What's a Cell Phone Again?
THIS POST IS FOR SATURDAY MAY 21, 2011!
So I started to realize that I only have one week left in Italy as of today (Saturday).
ONE WEEK. It's not enough!
I also realize that my cell phone is not charged and figured that before crazy Rome, I should charge it so it'll be ready when I'm back in the states. Funny story though-when I picked up my cell phone-it felt like this foreign object in my hand. I mean, I talk on this, right? I used it everyday and treated it like my child in New York, right? And now, as it lays in my hands, I barely recognize it or feel like I'd know what to do it with it now that I haven't used a phone at all except once to call Matthew, now that was days ago. (Now I know what it must have felt like for everyone who had never seen one before when they came out!) Two and a half weeks to not use a cell phone may sound horrible to my friends out there in the states, but my God. Not having to be somewhere on a minute or even have to call a million people to let them know that I will be late or can't make it or whatever?
That feeling is unreal. I don't know if I want to go back to that either.
Anyway, so Chris and I got up at 7 AM this morning.
Dear God. We have been getting up around this time everyday for the last two and a half weeks and it's still hard for me.
Wait a second. I've woken up at 4:30 AM to work from 6 AM-10 PM in NYC. What's wrong with me?
Nevertheless, we had a boat excursion planned today to tour the Almafi Coast and to go to Capri! Huzzah!
Now, I can't remember what company we booked this tour through, and of those of my friends who have trips to Italy coming back (I know of three already!) and want to know the name, I'll gladly give you the name. However, this company told us that, one, we would have an English speaking tour guide.
We did not have an English speaking tour guide.
We were told we would have a tour of the Almafi Coast, learn about the region and various historical aspects as we boated to Capri.
We did not have a tour of the Almafi Coast or learn about the region or any historical aspects as we boated to Capri.
We were told this was a reasonable rate.
We did not receieve a resonable rate. Well, that is, for the lack of the two options above, we did not get a reasonable rate.
I will say Chris and I got a big kick out of the tour guide. We would get to a cave to view for a short time and we would ask what kind of cave it was or what it was named and he would mumble something. We would literally have to ask this bizarre man to repeat things at least three times before we would hear, "White Cave". Or "Blue Cave" or "Green Cave". Due to his lack of English, he couldn't (and I don't think he wanted to) even tell us how or why the different colors in the grattos were made, but oh well. We saw some fantastic sights. All on video and camera, not to worry!
Also, side note for my traveling friends, you can spend the 12.50 Euros on the Blue Gratto but remember, that's super expensive in American dollars! If you get a boat excursion that does take you into the different caves for short spurts, it's really not that different than the boats that take you into the caves maybe 5 yards. Short overpriced tours in my opinion. But those who have never been in a cave may really enjoy it. In that case, tour the cave that's 5 Euro, if you're trying to save. It's really about the same. I can't remember the name once again, but if you want to know which one that is, I'll look it up!
Anyhow, I will say that as much as I love to be spoiled at a spa with massages and white robes and flip flops, and even though we didn't get a real guided tour, I got not only to tan in my new bikini but meet new awesome people and see breathtaking, gorgeous views that I've never gotten and may never get to see anywhere else. That's my kind of spa. Being outdoors and especially near water is where I thrive and my God, today was nothing short of amazing.
After we finally arrived on the shore where we could reach Capri and/or Ana Capri, Chris and I saw the convertible taxis and practically, immediately jumped in one when we given a special rate by our quick new friend, Nilam, the taxi driver. I wish all taxis could be convertibles! I could take in all of the Italy smells and our awesome taxi driver, who I not only got a picture of but who has "Simply the Best" engraved on his back window of his taxi, was a better tour guide than we had had all day. A sweet man who allowed us to take gorg pictures at a lookout point and because of him, we had him drive us all the way to the top to Ana Capri (which sits on top of Capri).
Chris and I share an awesome lunch followed by gelato. If you ever get gelato here, don't be afraid to try the Terroncino aka Nougat which in English is nugget, gelato. AMAZING. You can also get on a chair lift to take fantastic beautiful pictures of the area in Ana Capri, but Chris and I said that for 10 Euro a pop, it just wasn't worth it to us.
We decided then to take the bus back down the the bottom in order to catch the bus to get to our boat on time. NOTE: Buses and other public transporation in Italy are not fun. It's one downfall of Italy, primarily because not everyone and their mom, unlike New York, relies on it. Therefore, times and such are very UNreliable. We end up on giving up on getting the right bus to the bottom so we get catch a bus to get to Capri and then decide that we'll take the funiculare aka the cable car back down to the bottom.
We are now pushing time to make it to our boat on time. Like, more than pushing. Shoving time is more like it.
And of course, all public transporation takes more time much less the fact that almost everyone is a tourist, so very few people know where they're going or what the hell they're doing. This causes for people traffic jams, pushing, and shoving which New Yorkers all know is oh so fun.
So after departing from the cable car, we are running, running like we've never run before, once again, like mad women through the Almafi Coast streets, trying to make it to the very end of this very long pier to catch our boat at 5 PM.
It's now 5:10 PM. Not good.
We finally coming to a running hault at the end of the pier and we see no boat. We are defeated and now will have to wait another hour for the ferry. We have been left and couldn't be more tired.
BUT! Just as we were to give up hope, Chris gives the company a call and tells them we've been left and they turned around for us. We were late and they turned around for us.
Therefore, although I'd like to bad mouth this company for not making all of their promises for the tour come true, they did come and get us after we were late. Not something that happens very often, so at least they're good people and very understanding for stupid lost Americans like ourselves. Not to mention, it was a boat where all nine of us could lay out instead of being stacked like sardines or in a row boat like we're leaving the Titanic, so again, I don't hate it. ;)
And it's then that we get back on the boat with our friends and take the boat to another town, Positano.
Another small Italian town (which I love them all but sometimes they can start to overwhelm you/run together), Positano is a great small city. However, we didn't get to spend much time in the town because we realized that we needed to catch a bus so that we could grab our shuttle to the hotel at a descent hour (since, you know, we're staying in a hotel on top of a mountain...). And then, it begins to rain. We are walking uphill, in the rain and I look at Chris and with a shrug I say, "It could be worse."
Famous last words.
Finally, we get to our bus stop, at the top of the mountain, which is difficult for Chris to climb (rightfully so, let me just tell you!) and soon, a downpour begins. And I'm sitting next to Chris, under a tree with flowers that are falling all over us, in a drenched blue dress trying to pass the time in the cold rain with "The Chamber", a book given to me for the trip from Matthew. Also, I am sitting on Matthew's hoodie, hoping that ants don't get in my pants. (Sorry babe!) But everything, including me, the hoodie, the book, my bag, is very quickly becoming soaking wet. And again, the public transportation is late.
And Chris and I, along with everyone else who is waiting at this bus stop that has no cover and where three roads merge into one, looked like pathetically tired drowned rats.
Finally, finally the bus arrives and before I realize it, due to going in and out of sleep, we are back at the hotel.
And we agree to have dinner at the hotel.
I have to say Prosecco and bruchetta make everything better and wet clothes magically dry and quickly forgotten.
Oh Italy. One week left is not enough. It's just not enough.
Ciao ciao.
Love love,
Adrienne
So I started to realize that I only have one week left in Italy as of today (Saturday).
ONE WEEK. It's not enough!
I also realize that my cell phone is not charged and figured that before crazy Rome, I should charge it so it'll be ready when I'm back in the states. Funny story though-when I picked up my cell phone-it felt like this foreign object in my hand. I mean, I talk on this, right? I used it everyday and treated it like my child in New York, right? And now, as it lays in my hands, I barely recognize it or feel like I'd know what to do it with it now that I haven't used a phone at all except once to call Matthew, now that was days ago. (Now I know what it must have felt like for everyone who had never seen one before when they came out!) Two and a half weeks to not use a cell phone may sound horrible to my friends out there in the states, but my God. Not having to be somewhere on a minute or even have to call a million people to let them know that I will be late or can't make it or whatever?
That feeling is unreal. I don't know if I want to go back to that either.
Anyway, so Chris and I got up at 7 AM this morning.
Dear God. We have been getting up around this time everyday for the last two and a half weeks and it's still hard for me.
Wait a second. I've woken up at 4:30 AM to work from 6 AM-10 PM in NYC. What's wrong with me?
Nevertheless, we had a boat excursion planned today to tour the Almafi Coast and to go to Capri! Huzzah!
Now, I can't remember what company we booked this tour through, and of those of my friends who have trips to Italy coming back (I know of three already!) and want to know the name, I'll gladly give you the name. However, this company told us that, one, we would have an English speaking tour guide.
We did not have an English speaking tour guide.
We were told we would have a tour of the Almafi Coast, learn about the region and various historical aspects as we boated to Capri.
We did not have a tour of the Almafi Coast or learn about the region or any historical aspects as we boated to Capri.
We were told this was a reasonable rate.
We did not receieve a resonable rate. Well, that is, for the lack of the two options above, we did not get a reasonable rate.
I will say Chris and I got a big kick out of the tour guide. We would get to a cave to view for a short time and we would ask what kind of cave it was or what it was named and he would mumble something. We would literally have to ask this bizarre man to repeat things at least three times before we would hear, "White Cave". Or "Blue Cave" or "Green Cave". Due to his lack of English, he couldn't (and I don't think he wanted to) even tell us how or why the different colors in the grattos were made, but oh well. We saw some fantastic sights. All on video and camera, not to worry!
Also, side note for my traveling friends, you can spend the 12.50 Euros on the Blue Gratto but remember, that's super expensive in American dollars! If you get a boat excursion that does take you into the different caves for short spurts, it's really not that different than the boats that take you into the caves maybe 5 yards. Short overpriced tours in my opinion. But those who have never been in a cave may really enjoy it. In that case, tour the cave that's 5 Euro, if you're trying to save. It's really about the same. I can't remember the name once again, but if you want to know which one that is, I'll look it up!
Anyhow, I will say that as much as I love to be spoiled at a spa with massages and white robes and flip flops, and even though we didn't get a real guided tour, I got not only to tan in my new bikini but meet new awesome people and see breathtaking, gorgeous views that I've never gotten and may never get to see anywhere else. That's my kind of spa. Being outdoors and especially near water is where I thrive and my God, today was nothing short of amazing.
After we finally arrived on the shore where we could reach Capri and/or Ana Capri, Chris and I saw the convertible taxis and practically, immediately jumped in one when we given a special rate by our quick new friend, Nilam, the taxi driver. I wish all taxis could be convertibles! I could take in all of the Italy smells and our awesome taxi driver, who I not only got a picture of but who has "Simply the Best" engraved on his back window of his taxi, was a better tour guide than we had had all day. A sweet man who allowed us to take gorg pictures at a lookout point and because of him, we had him drive us all the way to the top to Ana Capri (which sits on top of Capri).
Chris and I share an awesome lunch followed by gelato. If you ever get gelato here, don't be afraid to try the Terroncino aka Nougat which in English is nugget, gelato. AMAZING. You can also get on a chair lift to take fantastic beautiful pictures of the area in Ana Capri, but Chris and I said that for 10 Euro a pop, it just wasn't worth it to us.
We decided then to take the bus back down the the bottom in order to catch the bus to get to our boat on time. NOTE: Buses and other public transporation in Italy are not fun. It's one downfall of Italy, primarily because not everyone and their mom, unlike New York, relies on it. Therefore, times and such are very UNreliable. We end up on giving up on getting the right bus to the bottom so we get catch a bus to get to Capri and then decide that we'll take the funiculare aka the cable car back down to the bottom.
We are now pushing time to make it to our boat on time. Like, more than pushing. Shoving time is more like it.
And of course, all public transporation takes more time much less the fact that almost everyone is a tourist, so very few people know where they're going or what the hell they're doing. This causes for people traffic jams, pushing, and shoving which New Yorkers all know is oh so fun.
So after departing from the cable car, we are running, running like we've never run before, once again, like mad women through the Almafi Coast streets, trying to make it to the very end of this very long pier to catch our boat at 5 PM.
It's now 5:10 PM. Not good.
We finally coming to a running hault at the end of the pier and we see no boat. We are defeated and now will have to wait another hour for the ferry. We have been left and couldn't be more tired.
BUT! Just as we were to give up hope, Chris gives the company a call and tells them we've been left and they turned around for us. We were late and they turned around for us.
Therefore, although I'd like to bad mouth this company for not making all of their promises for the tour come true, they did come and get us after we were late. Not something that happens very often, so at least they're good people and very understanding for stupid lost Americans like ourselves. Not to mention, it was a boat where all nine of us could lay out instead of being stacked like sardines or in a row boat like we're leaving the Titanic, so again, I don't hate it. ;)
And it's then that we get back on the boat with our friends and take the boat to another town, Positano.
Another small Italian town (which I love them all but sometimes they can start to overwhelm you/run together), Positano is a great small city. However, we didn't get to spend much time in the town because we realized that we needed to catch a bus so that we could grab our shuttle to the hotel at a descent hour (since, you know, we're staying in a hotel on top of a mountain...). And then, it begins to rain. We are walking uphill, in the rain and I look at Chris and with a shrug I say, "It could be worse."
Famous last words.
Finally, we get to our bus stop, at the top of the mountain, which is difficult for Chris to climb (rightfully so, let me just tell you!) and soon, a downpour begins. And I'm sitting next to Chris, under a tree with flowers that are falling all over us, in a drenched blue dress trying to pass the time in the cold rain with "The Chamber", a book given to me for the trip from Matthew. Also, I am sitting on Matthew's hoodie, hoping that ants don't get in my pants. (Sorry babe!) But everything, including me, the hoodie, the book, my bag, is very quickly becoming soaking wet. And again, the public transportation is late.
And Chris and I, along with everyone else who is waiting at this bus stop that has no cover and where three roads merge into one, looked like pathetically tired drowned rats.
Finally, finally the bus arrives and before I realize it, due to going in and out of sleep, we are back at the hotel.
And we agree to have dinner at the hotel.
I have to say Prosecco and bruchetta make everything better and wet clothes magically dry and quickly forgotten.
Oh Italy. One week left is not enough. It's just not enough.
Ciao ciao.
Love love,
Adrienne
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