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The price to take a ferry from Sorrento to the island of Capri was the same price as a guided tour around the island by ferry-boat, so we opted for the tour. The boat itself was nothing special…there were probably 100 people aboard with us…all of us listening to the tour guide tell us little facts about the island and where to go etc. The ride was about an hour before we arrived and docked.
The city center of Capri had loads of tourists (apparently the beauty of this island isn’t a big secret)…and we played that same role looking at all the shops and taking pictures of the cathedrals and cobblestone streets. The pricing in the little boutiques were definitely on the pricey side, so we did mostly window shopping. After walking around a bit, we escaped the madness and started walking off the beaten path to the edge of the island where we found a trail. It was about 95 degrees and high noon so the hike was especially difficult as we climbed up and down steep flights of steps…but the views were extremely rewarding…it reminded us of Hawaii.
The rugged cliffs were massive, the rocks sticking straight out of the water, the hidden caves and the gorgeous coastal views of the island were stunning. There were tons of little lizards slithering around as we hiked up and down the mountain. It was nice to just stare out at the horizon as all the boats sailed by.
As we were getting close to the end of our hike…my face was beet red and Giff was sweating to the point where he could ring his shirt out several times. We saw umbrellas below and what looked like beach access. We took the 300 meter hike down towards the water even though this meant we would need to hike back up. Once we got to the bottom, we found out the beaches were private…we could have access but it was about $25 per person just to stick our pinky toe in the water. We couldn’t justify the money, so turned around for the long hike back up.
It would have been smart of us to bring a bottle of water or some fruit on this long hike…but didn’t! By the time we got to the top, we were extremely thirsty. Thankfully there was a lemonade stand and we quickly ordered two lemonades. We were given two small Dixie cups of lemonade for $6 each! It was highway robbery but we needed the drink.
Once we cooled off a bit and bought some large waters, we saw the clock was ticking. We needed to be at a certain port by a certain time to catch our boat back and wanted to see the top of the island first. We quickly caught a public bus full of people dripping in sweat (including us) as we were all squished together to get to the town at the top called, Anacapri. We only had about an hour but were hungry so found a touristy food place to grab a quick snack. We continued through the town, looking at the main sites and taking a few pictures. It was much quieter up there, not as many people. Both the town of Capri and the town of Anacapri had their typical squares with old buildings and cute streets, but the real reason to come to this island has nothing to do with the center. It is a must to get out of the town and onto a hiking path in order to appreciate the landscape.
Once we got back down on the bus to the main town of Capri…we opted to take the downhill walk the rest of the way to our port. We made it back with a few minutes to spare, and then got back on the boat to finish our island tour and head back to Sorrento. They showed us a few different sites like a statue hidden in a cave and some of the beautiful coastline from the boat view. They also pointed out the blue grotto which is one of the highlights of Capri. It is sea cave and the way the sun shines through the water into the cave causes it to light up with a blue color. The lines were quite long with people wanting to enter the cave so we didn’t do it, but probably would have had we stayed on Capri for another day.
A bit sunburned and sticky from our hike, we got back from the boat and back to our hotel. We went next door to a restaurant and ordered a pizza and salad to take to our hotel room before climbing into bed. Our overall opinion of Capri is that the island itself is gorgeous and the hikes are challenging but rewarding with the breathtaking views. There are however way too many tourists swarming the streets.
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Published by Brandey Kabat
What I like: Dark chocolate, yoga, fresh squeezed juice, laughing, hiking, wine, travel, food, lush products, being warm, having long hair, the ritual of drinking something hot first thing in the morning…
What I don’t like: When people smell their fingers, pushing elevator buttons, confrontational situations, not being able to fall asleep quickly at bedtime…
Most random job ever: Plastic surgery consultant
As for my love life: I met my husband mid way through my junior year in college, as soon as I laid my eyes on him I was attracted to him. In fact, I made the first move which was a bit out of character but there was something about him…probably the fact that he was smokin’ hot!!
Where from and where to: I grew up in NY, went to college at The Ohio State University and then headed to CA after graduation. My boyfriend (Giff) and I had a map, a borrowed van and used stuff from his mom’s basement aka a vacuum, silverware, old Christmas ornaments etc., and about $1000 each. We thought it would be a good idea to head straight to CA since neither of us had been. Being we didn’t know anyone there nor did we have a job or job interviews set up or a place to live…I would say we did it the hard way! However with a bit of help from Giff’s mom who flew out to put us up in a hotel, bought me a suit for interviewing and co-signed a lease to get us a place to live we eventually found jobs and an apartment and have been in CA for 10 years.
Our story: After moving out to CA and living together for about 3 years we got engaged. He popped the question while down on one knee on the beach at sunset after we finished our picnic he had packed of bread, cheese, shrimp cocktail and wine. He even had the ring in a box that had a light shining down on it when opened so as it was getting dark, this amazing man was asking me to be his wife as he handed me a huge rock…Yes! Yes! Yes!
In 2005 we were married (I am biased but our wedding was absolutely amazing). By the end of 2005 we were new home owners. 2006-2009- we were both happily married, attached to our 3 cats and were focused on building our careers.
Giff and I got pregnant mid year 2009 with our first baby but what should have been one of the highlights of our life was soon distracted by the news I received at the doctor’s office.
The lump in my breast that had been dismissed the year before as nothing was now being diagnosed by a different doctor as breast cancer. Thankfully Giff is a persistent person and when we went in for our ultrasound (to hear our baby’s heartbeat) he brought up the request for testing to be done on the lump rather than dismissing it based on feeling it.
The going gets rough: Things began to move so quickly at that point, it was hard to breathe. I was 30, pregnant with my first child and going into surgery to remove breast cancer. I was about to go through what would be the worst year of my life. The plan had been discussed, we were going with the most aggressive regimen possible- double mastectomy, port surgically placed in my chest, chemotherapy, drug therapy and radiation. We also had to terminate the pregnancy. This cancer was estrogen positive and the hormones were actually feeding the cancer. That little angel whom was the cause of our going into the doctor saved my life.
Giff was my rock through every step…interviewing a team of the best doctors, memorizing which medicines I needed to take and when, driving me to chemotherapy and sitting next to me while I was so scared, telling me I was beautiful when I was bald, and so many other things…words cannot express. When you say your vows, in sickness and in health…you would never guess sickness of this magnitude at this age would be in the near future. In addition to this hardship, Giff’s dad died of a complicated prostate cancer the day we came home from my surgery. I could not hold my husband as he mourned for his dad because of the pain I was in from the mastectomy. How did Giff handle all of this pain at one time? How was he so strong for me? He is amazing. Giff’s dad was one of those people whom you naturally wanted to be around…his smile was contagious, his love for life was invigorating and he listened so intently when you talked in a conversation with him. He made you feel special. We think about him often and will miss him so much.
My family and friends were also by my side…my mom flying out from NY several times to help us with cooking and cleaning and holding my hand. It must be one of the most awful things in the world to watch your baby girl be diagnosed with breast cancer. My girlfriends also flew out to take care of me and help with anything they could. Other friends living closer would come by just to sit and talk or watch movies. There were so many cards, letters, flowers, cookies, and other gifts that came from all over the country. It’s amazing to have such great people in my life. In addition to my amazing circle of friends and family, there were the strangers with whom crossed our path. Whether it was a letter in the mail from a breast cancer survivor, the anesthesiologist who called Giff during my surgery crying happy tears that the cancer had not spread to my lymph nodes, or our fertility doctor who promised to watch over our frozen embryos as if they were her own. There were so many small gestures that made such a big impact on our lives.
Looking at the bright side: Thankfully this was caught in stage 1, had it been caught a year prior by the first doctor I had gone into about the lump, it may have been caught at stage 0. Please learn from my lesson…insist the lump be tested – a lump cannot be diagnosed by touch. They were able to cut all the cancer out and after I finish the entire regimen including a pill I take over the next 5 years, they said there is a 95% chance the cancer will never come back.
Our exciting future: We’ve decided to re-prioritize, we are taking 400 days starting February 7th of 2011 to travel the world! We will travel to new places, eat new foods, taste new wines and meet new people. We will focus on healing ourselves both physically and mentally. This will be one of the best years of our lives.
View all posts by Brandey Kabat
Spinning Around The World 
So bummed we missed you…we were in Capri last Saturday right before we left!! Check out our pics on my facebook! Maybe we can hook up somewhere else along your trip..still so many days to go! Hope you & Giff are well! Ang