Boat Trip Around Capri

Saturday 20 August 2005. If you can remember back to the last entry from this holiday, we were on the island of Capri where Mum was bewildering the locals and anyone younger than 70 by singing a non-stop medley of Gracie Fields songs, interspaced with sayings like "Eeh, cum on, lass, sing along!" and "Hey up! Whatever's t'matter wi' y'all?"

We have moved from the island onto a small swaying boat and here's Gino climbing up to the lookout tower (well, alright, but he was climbing up to something ok?) to give us a running commentary of what we would see. Despite the notice, we are not going to see the famous Blue Grotto. We don't have long enough as the grotto entrance is so low that the viewing involves putting off all the passengers in ones and twos to lie down in rowing boats to go into the cave.

We pass by the harbour at the town of Capri, where we landed this morning.

There's a figure on a rock up ahead. I took it just for someone sunbathing at first, but on closer viewing it turns out to be a statue.

"Is-a where the sirens sat to lure the boats onto the rocks with their singing," explained Gino, looking sternly at Mum.

We might not be able to go into the Blue Grotto, but there are plenty of caves along the way to look at.

The boat captain backs us into a larger one and we can see the reflected blue of the sea on the roof of the cave.

I'm so busy trying to take a photo that when I take the camera from my eye and turn round there's a hard rock cave archway about an inch from my nose...

The trip takes us past some spectacular scenery. There's a soaring rock archway high up on this hillside.

And then we spot the Faglieri Rocks in front of us. Ooh! Will we sail between them? Er... hang on... er... he isn't going to... he is, you know... Yikes!

I was awestruck, thinking we were about to sail between the two rocks, but no... We sailed through the hole in the smaller of the rocks.

We have just sailed through the archway in the left hand rock. I was having thoughts of Poseidon rising to hold the towering rocks apart for us like in Jason and the Argonauts!

And just look at the sheer size of this cavern set into the hillside of Capri. You'd get a whole shedload of sirens sitting in there!

We come to the Blue Grotto. There are several boats waiting to transfer people into the rowing boats. There are two of them behind the boats in the foreground whilst a third is disappearing into the grotto just behind the driver with white shirt and white hair in the left hand boat. A steady stream of people are walking down the steps on the cliff, waiting for their turn to view inside. We slow whilst Gino tells us what we are missing and then carry on.

This is a low archway rather than a cave, but just look at the colour of the water! Now it's time for us to head back to the larger boat that will take us back to Sorrento.

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Capri Meanderings

Saturday 20 August 2005. Our free time in the town of Capri, on the island of Capri, but not driving round in a Capri, is coming to an end and we meet up again with the rest of the excursionists under the clock tower.

There are masses of people wandering about - it's a wonder the island doesn't sink every summer and bob up again when the tourists have gone. Jennifer Lopez was peeping out of her hotel window and thinking "Bugger that, I'm not going out there with all that lot wandering about..."

We were shepherded onto a coach - "Hey-a Shepino, come-a by-a!" and off we went to a marvellous viewpoint that included the very thing Mum had come to see.

One of those white roofs down there below us was Gracie Fields' villa. I've no idea which one... Gracie was of course something of a legend. A brilliant singer - though this might be disputed by any modern ear that listens to "Sally, Salleeeeeeee! Don't ever wander..."

"Hey-a you! You with-a da hat! You-a stop-a da woman-a screeching-a hey?" Look, easier said than done, pal. She's my Mum, I've known her all my life and she's never been shy. She single-handedly saved 120 sailors once at Dover in a thick fog when the fog horn broke and she stood on the rocks bellowing "F-o-g-g-g-g-g! F-o-g-g-g-g-g!" Strangely enough at the same time three ships were run aground at Calais, thinking they were perilously close to the White Cliffs...

Anyway we came originally from Rochdale so Gracie was almost family in my mother's eyes. When she was still alive (I'm back talking about Gracie now by the way) she used to invite any Britishers with the stomach to listen for a cup of tea and an arpeggio or two. I think "arpeggios" are those rather dry biscuits that you can dunk...

So we have a communal picture taken, mainly because if I'd taken one of Mum on her own she'd have backed herself over the cliff edge... "Sally, Salleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!" Now the keen-eyed and faithful followers amongst you may have noticed that this photo was included on the last page about Capri... If not - then please pay more attention.

And yes, at this point I'll apologise now for the hat. After the first splash of sea spray after getting on the boat to come to Capri, it just sort of flopped. However I grew quite attached to it and was almost inconsolable when, on our way home, I put it in the X-ray machine at the airport and it didn't come out the other side. I'd grabbed all my bags and bits and bobs (Well I didn't want X-rays getting at them...!) and I was sitting on the plane and fastening my seat belt when I suddenly said in an anguished voice "Where's me hat?!?"

Meanwhile half a dozen security guards were trying it on and saying to each other "Hey-a, whaddaya think-a, pretty damn-a chica no?"
"Hey-a is-a mine-a!"
"No-a mine-a!"
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
"Is-a okay-dokay-a you-a can have-a the cruddy thing-a!"

The coach takes us round to the town of Anacapri where we have some free time to look around the shops and street market.

The ladies are suitably impressed with this and with a cursory glance at the perfume bottles, liqueur bottles and shampoo bottles, they make a bee-line for the inevitable fridge magnets stall.

Meanwhile, I - and my hat - are quite content...

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Wet Bottom? Make A Wish!

Saturday 20 August 2005. We have landed on the island of Capri, in the town of Capri, having sailed from Sorrento where we are staying for a week.

Following Gino, our guide for the day, we trundled up the funicular railway up the hill to the town of Capri. Hang on... what was that bit with the harbour at the bottom then? On the summit is this magnificent view.

The colour of the sea is a wonderful mix of deep blues and turquoise. Looking one way we can see the luxury yachts that tell us this place is a magnet for the well-off set.

Looking the other way we can see the imposing Faglieri Rocks. We'll get a closer look - a much closer look(!) - this afternoon.

The town of Capri attracts a rather rich clientele. In fact, a rich and famous clientele. Gino was saying that Jennifer Lopez had spent some time there not long previously. Given that such people tend to enjoy the night life and that it was only around 11:00am, I don't think we were likely to run into anyone famous and indeed we didn't. Happen as well, given what is to come later. But all in good time!

Gino led us as a group to a park with a fabulous view of the interior of the island, as seen above. There he left us for an hour or hour and a half's free time. It was boiling hot. We weren't going to start dashing round anywhere and in any case we had already walked through the shopping streets, which tended to reflect the anticipated spending power of Jennifer Lopez and chums

It was in the park that we spied a raised pond, a bit like a wishing well, but filled to the very brim. It made a nice picture and we suggested to Mum she perch on the edge for a photo. WRONG!!! She sat well back as though it was a settee... So far back in fact that I dropped the camera on its strap round my neck in preparation for dashing forward to save her, thinking she would fall in backwards.

Amazingly she sat there smiling away, totally oblivious to the water lapping at her rear end which was of course an inch or three underwater. It took us a while to even convince her that she had sat in the water... "Ah, well it'll dry in this sun..." was all she said as we walked down the path, leaving a trail of drops behind us like breadcrumbs for anyone to follow our path. We tried for a while to block anyone's view of what looked like an even more unfortunate incident than it really was!

It did dry quickly however and thankfully left no mark so we made our way back through the shopping streets and found a little cafe bar.

And there we'll stay enjoying ourselves until the next instalment - in which we get a look at Gracie Fields' villa! Oh no, don't start again, Mother! "Sally, Salleeeee! Pride of our alley..." Never mind singing about back passages... Just squirm about on the cushion until you're certain yours is dry...

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Arriving at Capri

Saturday 20 August 2005. It's been a fun journey from Sorrento to the Isle of Capri.

From the moment we rounded the headland and saw Capri in the distance, Mum broke into every Gracie Fields song she could remember... "Sally, Salleeeeeee, pride of our alley!" followed by Sing As We Go and then Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye!

"Goodbye!" [SPLASH]

Now, where were we? Ah yes, Gino, our guide for the day has handed out little round stickers with his name on. "Today you can all-a be-a Gino! Is a great honour, yes?" A little light banter may have followed at this point... "Hey-a, you just keep your Mama quiet, ok?"

We learn that the Capri has two large towns, one called Capri ("That'll confuse the buggers!" the town planners chortled...) and the other called... er... Anacapri ("Hey-a, Anna is-a my-a signora! I no call it after her, I-a get-a no nookie!")

We land at Capri. Both of them. At the same time.

We will visit Anacapri later but first the plan is to have a ride up a funicular railway into the centre of Capri - the town - and then will split up to explore on our own for a bit!

Right our gang! Are you ready, Mother? What? The biggest aspidistra in the world??? Ohhhh...

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Memories of Home Movies

The other day Mum rang up and after the usual family news and so on, said she had been doing a rummage and had found Dad's old cine camera.

My thoughts went at first to our Super 8 zoom camera but when I went round a couple of days later it turned out to be the old Standard 8 camera he had and made films of me as a baby!

It was a Dekko camera with a clockwork mechanism and he had both telephoto and wide-angle lenses for it besides the standard one. The telephoto lens is shown with here.

The real surprise came when I opened the back of the camera only to find there was an exposed film in it. The camera took a 25 foot spool of 16mm film but only exposed half the width. When the spool had been used up you reversed it to expose the other half. After the film was processed it was split centrally along its length and the two halves joined to form 50 feet of film lasting approx 4 minutes at 18 frames per second.

Now my problem is - were both sides of the film exposed or just one? And will I be able to get it processed as the odds are for it having been a pre-paid processed film and of course the envelope to send it away has long since been lost! Well, that's my challenge for this next week!

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Island Star Sailaway from Mahon

Friday 29 August 2008. We heard the call of lunch and walked the short distance from the cafe to the ship.

We entered on deck 3 and Mum got into the lift. We told her we'd see her on deck 11 and set off up the stairs. On deck 8 we told her to get back into the lift... Having had a spot of lunch, I wiped it off with a hanky and we went to find our usual table on the pool deck.

The usual crowd of waiters came round to talk to Mum; "Mom Evelyne, you want a drink from the bar?" Ha! The normal correct phrasing would be "Do you want to drink the contents of the bar...?" Eventually she allowed her favourite waiter, Julius, to take her over to the ice cream point for a Magnum.

I spent a happy hour with my mind switched off, doodling this view outside the window with a certain amount of head bobbing called for as the handrail was right at the height of my eyes.

Well, put a Magnum, my Mum and the hot temperatures together and this was inevitable. She even managed to get some on her glasses somehow. "Well, it gives you something to do..." she remarked cheerfully, watching me struggle to clean them.

Sailaway time came and, as the sun had moved around from where it was on our sail into Mahon, we now had another wonderful opportunity to photograph the opposite side to the channel on our way out. The ship's rail was lined with people.

"That one's mine!" said a crew member, pointing at a particularly gorgeous villa. "Oh, you must have moved in next door to us then," I laughed.

I particularly liked this one, with its many steps, its sun terraces and boat house. Fabulous! I imagine the rent is too...

We had our evening meal once more in the Steak Restaurant, ably attended to by Vivian and then went to watch the show in the theatre.

After which, the captain came on with a crowd of crew and staff to say goodbye. It had been a good relaxing holiday. Mum enjoyed it - she's already wanting to know if she can go again in a couple of years. Next year she's going off to Malta with my brother and his wife. As for us - well Fran had decided we were going back and booked it whilst we were on board, upgrading us to a cabin with a balcony. She'd have opted for one with a veranda if I hadn't said that it was the bridge she was looking at...

The following day we were back in Palma and faced with a three hour delay to the flight. In the light of the crash of the XL companies, perhaps we weren't so badly off!

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Island Star Deck Party

Thursday 28 August 2008.

If you ever sail on the Island Star then don't miss the Thursday night deck party. At this party all the senior officers of the ship, including the captain, line up above the pool deck and perform a dance routine.

This particular night there was a stiff breeze on the Mediterranean and for the only time on the entire cruise (or any of the 4 cruises we've done on the Med) we were cold! It must have felt freezing up on the balcony of the sun decks.

I'd spent the night on my own after Fran and Mum decided to go for the Ladies' Night pampering up in the spa salon. I watched the show and explained to the bar staff several times where "Mom Evelyne" was - huh? She was in her element all week as they all made a fuss of her!

Can you believe it? Tomorrow is our last day!

Larger version of the photo: Island Star Deck Party

Villefranche Castle and Sketch

Thursday 28 August 2008. Whilst Fran and Mum looked round the market in Villefranche, I climbed the hill for a closer look at the castle.

We had already caught a glimpse of a complicated structure from the tender boat on which we entered Villefranche. Our cruise ship, the Island Star is moored in the bay. On an earlier visit we had climbed the hill under the arches of the bridge to reach a coach that would take us on an excursion to Monaco and Monte Carlo.

This time I reached the approach to the castle over the bridge, the very end of which, under the fortress wall, was a drawbridge.

Someone is about to test just how strong it is... Ah... strong enough!

Whichever way you go, under the bridge or up the road to it, there's a steep climb!

Looking over the parapet back towards the town I could see the market and beyond, the bay of Villefranche.

Mum and Fran were still looking round the market when I got back and we agreed to go for a drink. Mum still wanted to look at a stall so we pointed out which cafe we were going to and sat down. The owner asked us to move to the opposite end as we had sat in a meals only area so we moved and Mum, not being able to see us, finished her shopping and decided to wander off in the exact opposite direction, so I had to go charging through the market, dodging locals and dogs to catch her before she got herself lost. I've still no idea why she would choose to go in the opposite direction to where we had said we'd be, but there you go...

We had our drink and I nipped off to stand on the street to draw this sketch, which was not helped by a bus driver who stopped right beside me and switched off his engine, totally blocking my view... I waited a quarter hour but he wasn't going to move. I had to cross the road and finish it from there - a challenge for perspective, and of course as soon as I had finished, the bus driver moved...!

Then a short walk along the seafront before making our way back to the harbour to catch the tender boat back to the ship.

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