A hint of Capri and a dash of Sorrento… what a blend!

Immediately after stepping off the train in Naples, I could tell I was in Italy – Southern Italy to be exact. Perhaps it was just the fresh warm breeze or maybe the euphoric state achieved after being cooped up in trains for 19 hours the day before, but I knew I was going to like it here. Our weekend plans included going to the Island of Capri and Sorrento; Matt and I would have the better part of the day in each. Warm weather and a relaxing weekend were our desires, and every one of them was met.

Overlooking Capri city

After we got off the ferry in Capri, we were greeted with great hospitality from our hotel owner. Not only did he provide a lot of helpful information, he even drove all the way down to pick us up from the port. After settling into our beautiful (and expensive) hotel, we spent our day wandering about the island in both Capri city and Anacapri, taking a chairlift up to Mount Solaro – the highest point – and watching the sun set over the water. And of course, Italy is all about the food, so we stuffed our faces with pizza and pasta.

The most magnificent part about our journey took place the next morning. Our hotel owner scheduled us a private boat tour around the island… insert sigh here. Unfortunately, the sea was too rough to sail to the southern end or go in the Blue Grotto, but we were able to see the northern side and experience a roller-coaster type ride. Even the price could not take away from the majesty of this tour. The water was the bluest I have ever seen sea water to be, and the greenery was astounding next to it. Waves crashed upon the cliffs of the island, and a lighthouse stood in the distance. We got to jump off the boat and go for a short swim in a little bay area where the water was calm and warm.

Matt and I on our private boat tour of Capri

The overall experience of this island allowed me to reflect on the whole greater beauty of the world. I thought Norway was the most beautiful place to be, but I found another just as gorgeous location. It is a wonder that only seven natural wonders of the world have been picked because I have already seen so many. The moment is so captivating when you realize that there is so much wonderful things that you will never see on this earth, but I am determined! While Capri was full of scenic beauty, Sorrento had a beauty all its own represented in the people.

The atmosphere was just different there. Even our taxi driver was shaking hands with people as we drove past. People were all around having lively conversations, so I am not surprised that so many tourists come here to visit. The streets in Sorrento were the stereotypical Italian city street. Architecture was exquisite, and the shopping was to die for. I’m not talking about the big headliners in designers although they were around as well, but these cute little shops and boutiques down the alleys. The smell of lemon flowed out of stores with Limoncello and a variety of other lemon concoctions. It was so enticing, you just had to walk in. We met so many interesting people in the short amount of time we were there (partly because there were so many English speaking tourists). It was a great weekend… minus the train ride home, but that’s a whole other story! For now, I’ll just be thankful for the beauty of the Italian coast.