An Italian Serenade

Waking up on my birthday to a beautiful Italian morning, we packed our bags, dropped them at reception, and headed down to the marina to catch a boat to the Blue Grotto!  We had scoped out ahead of time which boat company we were going to take, so we walked right up, bought our tickets and waited for the next boat departure.  This is me waiting to get on the boat behind us.

Once on the boat, Travers and I got seats on the top deck behind the captain and enjoyed the views as we rode around the island. On our way out of the harbor, we saw a HUGE yacht parked there. In fact, we had been eyeing it all morning wondering who's it was. Well, the captain of our boat was giving us information about the island and told us that it belonged to Roman Abramovich, a russian business tycoon, who also owns the Chelsea Football Club, one of our favorite teams.

Finally approaching the Blue Grotto, we weren't quite sure what to expect, but were both amazed at just how tiny the hole was that we were to go through to get into the grotto.   Our boat docked on a buoy and prepared us for our trip into the grotto. In groups of 3 or 4 we climbed off our boat into tiny ones. I was sitting on the boat floor and Travers was seated directly behind me, but this didn't last long.  After waiting our turn, our driver told Travers to squeeze in behind me on the boat floor, and get as low down as possible or else we wouldn't clear the opening.  We ducked as best we could, wedging ourselves as far down as possible until we cleared the opening. Once inside, it was well worth it. The blue reflection in the grotto is from the sun passing through an underwater cavity and makes the entire cave glow. It was extremely romantic and to top if all off, we had mentioned to our boat driver that it was my birthday, so once inside he proceeded to serenade me singing Happy Birthday and another Italian ballad, utilizing the wonderful acoustics in the cave. An amazing start to a very happy birthday for me.

Once back on our big boat, we rode back to the marina grande in Capri, retrieved our bags from our hotel reception, and boarded an even larger boat for the ride to Positano where we would spend the next two days and nights.  The ride to Positano was beautiful and as we approached the city, I saw what everyone that has ever been to Positano has said. That it is a extremely beautiful city, extremely steep, embedded into a crevice in the side of the hill.  The boat docked and we found ourselves in a tiny paradise and starving. Before we took the hill in search of our hotel, we went to a nearby pizzeria that had a balcony and views of the ocean and shared a delicious pizza and beers.  Feeling rejuvenated, we asked for some quick directions then proceeded to take one of the only paths that led up the hill to our hotel, The Poseidon.

Drenched in sweat as we arrived at the hotel, we quickly checked in, and then checked out the pool deck and the views below. Breathtaking! So we pulled up some chairs, got into our swimsuits and soaked in the sun for the next several hours. That night, we asked the hotel concierge for a restaurant recommendation and he chose one just up the street from the hotel, which saved us from walking all the way back down to the city center and back up again later that night. So before dinner, we got dressed up, grabbed a bottle of champagne and two plastic cups, and walked out to the street, finding a seat on a wall that overlooked the city and water below. Then walked a few more steps to the fabulous Restaurant Mediterraneo, getting a table outside, where we enjoyed another delicious Italian dinner!









The next day, our final full day in Italy, we decided to head down the 300 plus steps to the beach and get some sun. We strolled the boardwalk and finally settled on part of the rock covered beach. It was almost 100 degrees outside so we didn't last long, but we took turns dipping into the water and watching all the people sunbathing and swimming in the water.









Getting too hot, we decided to grab a late lunch, at the same pizzeria we went to the day before (it was that good). Then strolled through the city, going into some shops, buying some ice cream and taking in as much of the views as possible. Then once back at our hotel, we put in some more pool time for the rest of the afternoon.









That night we decided to walk down the hill again for dinner at a restaurant called Le Terrazze, which is on one end of the beach that gives views of the city behind as well as the ocean. We walked down with the sun still up and shared a bottle of champagne the hotel had given us for my birthday. Getting to the restaurant just in time to see the sun set, we were one of the only couples there, which made it very romantic.  We got to see the sun's glow fade on the hillside and see the twinkling of lights come on from the boats parked in the harbor. What a magical night!









The next morning we left early for our trip back to Geneva. We caught a bus to Sorrento, getting to experience part of the famous Amalfi Coast drive, then caught a train from Sorrento to Naples to catch our flight back to Geneva. It was one of the most memorable birthdays I think I'll ever have. I am truly blessed to be able to experience such wonderful things.