of course.

The hotel pool area

Then we went outside to the pool area overlooking the cliff where we saw a sign that tells us the meaning of the hotel’s name – Antiche Mura = Ancient Wall – the pool area is very nice with lots of lemon trees with big lemons. Lying in the shade of a cellar is a large bull dog that is trying to sleep but seems to have respiratory problems – maybe it’s because they have the poor doggie locked up next to their pool chemicals.
Then we head back to the room briefly before going down to the port.

The port

We buy two roundtrip tickets to Capri but since it’s only 11:55 and the next boat leaves at 12:55, we settle down at Bar Ruccio, where I have a Cuba Libre (rum & coke) and Nicole has a bellini and we sit by the water and Nicole reads a bit about Capri in our torn out Frommers pages.
12:17 pm
12:55 pm
as is typical in Italy, the waiter takes forever to bring the check and we just barely make the 12:55 hydrofoil to Capri (Caaaaapri).
1:16 pm
wow, there are lots of British people in Sorrento – just like there were a lot of French in Portofino.

Capri

We arrive in Capri at around 1:30 and buy tickets to the funicolare (cable car) for for 2,60 euro. The cable car (or bus) takes you from Capri’s port to the main part of the town.

Lunch

At around 2:30, we have lunch @ Isidoro Capri. We ordered prosciutto & melon, risotto pescatore (Marc), and gnocchi alla sorrentina (Nicole)

At around 4, we headed up to Anacapri.

4:14 pm oops, a nice couple informed us that it’s at least an hour hike down to the Blue Grotto. As a result, we missed it.

St. Michael’s Church

art on tiled floors

Back at the port

At around 6, we stopped for gelato at the Bar Corallo while waiting for our boat back to Sorrento.

At around 6:35, the boat leaves Capri for Sorrento and arrives back in Sorrento at around 6:55. I almost lost my Yahoo hat on the hydrofoil. Luckily they let me back on to get it.

At 7:18 pm we’re back in our hotel room and we take a nap, before heading out looking for a restaurant at 9:30. We settle on…

Ristorante la Favorita “O’Parrucchiano”

This restaurant is rather large and seems to attract big tourist groups (we heard a guitar player singing “Volare” if that gives you any indication). However, the food is actually quite good and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

We had:

• maccaroncello pesce spada e provola affumicata – pasta with swordfish and smoked cheese
• scallopine di vitello alla sorrentina – veal scallopine alla sorrentina
• vongole in marinara – clams in tomato sauce

My VersaCharger goes up in smoke

At around 12:48 am, Nicole smells smoke. I look over at my beloved Boxwave VersaCharger (charger for my Treo 650) and it makes a huge spark and a pop. I am relieved that my Treo 650 is not damaged. Weird – the VersaCharger says it works with 100 – 240 V AC and I used it successfully in Rome. Oh well… I’ll have to try and find a replacement charger since I may need my phone later in order to make arrangements for meeting Andy.

I see a little spider on the ground just like the kind that Nicole saw on her pillow hours before and I kill it. Ah, just like home.