Capri Italy, There is Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself

Guest Post by: Bridget Staroscik O’Reilly

When I arrived on the Isle of Capri after a 45 minute or so ferry ride I was still debating whether or not to visit the Blue Grotto. One of the more famous sights in Italy, a country with a large number of famous sights, the Blue Grotto is supposed to be unforgettable.  Because of this the decision of whether or not to visit it was basically a no brainer except for one thing, the water.

It’s not that I don’t like water. I love to admire it from afar and sit next to it; I even like to drink it. The problem is I’m kind of afraid of it. I can go on ferry rides and cruise ships, but when it comes to smaller boats on open water I get a little nervous.

A quick trip to the dock told me all I needed to know. The boat my group planned to take to the Blue Grotto was essentially a 10 by 10 foot base with a bunch of chairs bolted onto it. According to the captain this glorified raft would take us around the island to visit a variety of sights. After this ‘three hour tour’ as it were, we would then head out to the Blue Grotto area.  Once there, we would climb off of the raft and get into a tiny rowboat that would hold about three or four sightseers and a ‘captain’.

I acknowledge that at times I’m prone to panic. Most of these times have to do with water. Like the Wicked Witch of the West, it is my Achilles heel. While I realized there was no way I was getting on the raft, I didn’t want to give up completely on seeing a place as amazing as the Blue Grotto. There had to be another way.

Teaming up with another hydrophobic, we decided to head up to the village of Capri to see if there was some way for us to get to the Blue Grotto that didn’t involve a raft. I did realize I would still have to get on a boat to go into the Blue Grotto, but I figured I could deal with that when the time came. I am excellent at denial.

We boarded the funicular railway for the trip from the port up to the town of Capri.  We asked at a shop there and were directed to a bus that would take us to Ana Capri. Once in Ana Capri we had to switch buses to catch the one that would take us to the Blue Grotto.