We almost didn't make it.....

Hey there! Sorry about the delay in this post. I had complaints last time about how long between blog posts, so I will try to keep them regular. But, you don't understand how TERRIBLE the internet is on the ship - and you pay for the privilege. So, I just logged on to see how what it was like at the moment and it is bearable so here I go.....

Today, it was our first day in port - Naples. I had booked a shore excursion to the Isle of Capri and this was going to be our first experience of 1. Pre-booking an excursion and particularly 2. Booking it NOT through the cruise company.

In case you haven't been on cruise before - when you are planning a cruise, the company scares you into thinking that you MUST book through the company because if you don't, the cruise will leave without you. I wasn't prepared to pay twice the cost for the same tour, so I sourced a tour through another company. I woke up early to make sure we were are the rendezvous point (which was listed as 'Terminal'). Having said that, it didn't really matter how early I woke because someone else didn't wake up as early.

Anyway, we went down for breakfast and ordered the EXPRESS breakfast. We stressed to the waitress that we were in a rush and we had to eat very quickly. She nodded in understanding. Out breakfast-mates also ordered and they weren't in as much of a rush, so they ordered normal food from the breakfast menu. They ordered some yoghurt/cereal etc. which came out first. Ten minutes, fifteen minutes, twenty minutes ....... 'Excuse me - can you tell us how much longer our food will be?' we asked in exasperation. She replied 'Oh, its just here - do you want it now?' Deep breath, one, two, three, four......'Yes, that would be great.' I assume she figured that the yoghurt/cereal that the others ordered was an entree/appetiser for breakfast and that the hot breakfast would be the main meal. We scoffed and scoffed and then the food that the others ordered arrived and it was the express breakfast, which was ours. lol

So, immediately following this, we ran onshore and through the terminal. I was worried about how we were going to find our guide. And, walked out to find a sign with BERTUCCI written on it. Couldn't have been more easy.

Just beyond this, we were greeted by our brothers;

Arrived in Naples, Italy and who did we meet?

A photo posted by ब्रूनो (@mynameisbrunob) on May 24, 2016 at 12:15am PDT

The couple that we were with said 'Do you know them?'
I replied 'Yes, we share the same father.' And, we laughed....
It reminded me of my fave new song 'Joy of Conventions' with the lyric 'We are sisters, we are brothers, sons and daughters and more, And, I love you even though Ive never met you before.'

What was cool about this trip is that we were going to catch a Hydrofoil across to the island. What is a hydrofoil? Well, since you asked, it is a boat whose hull is fitted underneath with shaped vanes (foils) that lift the hull clear of the water to increase the boat's speed (thanks Google). TBH, Id never heard of this before. Our guide broke the news to us 'Because'a of'a the weather'a, we'a maybe'a not'a be'a able'a to'a go'a today'a.' I was sad.....and then minutes later, the guide said 'We'a must'a go'a now'a' and we rushed onto the Hydrofoil.

The ride usually takes about 20 minutes from Napoli to Capri. Today, because of the weather, it took close to one hour. And, it was not pretty. When we started out, it was bumpy. And, then it got worse. And, worse. And, worse. One of the staff stood up the front with sick bags. And, i would estimate about 40% took one. Two ladies sitting in the row in front of us were heaving for most of the journey. It was a barf-o-rama. But, we got there. Interesting fact - the same tour booked through the cruise company was cancelled because of the weather. Hahahahahahah! Vomit aside, one of the first things I noticed was what was on TV on the Hydrofoil - can you see?

In case you can't - its McLeods daughters (or in Italian Le Sorelle Mc Leod - which actually translates as the McLeod Sisters). I really don't know why Im writing about this show because I never watched it. But, it was funny to come to the other side of the world and see a TV show that hasn't been on australian TV for years.

So, if the sea was rough, you can imagine that the sun wasn't shining when we arrived. Of course, I wasn't dressed appropriately. So, for about twenty minutes, I was shivering. But, then the clouds moved away and the sun started shining. And, we had the most amazing day! We met our tour guide and he explained what we were up to for the day. Very excited we were, hoping that the weather would hold out.

We are here in Capri

A photo posted by ब्रूनो (@mynameisbrunob) on May 24, 2016 at 2:11am PDT

We drove to the other side of the island called Anacapri. That was an experience. I did a Facebook live video from the mini-bus ride but I can't work out how to embed it here. So, if you have an account, log in and watch the video. You simply cannot describe what driving on this island is like. Yes, they drive crazy, yes, the streets are crazy-narrow, yes, you almost drive off cliffs, yes, there is another tour bus coming in the opposite direction, yes, we nearly hit that girl on a scooter. Put all of those together - we have an experience to talk about.

One of the places that he pointed out we were visiting was a 'street' (I call it more of a ledge) that we were going to be driving on. He called it the 'Mamma-Mia' street. It commands awesome views.

This is me taking a picture from our bus.

We arrived in town and we were given some free time. Our guide suggested that we take a chairlift to the top of the mountain. I was keen - until I saw the chairlift.

Its only big enough for one person. And, it was long. And VERY steep. So, it was a definite 'Yeah, nah' from me. It was a definite 'NO!' from Kylie from the start but she was willing to go on it for me. Fortunately, it was closed due to the same weather conditions that caused the barf-o-rama on the hydrofoil.

During the spare time, we visited shops and lookouts. Here is a sampling of some pictures we took.

Everywhere we looked - blue skies. We were so happy.

OK, so, i took a photo of this couple. They decided that this was the appropriate time to FaceTime their young son while we were waiting for a picture at this spot. The husband, while we were patiently waiting could be heard saying 'Where is your nose? Where are your ears?' Then, the person they were talking to said 'Where are you?' and when they replied Capri, the person said 'Where is that?' It made me #lol

Eventually they moved.  And this is the pic we got.

And, this one....

And, this one was taken by an Indian gentleman whom we showed jw.org to and practiced our Hindi on. Imagine - they travelled from India to Italy and were greeted in Hindi by two Italo-Australians.

Just beautiful.

So, this was interesting. Usually, there is a button to press to make the ATM in English. This one didn't have that facility. So, i just guessed what I was doing. And, I got some money out.

Mum - I'm sorry, but the Limoncello I tasted today was better than yours. It was so delicious. Like SO SO SO delicious. And, this was even nicer....

Yes, its Limoncello Gelati. Because of the alcohol, it wasn't frozen but more of a thick cream. It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO delicious!!!!

Since we were in Capri, we had a Caprese Salad (or this restaurants version of it). I never made the connection between Capri and Caprese before....

This is where we ate for lunch. But, there were no red-heads in sight. Back into Capri and we went to Augustus Gardens. The gardens were nice - but the views were AMAZING. It kind-of reminded me a little of the 12 Apostles (minus the rugged coastline).

We aren't here in high tourist season. But, there were people EVERYWHERE! Tour guides were speaking English, Chinese, German, French ...... and LOTS of them.

See what I mean about the 12 Apostles? Back in town and saw this....

Death notices advertised.....

So, we were given the option of free time or going on a boat tour to the blue grotto. Because of the weather, we weren't able to go IN the caves. But, we could go close to the caves. So, we all JUMPED at the chance.

The photos do not do it justice. Having said that, despite the fact that we are taking hundreds of photos, I am making a conscious effort to enjoy these places LIVE and not through a small screen.

I had the most AMAZING day with my honey today!!!

A photo posted by ब्रूनो (@mynameisbrunob) on May 24, 2016 at 10:36am PDT

Back again on the Hydrofoil - it was VERY calm on the way home (and quicker too). And, to welcome us back to the ship, here is who we met.

......at the end of the day....

A photo posted by ब्रूनो (@mynameisbrunob) on May 24, 2016 at 9:20am PDT

So, thats about all i have to share with you from Capri/Naples. If you follow me on Instagram, you can get more up to date stories about what we are doing. And, you will probably already know that we have been to Rome as well. Wow! Mind Blown!