The Blue Grotto
Toward the end of our
Italian tour, Sis and I, along with our tour group, boarded a large, open
motorboat and headed off the Island of Capri in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Once
arriving at the entrance of the Blue Grotto Cave, among the cream-white limestone
cliffs, we bobbed around for about two hours waiting our turn. Sis, claustrophobic,
opted out of the cave adventure and stayed on the tour boat. I waited nervously
to board the little wooden rowboat, picturing myself falling into the drink.
But my turn finally came and lowering myself into the smaller boat wasn’t as
difficult as it seemed. Before we entered the opening of the cave, our boatman
rather sternly told us that the tour company did not pay tips and that was our
responsibility. I didn’t have my purse with me and I had to promise I’d pay him
when we got back to our boat. Otherwise, I think he would have tossed me
into the Tyrrhenian Sea. The young Asian couple with us and I had to lie down while
the boatman pulled us through the narrow rocky opening by a chain fastened to
the wall. Once entering the large cavern, we were able to sit up and ooh and aah
at the intense blue glow from underwater light reflecting off the limestone
walls. While he rowed us around the cave, with many other row boats, the oarsmen sang Italian songs, making the surreal
atmosphere even more otherworldly. When we returned to the tour boat, my pant
leg got stuck on the oar while the men in the rowboat and tour boat yelled in
Italian trying to get me up. Only the woman in the boat could see what I was
hung up on. Finally, I shook myself free and got into the larger boat. Our
boatman reminded me of my promise and stood resolutely in his boat waiting for
his euros.
Greed’s intensity
Matched beauty’s intensity
In the Blue Grotto
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