Capri Magic

We had a beautiful second day on Capri. It started with the blue grotto being open and Pete and I taking a boat trip from Marina Grande to experience it while Nana and Pops took the kids up to Capri. We set out early after checkout and were to the blue grotto and back in a little over an hour (often people wait for hours outside the entrance as only a few boats carrying up to 4 people can enter at a time). So peaceful being on the water without worrying about a kid going overboard!

We're on a boat! 

Waiting to transfer from our boat to one of the little row boats. 

Once you are in the little boat, you row over to the ticket boat where these two guys literally are just bobbing up and down all day selling the entrance tickets to get in! 

Then you wait your turn to enter the grotto. 

It seems chaotic, but everyone seems to know whose turn it is when.

The entrance is tiny and you are instructed to lie down flat so as not be decapitated. We were in the boat with a young German couple and became fast friends with the girl who had to lie down on top of us!

You can see her hair on me to give you a sense of our intimacy! 

Once inside, you sit up and take in the splendor. Crystal clear water, glowing an almost neon blue. Jelly fish abound (also in the waters in Positano where we saw some people get stung). You circle the cove a few times and the rowers take turns singing to show off the grotto's acoustics (and their singing voices as well). Our guy seemed really brusque, but then he started in on his song and I was wowed. 

If you want to hear our rower singing, check out the video below. Wait for the blue water  to come into view. Bellissimo! 

Blue Grotto Singing

Back on land, we took the funicular up to Capri and met the crew who had been playing in the public gardens and enjoying an icecream outside of the Gardens of Augusto. We hadn't seen much of Capri the night before, so we enjoyed strolling the town, weaving in and out of large tour groups on the narrow streets.

Maeve "thrilled holding and ice cream cone" day 2

Can't you just smell this photo! Looks of lovely wisteria in the region. 

Great views from the gardens

There was an old monastery below that now is a high school. Hmm, time for a job change?

Statues of the Four Seasons

This was a perfumery and had to be the best smelling walkway around!

We booked an afternoon ferry to Positano, which gave us time to go to lunch "out of town" at a restaurant I had read about online. The description was to walk 15 minutes into the country so I imagined us walking down a dirt road with farms around us. I was surprised that we were just walking on paved streets, so narrow that only golf cart sized little vehicles could make the trip. 

We were all glad we made the short trek as the food was everything I was hoping for. Delicious pasta dishes, enjoyed in peace while Maeve napped. And the array of homemade bread was so good! There was a kumquat plant by our table and Jude asked our waiter what it was and the waiter plucked one off for Jude to try. He was very happy.

I'm always amazed at how much fun kids have throwing rocks. A perfect diversion while we waited for our ferry.

Their love for each other continue to grow and grow. Jude loves to tell Maeve, "Maeve, you're the best girl" and now she reciprocates. The sweetest. 

Two-at-a-time underhand thrower.

30 minutes later, we arrived to the beach in Positano. That view of the town as you approach is pretty special. We have been to Cinque Terre (pre-kids) so we had a sense of what the town would be like. Both places are magical! Our weather app was telling us it was around 64 degrees, but it felt like summer so the kids wasted no time playing at the beach with Nana while the rest of us carted our stuff up to our apartment. The town is built into the mountain so the only way is up. Our place was relatively close to the beach, but still required 3 sets of stairs to get to the cathedral and then a walk up the main road. These streets are also really narrow and super crowded. I overheard a woman saying that this was still the quiet season and that soon the place would really get crowded. I can't even imagine what that would be like and with summer heat on top of it! 

Girl was feeling it! 

The beach is totally rocky as you can see. We were prepared with footwear for the kids, but of course they wouldn't keep them on. It's so much more fun to just complain about your feet hurting, right? Hidden amongst all of the rocks is SO MUCH SEA GLASS. Every day was a task of collecting as much as possible. We brought back a small cup full. I have in mind to make some Christmas ornaments out of them. 

This little play set is on the beach and we spent a lot of time here over the next 5 days! 

Looking very relaxed despite a cold brewing in him! 

Positano is not off the beaten path and everyone who told us they'd been loved it. Of course this set my expectations really high. It took a day adjusting to the crowds and the hikes, but we also fell in love. 

We had a great bakery and take away food spot down the street, Colina, which we went to almost everyday. Dinner in on our balcony was molto buono!