sbuxmom

We arrived in Capri after a brief ferry ride from Sorrento. It was beautiful. The water, the boats, the little store fronts in the face of the cliff, I couldn’t decide what made it so lovely. We walked up the dock, checked the time for the return ferry, and strolled down the waterfront. Then, we reached the end? Those were cute little stores, but where was Capri?

We saw a sign, Centrale Capri. It was printed simply on a white arrow pointing up. It wasn’t pointing up like to heaven, but it sure wasn’t pointing to the side like a one way sign here at home. It was definitely on an angle, un upwards angle. Conveniently that sign was located at the bottom of a flight of stairs. So, we took the stairs to Central Capri.

I have told this story many times, and each time I tell it I wonder, “Was it really 45 minutes?” and the answer is still yes, it really took 45 minutes to climb those stairs to Centrale Capri! We started on that first flight by the waterfront and just continued to climb and climb. Sometimes we would cross a road, sometimes we would just be walking up a ramp, and sometimes it was just good old fashioned stairs. But I was seven months pregnant! (When was the last time you did 45 minutes on the stair master in your seventh month of pregnancy?)

After a while my husband started making up things he wanted a picture of. “No, babe, wait. I want a picture of this guys front door. Oh, look at this view. I need a picture of this view.” Somehow, I guess the view was a little different because of the higher elevation? He was trying to give me a break, but I was worried if I stopped I might never start up again!

We reached the top. After shedding layers of clothes, breathing through false contractions, and taking about 100 photos, we made it to the top; just in time for me to pay to use the potty.(The topic of a completely different essay!)

Centrale Capri was worth the climb. It was gorgeous- better than a picture, a movie, a post card. It was lovely. I can still see it today. The blue water, the sharp rising cliffs, the homes jutting out the side, the yellow awnings over store fronts. The shops were great, the food was great. And I am sure the beach was great, but we didn’t go down the backside of Capri for fear of coming back up!

I would go back to Capri again and again; though I might take a taxi to the top!