To the Isle of Capri - Del Boy absent thankfully

We had the most delightful day on the Isle of Capri today. We set off early by boat from the harbour round the corner, stopped off in Sorrento to pick up more people and were at Capri within the hour.

There are four things we can say about the Isle of Capri -

It is very pretty - there is lush vegetation and the buildings - houses, hotels and shops are kept in pristine condition - unlike the rest of the area we are staying in! The streets are very narrow and they have a form of transportation to deliver things to shops, people and suitcases to hotels etc that is unique. The electric vehicles are about a metre wide and people have to duck into shop doorways to allow them to pass. Even the police patrol in Smart cars! They also have a unique form of taxi cab - it is an elongated saloon car with the roof cut off and a type of awning put in place to keep the sun off the passengers - see pic. All other vehicles, including the buses, have scratches down the side and dents from the frequent collisions with cliff faces or other vehicles.

It is very steep - from the picturesque harbour with its clear dark blue water and its buzzy cafes, the island rises steeply to the top with many buildings clinging to its sides. There is a funicular railway from the harbour to the main town centre, or there are hundreds of steps. Guess which option we took? yes, the steps. We always like a bit of exercise but this was going too far - once started though we were committed and we managed it but were ready for a coffee after the climb. From the main centre there is a bus that takes you further uphill to Anacapri - right on the top of the mountain. This is another village with its own character and appeal and one not to be missed. We did this after lunchtime by bus and could look out over the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius easily during the winding drive up the mountain. It was worth the trip but the ride around the twisting mountainous roads set my stomach off and was not for the fearless. A good grip was required on the handrails to steady ourselves and the rutted roads were very uncomfortable, especially as they cram a ridiculous amount of people into each bus - with no air con!

It is very clean - there is a marked contrast between this area and the mainland in terms of litter and graffiti. It is absent on Capri. The inhabitants obviously take great pride in their island and it is a breath of fresh air to visitors.

It is expensive - there are all the designer names plus some more on the island - and they are all after your money. Ridiculous prices are quoted for simple clothes - thats my version of it anyway but anyone who knows me recognises that I don't spend recklessly - and to me this was reckless! Even simple trinkets were well beyond the norm - it brought me out in many hot flushes. The many eating establishments were asking huge amounts of money for fixed meals that was double the amount paid on the mainland - and thats not cheap!!

We did have a really good day though, had a good explore and a lovely lunch which we bought in a local cafe and sat and ate in a pretty park in the shade. We bought some momentoes as well and have taken lots of pics to remember it by. Before we left the island we had a coffee each in one of the harbour cafes and had to pay the sum of 10 euros for the privelidge! It was a very necessary sit down though!

On the whole we would recommend Capri to you and advise you to take a well padded wallet and a good sense of humour with you. It is a piece of another world - one that we would not like to remain in but enjoyed our time there.

The boat trip both ways was comfortable, air conditioned and economical. The coastline is astounding as probably everyone knows already - but it really is in the flesh if you know what I mean.

Tomorrow is a visit to Sorrento to see what is the attraction there for thousands of Brits every year.