Italy Travel Diary-The Island of Capri

Don't let these serene pictures fool you. Our day trip to the island of Capri was tumultuously stormy. After taking a high speed ferry from Positano, we were greeted with hurdling flash thunderstorms as soon as we docked on the four square mile island known as the luxury retreat for the rich and famous. We spent our day checking out the shops, lunching on the best risotto and caprese salad in the world, and intermittently seeking refuge in hotels and under awnings to duck the unpredictable tropical rain drops. It was all very romantic until we had to leave.

Zeus and Poseidon must have been royally angry because as soon as we boarded the ferry, dark clouds enveloped the skies as heavy rain and wind engulfed us. The ferry rocked back and forth with capsizing-like strength and one by one people fell victim to the massacre of seasickness. I sat slumped in my chair holding my stomach and squeezing my eyes shut as I knew any small movement or glimpse of the massacre would trigger violent vomiting. Unfortunately I couldn't close my ears and nose. The thirty minute boat ride took more than two hours as we were turned away at Positano due to the high tides and had to dock in Amalfi. Finally on dry land, I surveyed my fellow passengers. We looked like refugees-disheveled weak, wet, and utterly thankful to have escaped the wrath of the sea. In the end, I'm glad I went through the experience because what doesn't break us will only make us stronger.