Exploration/Re-evaluation:

June 2002: Capri, Italy
     
     I'd been to Capri once when I was 13.  My mom insisted that we go to the Blue Grotto "because it is one of the Seven Wonders of Europe" I was somewhat enthused.  My dad however had written it off as a tourist scam.  Naturally, we went anyway.
     We paid to get on a boat to take us to the cave.  Then we paid to get on a smaller boat that would get us inside.  Oh, did I mention the 3 hours of waiting we did for one of the small boats?  The 40 person gasoline guzzling flat bottom boats idled constantly jockeying for position to unload their already upset customers onto the canoes.  Gasoline fumes filled our lungs as the heat wrinkled our skin.  If it were any hotter, the fumes would have lit and killed us all (a fate that I think many of us may have welcomed after hour 2).

     Finally the four of us climbed down into our rickety seafaring vessel and rocked toward the entrance.  Of course a line had formed for this as well.  But eventually we made it inside.  Boats were jam packed inside the grotto that extended 25 meters into the island.  Our captain, jealous of the gondoliere in Venice, began serenading us which only added to the cheesiness.  Don't get me wrong it was grandeur, but the bitter taste of gas tainted the trip.  My mom, the one who suggested it, even thought the electric blue water inside was artificially lit.  Despite the fact that the rest of the excursion proved to be a fake tourist trap, the water was real.  The spot became famous because of its incandescent water that appears to be lit from the bottom up.  Sunlight reflects off of the limestone walls that curl underneath the water creating the illusion that the grotto's crystal clear azzurro water is lit from below.  After our token 2 minute circle around the cave, the striped shirt wearing rower frantically ushered us passengers back into the sunlight and cloud of fumes.

    ANOTHER fee offered re-entry onto our original exhaust spitting barca where we awaited the return of the other ripped off tourists.
















April 2010: Capri, Italy
     
     "We should rent a boat and go to the blue grotto!"  someone shouted.  "Oh no, here it goes again" I thought as my study abroad program and I rode the ferry over the growing swells to the island.
     "My mom said we have to go.  Oh my God, it is supposed to be amazing!" another girl (probably one of those Bucknell  ones) chimed in.  "It's happening again,"  the one-sided conversation in my mind continued, "the horror of Capri.  Will I ever be able to outrun it?"
     "It's a scam." I finally blurted out.  These people had no idea what they were in for.  The boats, the money, the 2 minutes inside, and worst of all the waiting.

*

     
     "Josh are you coming?"  Blair asked.
     "I guess, there's really nothing else to do."  I had just succumbed to the Blue Grotto's allure.  (Blair's going may have had something to do with it)  It was a stormy day; the sky, grey and bleak, blended with the horizon creating a n intimidating but imaginary overcast wall.  Our captain informed us that the Blue Grotto was chiuso due to high swells; instead, this would be a trip around the island.
     "Possiamo nuotare nella grotto?" I threw out there.  It was worth a shot.  Our teachers had told us that it was, "very dangerous, but it is an experience like no other."
     "Si,"  the driver said with a smile on his face.  He could tell we were up for adventure.  Or at least Jaime and I, the only two guys on our vessel, were excited.  
     As we approached the infamous Grotta Azzurra, the girls lay bundled together for warmth.
     "Ready?" our captain/ tour guide questioned as he lowered the anchor.  There were no other boats in sight; the weather and cold water had scared the tourists away.  The waves lapped gently against the island's rocky edge.  The hole, a 4 foot gap, awaited our exploration.  Jaime was the first to jump in.  ("Dammit, I wanted to be first," I muttered to myself.)  I jumped off the bow, diving head first into dark Mediterranean below. 
     "Aaaaahhhhh!  Woooooohh! It's freezing," I yelped as the ice cold water enveloped my body.
     "Major shrinkage..."  Jaime commented.  I was beginning to feel the same (or lack there of).
     "Let's get this over with."  I said as I swam closer to the entrance.  Within seconds we were inside.  No waiting for boats, no hidden fees, no crowds, just an empty cavern full of beautiful radiant blue water.  We swam deeper, exploring the full extent of the cave.  Turing around and looking back from where we came elevated the grotto to all its deserved splendor.  

Majestic was the only word to describe it.  The adrenaline from the voyage and the view warmed my body.  "This is so much better than the last time I was here.  No wonder it's a wonder," I thought.

     We burst out of the cave at full speed to spread the news.  After some convincing, we managed to get most of our group off the boat and into the cave.  We couldn't let them miss this opportunity to see such magnificent and utterly blue water.
     20 minutes later, it was time to continue on our journey around the delightful island of Capri.  The rest proved to be worthwhile as well, but nothing could top the grotta.

*

     My two trips to the grotto could not have been more different.  Polar opposites, the two experiences helped me see that first impressions aren't everything.  Even trips need to be reevaluated with time.  It is rare that people have the chance to swim in the landmark cave.  If the cave had not been closed (chiuso) to boat traffic, we would never have swam inside.  Exploring the cave was a highlight of the weekend; an activity that made our peers jealous.  Exploration leads to unique and utterly amazing experiences.


After busing back to Rome and completing finals, adventure awaits.  Off to Orvieto we go (1 city north of Rome).