Capri

Avery had a much better night; he did get up and get into bed with us at one point, but then he slept some. At least I thought he slept because when he began to crowd me, I got up and went to sleep in Charlotte's bed. Later, Josh reported that Avery's sleep was intermittent. In any case we gave him the option of staying with Maria instead of going to school, and he chose school. Getting him to take his anti-diarrheal medicine took about an hour but finally he choked it down.

After Josh took the kids to school, we hopped in a taxi and headed for Termini. We had a 10am train to Naples. Riding the train is so comfortable and relaxing; and the scenery is beautiful. However, when we approached Naples (an hour and 10 minutes later), I was surprised to see skyscrapers! It's such a completely different-looking town than Rome.

We took a cab to the port. The traffic was so bad it seemed the 3.7km taxi ride took longer than the train ride. We boarded an 11:55am ferry and arrived in Capri by 12:45pm. It was an absolutely gorgeous, sunny and warm day.

We took the funicular up to the Piazzetta and meandered towards our hotel, making a gelato stop along the way. I was surprised by how busy it was. The entrance to our hotel was a beautiful walkway covered with a pergola of wisteria and had birds of paradise and other flowers along the path. Even more breathtaking was the view from our room. We were hanging off the cliff staring out at the Faraglioni and the sea.

We didn’t waste much time putting on our bathing suits and heading to the pool for lunch. We ate, but passed on the swimming – Josh in favor of a nap and I in favor of a walk around town. Later, we spoke to Maria when the kids arrived home from school and all was well.

In the afternoon, we walked (just next door to our hotel) to the Giardini di Augusto with it’s famous promontory and 270degree views of the coast line. Then we continued down the path to the Marina Piccola. Suddenly, as we made our way down to the water, the weather changed. A gust of wind blew in and it became overcast. As we were walking, we befriended an elderly gentleman going in the same direction. Actually, Josh commented on what good shape he was in, climbing the stairs up from the Marina. Turns out he’s 82 years old, in great shape, and was born and raised in Capri. It started raining and he suggested we take the bus back to town. He directed us on where to stand, and then disappeared into his home to find some pictures he wanted to show us of his boat. His name is Tonino and he couldn’t have been sweeter. He waited with us until we got on the bus and we waved good-bye.

When we got off the bus we were back at the top of the funicular in the Piazzetta where we’d arrived earlier this afternoon. We needed some supplies: sunblock and band-aids. Eighteen euros seems to be the “magic number” for sun cream in Capri – I checked it out at 4 different places and it was always 18euros. Afterall, we are on an island! So they've kinda got you there. As we made our way back to the Hotel Luna, we stopped for a cafe. We found a delightful pasticceria with all sorts of home-made pastries, so Josh and I shared a lemon cake with our caffé macchiato.

It was a little drizzly and a great time to take a rest at the hotel; I enjoyed the terrace and the magnificent view out over the water. By the time we ventured out for dinner, the temps were cool but it was dry. Tonight, we'd made a reservation for dinner at Capaninna -- although when we arrived it was clear no reservation was needed as we were one of only three tables being served. This restaurant is known as a place to see and be seen in the summertime -- but with very good food. Thus, we gazed at the requisite photos of the owner and staff with all the celebs. But none were to be seen tonight. Josh and I shared a great local fish called Scrofano. It was prepared in "acqua pazza," and it was delicious.

What a difference there was strolling around this evening compared to the daytime. The town had really cleared out. So many visitors are just day-trippers from Sorrento or Positano, or off one of the enormous cruise ships. The tranquility in the evening was very nice. To top it off, we had a full moon and the views of the coastline and the water were incredible.