Capri

So the early night and drugs did not fix the Contiki Cough. That doesn't matter, though, because we had a cruise around Capri Island today! We all got up early and had our free breakfast. The breakfast at this hostel was definitely the best breakfast we've had yet. It was like a buffet with sunnyside up eggs (the best way) toast, sandwich meat, cheese, yogurt, and fruit. I made 2 of the meanest sandwiches of all time. After filling up, we went into town to catch the ferry. The difference in weather was ridiculous. Yesterday was 27 and not a cloud around. 8 am it was pissing rain and kind of cold. We sat in the front row of the ferry, not expecting the water to be ridiculously choppy. We were getting some airtime while riding the waves lol. I've never been sea sick before, but I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. Some people on the Contiki tour were yaking all over the ferry, though. I think if I was closer to them, it would probably would have been the end of me. On the way to the island becs, the tour manager told us the cruise around the island was canceled because of the waves, so we were pretty disappointed because we had no idea what we were gonna do. Pearse and I immediately hopped off the ferry and found a Café to sit at and make a plan. 5 others from the group joined us. It was nice because we hadn't really talked to these people a lot since we've been on the bus. To be honest, I didn't even know their names lol. That was an awkward conversation. Pearse and I decided we were going to go on a hike, and they wanted to tag along. Just as we started the hike, the clouds disappeared, and the sun came out. It was perfect. Capri was a very vertical island, so just to get to the hike, we had to hike up a couple hundred stairs. Those stairs were nothing compared to what was to come on the hike. The hike took us to a couple of lookout points with some beautiful views and places to take pictures. When we finally started getting into the trees, we all spotted a couple of lizards running away to their hiding holes. My younger self was going crazy. I was hyperfocused and catching one of these little guys for a quick picture. They were faster and probably smarter than me, so I didn't manage to get one. We made it to these stairs that were pretty steep. They were a breeze at first, then we turned the corner, and we couldn't even see the end of them. It was a bit of a soul crusher, actually. Pearse and I are in much better shape than two of the ladies that tagged along, so we just crushed them out and waited at the top for them. At the top of these stairs was a massive cave. It was a pretty wild place to catch our breath and wait for some of the others. Again, I was looking for lizards lol. Once everyone was good to go, we left the cave just to find more stairs, not as much but still. We got to the top at around 1130, which was almost perfect because there was a bar at the top that was opening at 12. We decided to finish the last bit of the hike and come back for a cold brew in the sun. The last part of the hike was a natural arch over looking the ocean. It was absolutely beautiful right there. I could have sat around there all day. I did a little extra climbing and just went up on top of this huge rock. Pearse joined me for a little photoshoot. We safely got down and went back to the bar. It happened to be closed for the day, so we found a little restaurant instead. Everyone got some grub and drinks, and now it's time to head down and find a different restaurant closer to the port. The servers at this restaurant try to pull you in like street vendors it's kinda weird. This one guy stopped us and asked me where we were from. I said, canada, and he ran to his closet to grab his jacket. It had a canadian flag pin on it. He told us he'd give his canadian friends discounts on drinks. It's funny cause we were with an American, 2 ausies, and a Kiwi. He still gave the whole table discounts and even some free limonchello shots. I think I had more fun hiking and exploring Capri than if we did the island cruise tour. We all packed on the ferry again to head back to sorrento. The water was a lot calmer by this time. Sitting there gently rocking almost put me right to sleep. We had a free afternoon to do whatever, and if we wanted a free ride back, the coach was leaving at 8pm. We chilled out with some of the guys we've been talking to daily. After walking for a little while, we got some dinner together and kinda just chilled. We missed the coach, but we weren't stressed it was only an hour walk back to the hostel. On the way back, we stopped in a grocery store and looked at the bottles of wine. I bought a 4€ bottle! That'll do. The boys grabbed their own bottles, and off we went. One thing led to another, and the next thing I knew, we were sharing a bottle on the walk back, then another, then another, and finally, the last one. Just dudes being dudes. By the time we got back to the hostel, the 4 of us were feeling fantastic if cold meds won't fix the contiki cough wine will. We walked back into the hostel and got our refund for the Capri cruise. Outside, there were probably 25 people from the crew playing drinking games. I jumped in and hung out with everyone. I think today was one of my favorite days. Everything just worked out in the end, and I feel like I got closer with a lot of people I hadn't really talked to. Hopefully, all this wine kills whatever alien disease we have.Read more