We made port in Salerno, Italy and there were so many excursions to choose from!
Many in our group were making the pilgrimage to Pompeii.
Some were going to Sorrento or over to Naples and exploring the beautiful countryside along the Amalfi coast.
The day before had tons of walking and long bus rides and we were feeling a bit tired, so a leisurely boat ride to the Isle of Capri, about an hour and a half away sounded JUST right. We could see the coastline and cliffs from the water, and Capri was always a place I wanted to visit.
For the techno-lovers out there, Capri is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy.
Sunrise in Salerno from the upper deck of the ship!
How many cruisers can you fit on this boat? A bazillion.
Rather like sardines, if you ask me, which is appropriate for this region!
Remains of ancient watch towers and forts.
There had been forest fires burning, can you see the haze?
I think this was a monastery? On a rocky island!
What do you say we have a quilt retreat HERE?! :)
What do you say we have a quilt retreat HERE?! :)
And there is Capri!
PS…sometimes photos are not easy to get. I had to battle with a guy trying to take photos of EVERYTHING with his huge iPad, and his dang iPad was ALWAYS in my shots! HA!
Capri is an IMPOSING Island as you can see. I was literally gobsmacked as we got closer and closer to our destination. It looked uninhabitable from this angle!
LOVE these colors! Oh my!
And there were MOBS of people everywhere.
Bravely following our guide through the foray, holding the Royal Caribbean sign!
One of the BEST things to do on this tour is to get ABOVE the people. And that means that you are going to either take the Funicolare up to Anacapri, or you are going to hop on small busses as we did, and enjoy the view as steep winding roads get you upwards.
From my bus window! I can’t believe I got this shot!
Taking the lift chair!
The BEST way to get to the very top is to take the lift chairs, much like a ski lift – carrying you up and over rooftops and gardens, with the ocean beyond. And away I go!
Oh, and it was incredibly humid, and HOT HOT HOT to say the least!
Oh wow.
And the view is better WITH gelato
[pistachio. yum!]
Floating above a rock garden!
On the way back DOWN on the chair lift I started noticing SHOES along the pathway, evidently accidentally dropped by passengers going either up or down. Funny. It makes sense now why the streets in Anacapri are lined with sandal shops! It’s a booming business in the land of shoe-droppers!
Our view at lunch.
I really did love my visit to the Isle of Capri. It was a dream come true. Even if our lunch of 1 plate of gluten free pasta carbonara, one Greek salad and a bottle of “still” [not fizzy] water cost us $58 euro! Holy moly. But you only live once. **Note** Most restaurants have a “cover charge” just for the privilege of sitting down. And tips and gratuities may be included..and are tipped on top of and including the amount of the cover charge into the balance. It turned out okay. Our breakfast and dinner were on the ship and we weren’t forking out for those meals on a daily basis. But if you are traveling to Italy, you just might want to watch for hidden things like cover charges.
I took SO many photos. And I’ve culled through them. And there are still SO many. And I can’t post them all one by one, but I did put them in a slide show that I hope you will enjoy.
And there are still more posts on this trip to come! You just can’t lump it all into one day.
This is posting a bit late as this morning I had an 8am appointment for routine blood work. Note to self – probably not SMART to have your cholesterol checked after a 2 week indulgent Mediterranean cruise!
As soon as this posts, I am back out for an eye-doc appt, this time just to check my prescription, nothing serious. If the prescription can be tweaked a bit I may be able to see a bit better when it comes to things like threading needles and doing closer work.
ON QUILT-CAM!! This is a heads up. I’m home and still waiting for books to arrive. They will either be here by Friday or Monday…depends on how the holiday weekend throws off delivery. Who is interested in some Quilt-Cam tomorrow- Wednesday evening at 9pm Eastern? It may be the last time I am able to fit in in for a while as we are now approaching 1300 orders waiting in queue to be signed, sealed and delivered. It’s going to take every spare minute of time I have to get these out as quickly as possible and Quilt-Cam will have to wait until I’ve got them all out.
I am repeating over and over to myself that I am NOT BEHIND. There is no CATCHING UP to do, just do what can be done on a daily basis. Reduce stress. Breathe. Chaos makes mistakes. Slow down, enjoy each book signing, put care and quilty wishes into each package and be happy!
Every order that goes out is going out right on schedule, right on time.
Those who ordered the Addicted to Scraps Bundle will have to wait a few weeks longer as we wait for the Essential Triangle Tool set to become available, and that will spread out the order-filling-frenzy.
I appreciate your patience with me as we do our best to get these out the door to you in the order in which orders were received and in as timely a manner as possible in between the teaching gigs that are quickly coming up.
Quiltville Quote of the Day!
Mai Tais in Paradise quilt from my new book release Addicted to Scraps, in pre-order status on my website now!
Come see all of the quilts and read the nitty gritty HERE! SEW EXCITED!
Have a great Tuesday, everyone! I’m off to the eye doc.
loved seeing your photos of Capri. We lived not too far north of Napoli for three years and we made the trek there and
ReplyDeletetook the same ride UP as you did. It, like so many locales in Italy, is magical and I've so enjoyed seeing all of your
photos.
That lunch price is insane - I just checked for a plate of pasta, salad and water you paid $65.00 US estimate - crazy - I guess that is why I stay in the states lol - thanks for sharing photos it is nice to see
ReplyDeleteThat lunch price reflects the fact that it's a tourist area, but also that it's on a mountain top on an island and the espense of getting fooe and supplies there is greater on the mainland. When i was in Italy in 2016 (on a craft tour with Bonnie) the prices were not nearly as high. We had some lunches included but most dinners were on your own. They do have some wonderful food there!
ReplyDeletePlease have Sadie Jane ready for the cameras... we fans of hers HAVE TO SEE HER, to know she is ok. :)
ReplyDeleteFun checking in on quiltcam!
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JulieinTN
Great post, lovely slide show of Capri photos. Your bill for lunch amused me and took me back several years to when my sister, cousin and I and our husbands went to Capri (we were staying in Sorrento). Sister and cousin are keen shoppers -I am not!- so I was dragged into a dress shop where my sister, size 14, started to look at dresses. Immediately an assistant appeared and very forcibly told her that they didn't have ANY dresses in her size. Sister said yes, you do as she was looking at a whole rail of them! No, said the assistant, we have NOTHING in your size. My sister was really cross by then but I had seen the price tags!!!! I pulled her away and said the assistant means they have NOTHING that you could afford!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVED Capri when my husband and I stayed there on our honeymoon - which took place 7 years after we got married! I am one of the pre-orders for your book and ruler. No worries about getting my order out. Whenever it happens, it happens. I'm looking forward to both, but understand that you may have a lot of obligations in your busy life. Thank you for the great pictures. What a blast!
ReplyDeleteThere is no rush to get me my bundle order, so don't feel any pressure on my order - I have waited this long and I do not mind waiting a bit longer!! I am just very excited to know it is coming and I will have another book to dream over and read cover to cover - and just totally enjoy!!!! Thanks Bonnie for all you do and I really enjoy seeing the magic you make with your scraps!!
ReplyDeleteWe loved Capri! We hiked to the top and took the lift back down. It was a great time. We ended up staying on the Isle of Ischia, which is among the islands in the area. Glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteWill you have a video or blog explanation on how to use your new Essential Triangle Tool? I love being able to refer to the Tips & Techniques for help with the Easy Angle and Companion tool. Thank you for all you do for the quilters out here.
ReplyDeleteWatching your video before retiring for the night in Sorrento. My husband and I are here for 1 week. Pompeii tomorrow, Positano, Amalfi and Capri the following days. There's nothing like this in the states so enjoying each day us a must!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I like Pistachio gelato too.