Chapter 5: Isle of Capri by Hydrofoil
Naples, Italy
20.09.2023 - 20.09.2023 84 °F
View Fjords & From Barcelona on Cunard on paulej4's travel map.
"Naples/Capri (Sorrento), Italy"
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
The alarm (gasp) went off at 6:00 so we could be ready to walk out the door at 7:50 to make it to the Royal Court Theatre, our excursion meeting point, for our day-long adventure. The theatre was jam-packed crowded with people ready to depart the ship for a day of adventure.
Our adventure is B4's first trip aboard a hydrofoil to the Isle of Capri. After standing around in a crowd waiting for over an hour waiting to depart the QE and then to board the SNAV Orion for a 45 minute trip, we arrive at Marina Grande. There, a mob scene awaited us as we waited for 55 minutes to board a mini-bus to traverse a winding road up to Anacapri--high up on the Isle of Capri. Axel Munthe owns the San Michele Villa where we were to pay a visit but it was too crowded for us. The Gardens of Augustus (as in Caesar) are the vantage point for super views of the Faraglioni rocks below on the Bay of Marina Piccola. In the middle of Capri Town, the central square, La Pizzetta is surrounded by cafes and beautiful old buildings, all swarmed by crowds of tourists.
Unlike any other place I have visited, Capri is populated by bizarre taxis.
After a nice Italian lunch and a glass of wine we sat for a long wait for a funicular--instead of a mini-bus--back to Marina Grande. We waited at Marina Grande in the midst of a large crowd for our second ferry ride (not a hydrofoil) back to Naples, southern Italy's largest city. As we departed our ferry we weaved our way through a large crowd of tourists waiting to board their ferry back to wherever they came from.
Our guide, Rosario, was absolutely masterful at getting us through a massive crowd so that we could wait for a lengthy period of time to assault another crowd.
The highlight of the day was getting it over with! Fooled you didn't we? That isn't what you were expecting after reading the beginning of this blog. I would compare it to an elevator door opening to reveal room only for you to enter; and you do. Then it stops on the next floor and, even though there is no room, a couple crowds in. On the next floor, the same thing happens and at that point you find yourself with someone's nose pressed into the back of your neck and your nose pressed into the back of the neck of the person in front of you. The elevator stops and stops and stops and you wonder if you will ever arrive at your destination. I don't like to go to concerts or sports events because the crowds are just more than i want to deal with. The crowds today were wall to wall people. Just from the ships in port there were roughly 10,000 tourists let loose at the dock in Naples. You literally couldn't walk down a sidewalk. To be sure, we were on a tour, the crowds, the tour buses, waiting in lines. And on a tour you are taken to all of the tourist spots. Eat, drink, shop is the name of the game. We didn't have a lot of interest in any of those things. Sadly we didn't really get to see, feel, or understand the Isle of Capri. We also realized that we are lousy tourists. We've seen more than enough churches for a lifetime. We like to explore a city more on our own or with friends. We want to feel what it is about, drop into a small neighborhood restaurant for local cuisine, stop again for a drink or a coffee, watch the people. That was not today's experience. The only good news is that my not so good leg made it through the day almost unscathed.
Let me tell you about people watching. Why is it that some people just love to be exhibitionists? Do they have no shame? No Mirrors in their homes? No sense? Our first jaw dropper of the day was a tall slender blonde in a black thong and some small black fabric that was meant to be a bra, and over that little number she wore a gold lame open - and i mean very open - weave knit. Really?! Then there was the youngish girl posing for a pic. She should have been in a moo moo up to her neck and down to the ground with long sleeves. Instead she was in a little cotton number that was mid thigh with a V top that with one wrong move, a little sneeze, everything was out for the world to see. As it was there wasn't much left to the imagination. Then walking down the main drag of the waterfront with short shorts and some garment that I guess was a bra of sorts where the cups were something resembling coconuts with strings holding them up and around her. The last of them was coming off the hydrofoil as we were getting on. Her t-shirt proudly said 'I Love Sex'. At lest she was covered. Where are their mothers?!?! Anyway, it was entertainment on an otherwise not fun day.
We did meet one friend in an uncrowded spot.
"This was a shit day," we said to each other. For the life of me, I can't see why anyone would want to go to the Isola de Capri. Maybe during COVID...
Since we're revealing the negatives, here's a list of what we don't like about the Queen Elizabeth experience so far:
1. Music solo and duo acts that use computer enhancement to sound like a full band. More drummers and bass players are out of work due to iPad programs than are Blockbuster video rental clerks. It's a shame. This could be fixed.
2. Elevators that don't go to the deck you seek. This is peculiar to the Queen Elizabeth. We often want to go to Deck 11 which is "restricted" to Queens Grille Passengers. That ain't easy. Even on the elevator bank that primarily serves that venue, only one of the four lifts actually goes there. And, if you are on the wrong bank of elevators and think you can just walk down a corridor from, say the aft bank, to the midships bank, think again. It's weird really. This cannot be fixed.
3. The "drinks package" allows you to get whatever you want up to $12.00 for no charge. If you order a cocktail that costs $12.50, you pay full freight rather than the $.50 difference. Oh, and you sign a bill for whatever you buy (including two glasses of Diet Pepsi at lunch today for $7.45) with the assurance that even though you signed it, the full amount will be forgiven on your final bill in two weeks. OK, I think... This could also be fixed.
4. That's the complete list so far and it's not much of one. Overall, we are extremely happy. But, given the bitching I've done about the day, it seemed appropriate to just keep going and get the other pet peeves we have out of the way. We'll keep you posted if and when any other shortcomings reveal themselves.
Don't mind Paul today, he is just crabby from a lousy day. What he said above is true but they are all first world problems so we aren't complaining. We're lucky to be able to take a trip like this and we're having a good time. I am surprised though that he didn't mention how thinks the ballroom dancers are show off's, he has a negative to say every time we walk by the ballroom. He is just hoping i don't drag him for a lesson. His luck though will run out.
We got showered and dressed and out for dinner, music and a comedian later. The evening will erase the day. Well.............. We had a lovely dinner and nice conversation with the couple at the table next to us. We sit with the same two couples every night and enjoy both of them. More on them another day. Then we went to listen to the Music of Sondheim. We were looking forward to that and so disappointed that we hung around to tell the entertainment director that it was a painful performance. Paul's take is he has never seen an entertainer undermine themselves as this woman did. So the day continued into the night. Last but not least was the comedian show and he was really good. So after a day of disappointments, we called it a night after a lot of deep laughs.
No tours tomorrow, we are doing our own thing and looking forward to it.
