Self Debate: US vs. IT Gluten-Free Products

Everyone said, "Gluten-free and moving to Italy?! What are you going to eat?"

It was enough trying to find the one or two gluten-free products in the aisles in America unless I was in Whole Foods, and it's pretty similar here in Italy. It seems that the best products I can find are at that special organic store that happens to be at the end of my block.

However Italy lacks gluten-free cereal - I've only found one at the giant Esselunga in Novoli by Cereal Vit called Coffee Flakes. It's coffee-covered corn flakes and it's ah-mah-zing. Sadly I end up eating it straight out of the box at night and forget that the coffee coating then keeps me awake.

After finishing this one rare box of cereal, I missed the countless boxes of rice Chex flavors along the aisles in the US. The thought of taking the bus 20 minutes each way just to get cereal seems extreme.

Similarly, I miss rice cakes from the US, because the ones in Italy - even the flavored ones - are terrrrrible. In replace of those here, I've become addicted to plum cakes, which are, essentially, like twinkies without a filling. Not a healthy choice, but the most commonly found GF food here.

On the other hand, the brand Liberi di Mangiare (Freedom of Eating?) by Pandea has great frozen food products, two of which I'm addicted to, fish fingers and now spinach ravioli, which I just tried for the first time tonight. You only have to boil them for 3 minutes and I added pesto. It was really good. Their breadsticks (not frozen) are really great, too. Their brand simply doesn't have any gluten-free taste to them and that's what I like a lot about most of the products here in Italy in comparison to the US.

For instance, many breads in Italy are stale in general (not just GF bread), but the bread at Ciro and Sons is the most amazing GF bread I've ever had and always comes freshly baked from the oven. My friend said it was better than her bread. I haven't found this bread anywhere for purchase besides at the restaurant, though. It seems that restaurants are more prepared from GF people and know more about how to cook the pasta whereas in the US, they don't realize that the pasta needs to be cooked longer and you end up with hard rice pasta with sauce on it. I haven't been able to tell the difference between gluten-free and gluten foods that I've eaten here, which is probably the biggest plus.

In terms of finding the products, it's more difficult to just pick up a snack or a quick bite to eat, but there's plenty of things out there, especially really really good crackers that I'm now addicted to. I also finally found GF breakfast bars.

I guess my biggest complaint is the cereal, because that's always such a simple, cheap snack solution that I can only so often get my hands on here in Italy, but I think Italy is the winner over the US in terms of GF products. 

Doctor Who Convention

Though this is almost entirely unrelated to all the other content on my blog, I feel the need to recount my experience at the first official Doctor Who Convention in Cardiff, Wales. Most of the memories I have of it are through photos, Twitter, Tumblr, other blog posts, etc. I want to put it all in one place. One big memory spectacular.

Having just started watching the show in July (and saw all of the Tennant and Matt Smith episodes by September if not earlier), one may think it was a bit weird to go to my first ever convention for this single show. While other attendees had been watching the show all their lives, were really avid, intense fans, and most of which were British therefore had the show ingrained into their culture and lives since birth, I was a new but exuberant fan.

I bought my ticket to the convention in December thinking if I couldn't go I could always sell it online. After all, the date of the convention (it was two days) was the weekend after I had just finished a very rigorous TEFL course and had to move all my stuff into a different apartment in Florence. My mom thought I was crazy for trying to do such a thing (and for going in general).

I thought getting from Florence to Cardiff wouldn't be too difficult, yet as a poor student, I was going the RyanAir route, thus making it infinitely more complicated (but much cheaper). In all, I had to take a taxi, a bus, a plane, a bus, the Tube, a train, and a taxi to get from my apartment in Florence to where I was staying in Cardiff. 25 total hours of traveling for 48 hours in Cardiff. Let me say now that it was damn well worth it.

My first night in Cardiff I tested to see how long it would take me to walk from my hotel to the Millenium Centre where the convention was being held. I arrived near the end of the first day of the convention and had a ticket for the second day. By the time I was 5 blocks from the Millenium Centre, I could hear Murray Gold's brilliantly composed Doctor Who music streaming (as it would be for the entire weekend both out loud and in my head). I saw signs for where each group should get in line.

I didn't go too close as to not spoil the next day, but once I got back to my hotel, I scoured the internet for posts, tweets, pictures, anything about that day of how the convention was going. I found amazing cosplay pictures, pictures of Oods walking around crowds of people, and one staged photo with Matt Smith. Not much detail, but I found that a writer from Nerdist.com was there that day and the next, so I tweeted her asking when I should get in line in the morning. Doors opened at 9 and the first panel wasn't until 10:45, but I had heard horror stories of Comic-Con San Diego, and had no idea what to expect. Luckily this con was limited to 1500 people each day to ensure everyone have an amazing experience.

Sunday March 25th - THE DAY

8:00 - woke up before my alarm - almost like Christmas when you never wake up early except when you know something amazing is going to happen and you'll miss it if you don't

8:10 - cosplay as Amy Pond in my plaid shirt, jeans, and brown boots with my red hair slightly wavy and wearing an appropriate amount of eye makeup to fit the role

8:20 - got some snacks and water at Sainsbury's where I was told I looked like Karen Gillan (who plays Amy Pond who I was dressed up as) by the cashier

8:30 - In the 'Silurian' line pretty close to the front where it seemed that no one was dressed up besides one very ginger kid in tweed and a bow tie. The Ood line had a few more cosplayers and screaming fans.

Everyone is given a goodie tote bag with a program, souvenir ticket, some flyers for Forbidden Planet, a Region 2 copy of Series 5 Vol. I with episodes 1-3 on them, your badge on a lanyard saying what day and program you were a part of and where episodes were filmed around Cardiff. Also for arriving so early we got a little ticket for the Special Effects Demonstration for 9:30.



8:40 - to calm (or excite?) the fans waiting in line to get in, they brought out some special monsters from the show including an Ood and a Silurian. As the line curved around and more people arrived with the monsters walking around, more people were dressed up and one man blindly walked into the Ood.

Once let inside the center, I went straight upstairs to the Special Effects Demonstration (really just following the crowd). In line, alone, I overheard two women my age talking about trying to get their friends to watch the show. I heard that one was American and interjected my opinion as I was craving to enjoy this convention with other people - that's kind of the point - get all the nerds who love the same together in a big place and let them be themselves. So we started to chat then headed into the theater and I ended up being seated behind them. They had come from Paris where one is a British IT programmer and the other a Pennsylvania high school graduate who was taking French since she had graduated early.

The SFX Demo was run by the SFX Supervisor on Doctor Who - Danny Hargreaves. He started by explaining the difference between physical effects and CGI effects on the show and demonstrated a surprise blast of smoke, sparks, and rock (actually made of cork) across the stage making a few people scream and jump. He brought out a few of our favorite villains such as a Dalek and then a Cyberman. With the Cyberman he asked for two volunteers - a Doctor and an assistant. He chose a boy who must have been no older than 5 years old dressed as the Doctor to come on stage and hold a massive gun actually used on the show by Billie Piper in The End of Time.

He explained how all the technology worked, made it snow foam on us, and ended with shooting a fellow SFX crew member with a paint ball gun filled with balls that make small explosions like a real gun rather than paint. It was a really interesting start to the day and from then on, I was joined up with my new friends Bonnie and Emma to experience the convention together.

We exited so quickly out of the SFX Demo to get in line for the first, and most anticipated, panel of the day - Meet the Cast with Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Steven Moffat (exec producer and head writer), and Caro Skinner (exec producer). We got second row center seats for the panel. I sadly didn't bring my zoom lens which resulted in not the best photos trying to peer through people's heads in front of me, but it was amazing to be so close.

They brought out the producers first, then Arthur, Karen, then Matt Smith pirouetted on the stage to everyone's extreme surprise and delight. Arthur and Karen were laughing uncontrollably for the first 10 minutes of the panel.

During the SFX Demo, Danny let slip that there was a 'new' TARDIS. We weren't sure if this comment was due to the fact that the production had moved to a different studio in Cardiff Bay or if there was in fact a new TARDIS. I tweeted this info out and it got retweeted and quoted like crazy. Eventually in the Meet the Cast Panel during questions, someone asked Steven Moffat about it. He said "Well...we have a new wall." Previously the interior was only three walls and not a whole 360 of the set in order to fit cameras, etc, so they added the fourth wall in order to make the set more complete. It was exciting for the cast and crew, but a bit of a let-down to not hear more info on the upcoming season. 

Additionally, a favorite moment was during which the interviewer asked about the chemistry between the three cast members:

It was so fun to watch the cast interact not only during the interview but whispering in each other ears during screenings of clips and laughing hysterically at each other's jokes. It's so great to see the people who play the characters you love be so genuine and great in real life and see that they really do get along together in real life, not only on screen. 

During the Q&A of the panel, the father of the very ginger boy dressed as the Doctor proceeded to describe he had been a fan of the show all his life, had attended many other conventions, and had even been intimate with some of the cast members. Steven Moffat looked a little scared at where the question was going and responded with "and is that what you are proposing to me?" The man was a little awkward, especially mentioning such a thing while with his son, but then ended his comments by saying his son would like to offer anyone Jelly Bellies. His son got to go up to Matt Smith, who exchanged a jammy dogger for the bag of Jelly Bellies (which then remained on the panel stage for the rest of the day to be consumed by anyone on the panels).

Matt also doled out another jammy dogger to a young girl I believe, but I forget why. 

Immediately following the Meet the Cast panel, we were to stay in our seats for the Creators and Directors panel where they went in-depth into the making of one episode of the series. As I had a TARDIS set tour directly after that second panel and it was rather boring, I snuck out early to grab a snack and wait for the bus to the TARDIS set. After exiting the theater, I realized the cast had just finished a round of photos with fan (which you had to pay 20 pounds each for). I saw a huge group of women with their cameras screaming as Matt Smith, accompanied by a few bodyguards, weaved through them, greeting almost everyone and smiling. I stood at the top of the stairs getting my camera ready and as he passed me I stood there and said, "Hi there. How are you doing?" He continued to rush away from the huge group of women who proceeded to run after him down the stairs as he slipped into the VIP room.

Since I was live tweeting the convention that day, I posted about the women chasing after Matt (and tagged all my tweets with the convention tag so others could search for it). At the end of the day, I discovered my tweet had been reposted onto Doctor Who's official Tumblr and Twitter and had 700 comments. I personally like the additional tags by DW's Tumblr at the bottom:

After my encounter with Matt Smith, I headed to the TARDIS set tour bus stop outside. This was probably the most exciting part of my entire day, and I still cannot stop thinking about it. While on the 40 minute bus ride to the super secret location of the TARDIS set outside of Cardiff, I reviewed other tweets about the convention from the day. I found out that after Matt's surprise pirouette onto stage in the panel I attended, the whole cast agreed to leap theatrically onto the stage at the next Meet the Cast panel (during which I was on the bus). I was so disappointed and hoped there would be pictures or videos afterwards. They claimed the leaps would only be performed if people donated to Sport Relief, which was a run going on that day all around Britain for charity. Additionally during that panel I was missing, Matt Smith agreed to do 50 kick-ups with a soccer ball for people to donate as well. Luckily, there is a lovely video of both these events that I missed:

Back to the TARDIS set tour. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced before in terms of studio tours. I've sat on the Friends couch in Central Perk (which was so surprisingly comfortable), seen the whole set of ER, etc, but this - to see the set of a show that's being filmed at the moment - was on a different level. Not only is the TARDIS such a complicated and incredibly intricate set, but we got to touch and play with everything on it. Pull every lever. Sit in every chair. Push all the buttons. It's like when you see a beautiful painting in a museum and you can only get so close to it before some sensor makes an alarm go off and a guard yells at you, except the complete opposite.

I got to run up the stairs towards the console as you always see the Doctor do, 

play with the communication television/phone he uses to see all the information/GPS/where he finds out when he'll die, 

I took pictures in front of the doors to the TARDIS, 

typed on the typewriter, 

and found out that those chairs you always see the characters fall into are INCREDIBLY wobbly.

So what. So I got to play with gadgets and things like a 5 year old. How's that special? Well now, when I watch the show and see the character using all the levers and things that I've now used all of, I understand exactly where they are on the set, how the typewriter keys stick down, that the levers are incredibly easy to pull up and down but they have to act like it's a big thing making the TARDIS fly, and I see them collapse into those wobbly seats without any indication that they're trying incredibly hard to keep their balance. It's so cool to watch and think I've touched that, I know where that is, the camera makes everything look so different from that angle.

As a TV/movie buff it really enhances my experience of watching the show. I don't know how else to explain it, except that it was an unforgettable experience, so much so, that when I see it on the screen, I wish I were back there and could revisit it. It was such a special and unique opportunity and I appreciate the BBC so much for allowing fans like me to have that experience for free. It's odd, but it's like a city or country you visit and when you see pictures of it or see it in a film, you miss it and you want to go back. I know it's not real and that it's television, but that's what it made me feel.

The last panel of the day was rather unexciting, so I got into line for my photo with Karen Gillan early. Emma was taking one with Karen too, while Bonnie had one with Arthur. Matt's had sold out months before. While waiting, I caught a glimpse of Mark Sheppard in the VIP room and saw Matt and Arthur both come out of the theatre to head to their photo shoots with the fans.

Karen Gillan was incredibly nice and I wanted to tell her that people had been telling me all day that they thought I was her, doing double takes, and whispering and pointing at me because they weren't sure if I was her. I wasn't sure how to tell someone that, so I simply exchanged hellos and took my picture. I was happy she was wearing a similar shirt to mine and I wish I had had the opportunity to do some silly dramatic Doctor Who-like pose with her, but people were being shuffled through very quickly. Karen also kept stretching her jaw, because it hurt from smiling so much. I wanted to look as much like her as possible in my photo and saw that she smiled without showing her teeth so I tried the same. My photo turned out looking like I was the one not wanting to be in the photograph, but at least I got to meet her and it was fun.

As if we hadn't had enough Doctor Who for an entire lifetime, Emma, Bonnie, and I headed to Bar Cwtch, where I knew the cast frequently went. The door to their bar is also, of course, a TARDIS.

After the lack of star sightings and a few drinks discussing our other major sci-fi male lead crushes, we got dinner and went to my hotel room to play, you guessed it, Doctor Who Monopoly that Emma bought, while watching the first episode of series 5 from one of our free DVDs. 

13 hours of a Doctor Who filled day concluded, but even the next day while I was at the mall to see the Hunger Games, wearing my Keep Calm and Don't Blink shirt, I saw many of the other fans I had met the day before and people commenting on my clever shirt. I don't think Cardiff will ever lack in Doctor Who fandom. 

I hope I have the opportunity to go to next year's convention and can gladly cross the idea of going to Comic-Con San Diego off my list, since I don't think any con can beat this one. Despite my mass amounts of text in this post, I'm forgetting a lot of details, but this covers a lot of my experience. All the best to my fellow Whovians.

La Pasqua

Wow. I haven't posted in a long time. Not about my TEFL course, my Doctor Who Convention weekend of gloriousness, or the experience of finding good gluten-fee pasta here in Firenze, but after seeing the spectacle that was Lo Scoppio del Callo, I must write.

May I add I am currently still at the Piazza del Duomo right now enjoying a bottle of prosecco before noon on Easter Sunday and just finished a gluten-free pizza courtesy of Le Botteghe Dontaello.

So my old host parents Gioi and Anna, whom I had dinner with about a week and a half ago told me about what happens here in Florence on La Pasqua (Easter). He described something like a very very tall tower that they bring from Porta al Prato to Piazza del Duomo in a procession that one would only see in a medieval times period film. There was flag twirling, tossing, some priests (Catholic school kids, acolytes?), much pomp and circumstance. But the thing is to theoretically bring this line from Porta al Prato to the Duomo for the cardinal in Florence to eventually light, and depending on how long the fire goes alone the string of something I can only think of as fuse for dynamite, predicts good luck for not only the harvest of the coming year but for the people of Florence in general.

As elaborate as this sounded - a fire burning through the city of Florence on a giant tower, (This is where lost in translation comes in), I was intrigued. I looked up the event to see the time which really only said Easter Sunday morning at the duomo, I eventually found that the parading/procession began at 10 (though it was going on much earlier) and the cart (which makes you think of something a donkey pulls with hay in it right? - no - so much more elaborate in the style of the Italians and their love for festivali) would be lit at 11.

The crowd was already in place around every possible viewpoint in front of the Duomo. Knew I should have brought my zoom lens camera. Alas, I grabbed some picture and a good place to stand. We viewed the flag dance which sounds much girlier than it is. Got a ton of good pictures of the Duomo with Florentine flags tossed up in the air around it.

Near 10:30 people kept looking west. There was an extremely ominous dark cloud closing in on the Duomo as the firefighters set up what I can only imagine to be around 500 fireworks and firecrackers (believe me this is not an exaggeration). By about 10:35 it started to rain. Everyone's umbrellas popped up blocking my view infinitely more than holding their cameras high above their heads. It went from a sprinkle to a downpour in a split second.

Between that time and 10:57 I crammed myself underneath an awning maybe half a foot wide and 5 feet long with 10 people under it. Comfy right? We waited. The couple behind me would not stop making out - this is a season known for new things being born, not conceived behind me, thank you. I almost threw in the towel. People came in front of another cafe with the largest and tallest umbrella blocking everyone's view and it was pouring. I was going to make a run for it and get out of their. I got the point. I see it. I didn't see if get set on fire, but that's what YouTube is for.

Then, if Catholicism couldn't be ingrained even more into this population's beliefs, it stopped raining at 10:58. Everyone started yelling "non piuve!" "Ai! Suo ombrello non importa!" (It stopped raining - Your umbrella isn't needed)

Two minutes before the big show everyone rushed back to the best spot their could find to see the spectacular. And let me tell you, it was spectacular. Also everyone is about 20 feet away at most from all the fireworks, but the show went on for a good 10-15 minutes from shooting fireworks into the air, to spinning pinwheels attached to the cart shooting sparks, to the classic bursting red and green sparks lighting up the front of Duomo amidst the massive amounts of smoke from the other pyrotechnics.

Isn't there a rule you have to be a certain distance? Who said Italians follow rules? I still can smell smoke and have bits of firework residue in my eyes, but boy was it magical for it to stop raining, everyone to cheer, then to properly enjoy a truly incredible show in front of one of the most iconic churches in the world.

Now that's something worth waking up at 8am for.


Ciao for now,
Christine

**Videos of the fireworks to come shortly**

The Italians

The more I reflect on my experiences in Italy, the more I realize what exactly I missed about it. Yes the landscape is absolutely beautiful and the art there is more overwhelming than most any you'll see in the world, but I can look back on those things in photographs any time I'm at home. What you can't experience at any time while at home are the Italian people themselves.

"The traveler who has gone to Italy to study the tactile values of Giotto, of the corruption of the Papacy, may return remembering nothing but the blue sky and the men and women who live under it." (17)

 The other day my friends and I were walking to a bar and one of them pointed out a pizzeria where an old woman behind the counter is basically 'right off the boat' and pure Neapolitan. She apparently pushes food upon you even if you ask for just a slice of pizza and continues to talk, cook, clean, while still forcing food in front of you. This description brought me back to my home stay in Florence with Anna and Gioi (See my first post about Anna and Gioi). I stopped, staring back at the old woman longing to go in and speak with her in Italian while she fed me, but that just sounded strange to my friends who haven't lived with an Anna.

It's easy for most people to communicate with others all around the world, however Anna and Gioi don't own a computer. I occasionally write them letters and luckily had the chance to reconnect with them when I was in Florence with my mom last January. My mom still talks about that one dinner we had with them with a smile on her face and laughing, and I feel lucky to have had 6 weeks of those dinners with them. Every night is a different culinary experience, worldly discussions, and broken English and Italian. No matter what the language barrier was, we were able to communicate with joy and laughter night after night. Though I videotaped many of our dinners, I can barely understand what any of us are saying, but you can tell by our body language that we were all happy. Of all the things I'm able to look back on, Anna and Gioi are what I miss most about Italy, even after 5 trips there and varying events and experiences I went through there.

Ciao for now,
Christine

Literary Inspiration to Visit Italy

If I haven't already talked about my favorite book, A Room With a View by E.M. Forster, you're certainly going to read a lot about it now. Though I had already been to Italy once in 1999, after reading this book I was sure going back would change my life as it does the characters. Not only does the book illustrate the unfathomable beauty of Florence, but it reveals how a visit to such a city will impact your soul, emotions, and outlook on life.


Yesterday I re-read A Room With a View and highlighted all my favorite quotes. Let's just say there's a lot of yellow throughout this copy of my book now (not to mention all my English class notes from when I first read it in 10th grade). I'm going to attempt to both write out all these quotes as well as try to pair them with photographs and stories of my experiences in Italy. I'll use a different quote and relevant Italy experience in a new post as often as I can. Right now all the memories are flooding back to me so I will pace out the nostalgia bit by bit. I'm hoping it will inspire anyone that reads it to visit Italy or simply spark their interest in this outlook on life. Most of all, I hope it makes you happy.

"Two lone females in an unknown town. Now this is what I call an adventure." (20)

This is a picture of my roommate and I from when we were studying abroad in Florence and staying with a host family. The quote is from a character in the book, Ms. Lavish (perfect name), who had absolute confidence in her navigation skills only to discover she had gotten the protagonist, Lucy, and herself lost. They had walked all the way from the Ponte Vecchio to Annunziata instead of Santa Croce.

This was their route - 2.3km

I wanted to choose a photo of the both of us considering the quote, however after just realizing that my roommate and I actually once got lost for two hours trying to find an American doctor's office, I will add this photo of myself as well.

The caption on this photo when I posted it originally was 'lost in a park and trying to make the best of it.' Needless to say, having on black pants in 90 degree weather was an unfortunate wardrobe situation. I'm assuming as a woman in 1908 (when the book was published) the women of the quote above were in a similar situation.

This was our route - 5.5km

Nevermind the clothing or distance, though, because the quote is really reminding me of my preference to wander without a map or destination. In the book, upon realizing they were lost, Ms. Lavish goes on to say, "We will simply drift," which I think is a nice way of approaching travel and dealing with being lost. If you stay on the main roads and skip the small alleyways you will probably, and this especially goes for Florence, miss the best shops and restaurants. The best restaurant we went to in Florence (which I can't remember the name of) was in a very small alley, near no piazza, and we had to take a few odd angled turns to get there, but it was so rewarding. 

Don't worry about getting lost, because you'll discover things you never would have even known about if you hadn't.

5 Days in Capri for Under €400

This is a trip to the wonderful island of Capri, not only on a budget, but covers everything one would want to see and do on the island even if you splurged. It's a mix of walking, exploring, and relaxing on the beach with some hidden gems that the island holds. The itinerary is geared toward locales off the beaten path, or at least for most of those who don't mind putting in a little hard work to get a great photograph, view, and experience. This will also help you avoid the masses of tour groups in the more popular areas of the island. Though there also seems to be a plethora of high-end stores and well-dressed couples, you'll find your own footing in Capri and not be intimidated.

Day One
First, if you haven't already experienced the pizza notably described in Eat, Pray, Love, but also successful since 1870, have a doppia mozzarella pizza at Da Michele (Via Cesare Serasale, 1-3) for €5. It's not far from the train station and from there you can get a taxi to the port to catch the ferry to Capri.
The ferries range from €9-17 depending on which you choose as they vary in speed getting you to the island (http://www.capri.net/en/ferry-schedule).
In Capri you will arrive in Marina Grande where you can take the bus to Capri center for €1.40.
In front of the bus station is Stella Maris (albergostellamaris@libero.it, +39 081 8370452, Via Roma, 27) where a private room is €50 and overlooking the Marina Grande. Most rooms include a balcony and there is also access to the roof where there are a table and chairs. Breakfast is included and goes until 9:30am. I highly suggest getting breakfast at the hotel as the surrounding cafés are outrageously expensive.
Once checked in, depending on the time, it is good to explore the town of Capri. Its streets run very long and some hold expensive shops while others hidden bakeries, small grocery stores, and butcher shops.
For dinner it's easiest to pick up some meats and cheeses or a panini from one of the many alimentari or grocery stores in the area. Cheap wine is also available there or at a wine store on Via Botteghe. You can get enough food for two meals for under €15 and anything remaining you can keep in the hotel's kitchen's fridge.
Relax on your balcony or the roof with your picnic and watch the sunset and boats come in and out of the harbor.

Day Two
Take advantage of the included breakfast at the hostel before boarding a bus (€1.40) to Anacapri. This town is cheaper than Capri shopping-wise and a good place to get handmade, custom leather sandals. I suggest Capritouch at the top of the stairs in the center of Anacapri if you feel so inclined for a pair (men's and women's, €65). There is a lot to explore in this town and a good place to stop for lunch is on a side street called Via Trieste e Trento where there's a tower and a small garden. The restaurant Il Saraceno di Cafiero Celestini (+39 081 8371181)7) offers pizza, paninis, and pasta between €6-15 and is quite delicious in a nice setting under a canopy between two churches.
After lunch you can continue to walk around but some shops may be closed. Be sure to check out Capri Palace to the left of Capritouch as it is a very cool hotel that lets you look into the bottom of their pool through windows as you walk up its entrance. Along the entrance is carved seashells and marine themed carvings along the wall as it reveals the pool and garden as a nice detour.
Now is a good time to walk to the other Anacapri bus station along Viale Tommaso de Tommaso to catch another bus, still the same price, to Grotta Azzurra. From there you will walk down the staircase to the right of the bus station and take a boat into the illuminating Blue Grotto. The boat trip includes ducking under the small opening to enter the bright cave while the reverberations of your and other boat drivers singing echoes throughout the grotta. Though it is €12.50 it is completely worth it for seeing inside this cave, and even though it says no swimming, you may be able to convince your boat driver otherwise and hop into the dazzlingly bright blue water for a quick dip and picture.
After this splurge you can recover on the flat rock beach at the end of the pathway which will be on your right as you come up the stairs from the Grotto. You walk by two beach clubs and then through another to get to the free beach. Should you choose to cliff-dive, there are two plateaus, one about 100ft high and another about 60ft high, from which you can jump safely into the water. Otherwise there are two ladders at different ends of the beach in which to get into the water. Here you can relax and enjoy the sun for no cost and it's suggested you bring any leftover cheese, meat, or snacks you have for another little picnic if you're hungry.
Take the return buses to Anacapri and then Capri to get back to your hotel (€2.80).
For dinner you can try Capri's (http://www.capris.it/en/index) where there is excellent pizza for €10 though the wine list is outrageous, so stick to water.

Day Three
Today is a day for hiking as you've become settled into Capri. After breakfast, take the bus to Anacapri and from there take Via Caposcuro, turn left eventually at Via Magliara, and walk up at the fork in the road. Turn left at the sign that says Parco Filosofico and you have arrived at the Philosophical Park (http://www.philosophicalpark.org) . It is huge and takes at least 45 minutes to explore every nook and cranny that contain small plaques with philosophical quotes and park benches to contemplate them.
Post-contemplation you can find your way out of the park back onto Via Magliara and follow it til the end of the road where there is a lookout point overlooking Faro and its lighthouse. Walk back to the restaurant Gelsomina (http://www.dagelsomina.com/) for lunch where plates average at about €14.
After lunch, walk back and to the other end of Via Caposcuro where you'll find Villa San Michele. The entrance fee is €6 but the complex is huge, giving you a large space to walk around and beautiful views of the island.
For dinner head to Al Buco on 24 Via Tommaso De Tommaso (+39 081 837 3588)for a meal under €15.
Take the bus back from the center of Anacapri to Capri (€1.40).

Day Four
After breakfast take some water for the hour and a half walk from the piazzetta in Capri to Villa Jovis (at the end of Viale Amadeo Mauri). Signs will point you along the way there.
For lunch have a panini or slice of pizza at one of the stands on a side street for a meal under €10.
At Capri's bus station take the bus to Marina Piccola and walk all the way to the right, through one of the beach clubs/restaurants to get to the free beach. Relax in the sun after your long morning of walking. Also enjoy the view of the famous two rocks you see in all the postcards, one with a natural archway.
Once the sun sets over the rocks, head back to Capri on the bus.
Above the piazzetta is Pulalli Wine Bar on Piazza Umberto I, 4 (+39 081 8374108) and will give you an incredible meal and wine for under €20.

Day Five
To leave the island you take the bus to Marina Grande where the port is. Depending on where you're going, you can take a ferry to Sorrento or Naples for about €15 and from there, public buses to the train stations to get to either other cities such as Rome or the Naples Airport.

The whole trip will cost you under €500 and under €400 if you don't buy those custom, handmade leather sandals :)

2 Drinks and an App for $20 this week

Here's an article from one of my favorite NYC blogs, NewYorkology.com about a special going around at a few restaurants in the city where you can get two drinks and an appetizer for $20 for NYC Cocktail Week.

NewYorkology: A New York Travel & Events Guide