La Grotta Azzura
Andrea V
The ferry ceased its moving; we had arrived to our
destination: Capri a small island on the
coast of Naples. At first, I couldn’t
understand all the excitement. For me it was a regular island, nothing seemed
special about it. It was relatively small, had a sunny and windy climate and
seemed average. We saw a passage of stairs leadings towards the ocean. I was
suspicious for a while, until I saw a cave opening and some small boats
disappearing behind it. There was a line of 10 people before us, all sitting in
the stairs, and drenching in sweat. “It better be worth it,” I said .
I stared at the ocean to divert my gaze from the
stairs. The long line ahead of us at the stairs, made me feel disgusted,
because I knew it would be a long boring wait. Although I had to admit it was a
beautiful sight. The water, mixed with
the sun creating a strange hue of aquamarine color. This contrast of colors
called my attention. It was as if mermaids were tempting you to jump in. They
were calling my name, repeatedly. I could almost picture myself jumping in, and
falling for their spell. I reached the
conclusion that this cave must belong to mythological beings from the past. I
could picture mermaids swimming inside and doing some of their rituals. The
sun´s rays were making my imagination run wild.
It was finally
my family´s turn to climb into the
cramped boat. We were five including the boat driver. He had to maneuver in
order to avoid the rocks that stuck out, restricting our entrance into a different
realm. As the five of us crouched, and tried to lie down on top of each other,
we submerged ourselves into the unknown of the depths of the cave. One moment
we were outside in the human world, were the heat was unbearable, and now we
were inside a cave that created a mystical time warp in our daily world. The
hollow water brought chills, and the small crevice was enough for a gushing
wind to rush throughout the whole cave, and embrace our bodies. We sat up, and heard the echoes around us. We
heard some inconceivable words that were uttered and echoed the whole time we
were inside. This was Emperor Tiberius private swimming pool. We were now in a sacred place, were there were
once statues guarding the entrance , and where you would find
Neptune’s menacing gaze if you would dare to violate the rules and entered. All of it screamed about the past. The
rock formations, made the cave look like an enclosing cage. The water that
emitted a translucent blue glow sent you spiraling into the Roman times…
La grotta azzura, hidden for centuries; was another
secret of the sea. The sea acted as a vessel to transport you, into the deepest
of trances; calmly without you noticing, with each sway of the boat. The water
had a mesmerizing effect on people, it made illusions become real. Time ceased
to be imperative, and for a while you forgot about the people around you. If
only you could float in that limited space, and drink up the water’s glowing
elixir, sink into the most lucid parts of your mind. You would find all of your
problems solved, in an instant wave of serenity. All your dreams accomplished. The
air created such vivid hallucinations. Everyone had a hopeful distant look; it
was as if the water reflected its light onto us.
I will never
forget such a magical experience. I engraved that moment forever in my memory
and, every time I recall it, I feel a surreal essence overcoming me. It’s very
hard to put in words what happened inside that cave. Capri, for me, is a
mysterious island. That in some way or another would surprise anyone. I bet that there are still many of its secrets
lying around waiting to be discovered.
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