Capitola Village and its little Italy

Have you been to a place you practically know nothing about and ended up being pleasantly surprised by what you saw, so much so that you thanked yourself for...
Capitola, CA

Have you been to a place you practically know nothing about and ended up being pleasantly surprised by what you saw, so much so that you thanked yourself for not having looked up the place before you left? That’s a long sentence but I just could not put it any other way. I just had an experience of that kind and wasn’t it lovely!

We were on our way to Aptos, CA just to have a nice and quiet seaside weekend. I did not want to do any homework and spoil the idea of a lazy weekend. So we simply packed an overnight bag and began driving down to the Central California coast. It was almost noon. Our check in-at the seaside property was in the evening so that left us with some time to while away. That meant we had to stop for lunch and since the Capitola Wharf was on the way, the plan was to find something to eat over there.

Capitola, CA

Capitola, CAI’ve seen a few wharfs around here; the ones in  Santa Cruz, San Francisco and Monterey. Now how much different could this one be? I expected to see a few restaurants specialising in sea food, a coffee shop or two and a whole lot of gift shops selling Tees and hats and postcards.

However Capitola Wharf was a sweet surprise in the true sense of the term. This one was smaller, quieter and cruder (in a nice way because it seemed far from touristy). The planks that the wharf was made up of was not polished to a finish, there were far less people that I had ever seen on a wharf and this one was not lined up with the business establishments that I spoke of earlier. The Capitola Wharf had just about one souvenir shop and one restaurant on the ‘wharf,’ as such. And there were a few anglers trying to catch some fish at the end of the wharf. It was such a peaceful place.

Capitola, CA

It was not just the wharf that won my heart that day. Capitola village charmed me too. Sans all the hustle and bustle, it was undoubtedly delightful. Yet it’s not place I would call ‘a sleepy seaside village’ because it had its boutiques, restaurants, art shops and souvenir outlets, It also had a fair share of tourists, only that it would be more apt to to replace that word with visitors. And the visitors to this place seemed unhurried and totally relaxed.

We lunched at a restaurant that overlooked the uncrowded wharf, a lagoon that was home to some seaside birds and some very colourful two storied buildings.

I must admit saying that I couldn’t take my eyes off that part of the scene. It wasn’t because of the colour but because the of character it exuded. I suddenly felt like I was in Italy; not that I’ve ever been there but that was the picture I had had in mind of seaside Italy. After lunch, we had a stroll past these multicoloured walls and found that it was called the Capitola Venetian (Hotel). Hubby too had a good look at this place. Now don’t be surprised if you see a post about a night at the Capitola Venetian (Chuckle, chuckle).

Capitola, CA

 

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Dee (Divya) Blogger, Freelance Content Writer & Content Strategist. 📸 Loves tripping.🛣 Tipsy from every TRIP!😬🫣 🏞Follow > for intoxicating virtual trips!🥂😉
37 Comments on this post.
  • magiceye
    17 March 2012 at 2:31 am
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    beautifully captured!!

    • dNambiar
      18 March 2012 at 12:35 am
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      Thank you, Deepak 🙂

  • umashankar
    17 March 2012 at 2:37 am
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    You have hit on Capital fun! Nice travelogue with suitable images.

    • dNambiar
      18 March 2012 at 12:36 am
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      Oh yes 🙂
      Thank you so much. Do visit again. I could do with some critique. 🙂

    • umashankar
      21 March 2012 at 7:08 am
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      Hmm… Folks don't say that to me. I am such a harsh ctitique I have virtually stifled my own photography!

    • dNambiar
      21 March 2012 at 11:47 pm
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      What? Stifled your own photography? You're tough, huh? 🙂 Please don't stop taking pictures. You've got some great ones in your photo blog. I simply love the last one (the picture of the long corridor).

    • dNambiar
      21 March 2012 at 11:52 pm
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      Actually more than anything else, I honestly wish somebody could tell me how to take better travel photographs. 🙂

  • Dee
    17 March 2012 at 4:24 am
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    whatta beautifull place ?
    you're lucky to experience such places…
    last image looks like a SHIP 😀

    • dNambiar
      18 March 2012 at 12:40 am
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      Oh yes, it is. It was almost a surprise and so I fell for it.
      You're lucky you get to see the pictures :D. Come back for more, ok 🙂

      And gosh! yes, that does look like a part of a ship. Now, if only someone drew inspiration from this and built a ship exactly like this… wouldn't it be great?

  • debajyoti
    17 March 2012 at 11:32 am
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    that looks like a lovely place. u know what? the serenity and beauty of a place lies in the inhabitants and visitors. u ll like any place if ppl r good and friendly, and this one sounds just like that.

    lovely narration again and lovely pictures. waiting for part 2 😀

    • dNambiar
      18 March 2012 at 12:53 am
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      Oh yeah…really lovely. It really was a sweet surprise and ONE beautiful afternoon. You're so right, the people and visitors of a place have so much to do with the way we feel about it. That reminds me of Hawaii. There's something about the place that's so unique to those islands. I've been there only once but I could feel the positive energy. So much cheerfulness. Even people who 'work' there seemed to be in a all-time holiday mood. Do yourself a favour; make a trip there, sometime. You will simply love it.

      Part 2? 🙂 That will happen… can't wait to spend a full day there. But it's not gonna happen anytime soon 🙁

  • Rupertt Wind
    18 March 2012 at 3:39 am
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    That looks like a lazy town and the last picture kind of remind me of a sequence from my favorite computer game. Nice travelling D! If at all I come around the west cost sometime I will surely take a word or two of advice from you.

    • dNambiar
      19 March 2012 at 11:15 pm
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      I still have a lot of exploring to do here. But I'd be glad to give you whatever info I could. Please do let me know, when u come this side, Mr. Wind.

  • shooting star
    18 March 2012 at 7:32 am
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    • dNambiar
      19 March 2012 at 11:18 pm
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      So true Sushmita. Now I want to see more hidden treasures like this. Thank you for coming by.

  • Deepu George V
    20 March 2012 at 11:56 am
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    After seeing the first picture, I really thought that you visited Italy till I read further down.

    • dNambiar
      20 March 2012 at 4:59 pm
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      I almost fooled you didn't I? :D. That's ONE interesting place, Deepu. Those buildings are a small recreation of seaside Italy. You must make a trip there when you come this side again.

  • Harsha Chittar
    20 March 2012 at 2:06 pm
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    Looks so nice your write up adds to picture making it a very good read 🙂

    • dNambiar
      20 March 2012 at 5:00 pm
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      Thanks Harsha. I could do with some tips, as far as the pics are concerned. You are such a pro.

  • Team G Square
    22 March 2012 at 7:32 am
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    Looks quite serene and peaceful……..

    • dNambiar
      26 March 2012 at 12:31 am
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      It really did feel that way, Dhiraj. You go to a lot of peaceful places too, right. Isn't it such a good feeling? 🙂

  • Puru@ShadowsGalore
    2 April 2012 at 6:21 am
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    Its my dream to roam in the streets of Italy someday .. lets see when it comes true. Amazing post and beautiful photographs ! 🙂

    • dNambiar
      2 April 2012 at 11:33 pm
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      You should make that happen,Puru. I'd love to read the travelogues and see the pictures.
      Thank you for your kind words. Thank you so much for also visiting Tipsy from the Trip.

  • Hariharan Valady
    3 April 2012 at 11:40 am
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    The first photo is a real good one. You have described it very well.

    • dNambiar
      3 April 2012 at 10:54 pm
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      Thank you so much. Do come again. 🙂

  • neeraj
    3 April 2012 at 6:09 pm
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    Best blog I read all of today, girl! Being part of a travel company, I read a number of links on lands and places and people everyday. And yet, yours stands out as a breath of fresh air! Keep it going! 🙂

    • dNambiar
      3 April 2012 at 10:57 pm
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      Really? That is such a big compliment. Thank you so very much. You just made my day. 🙂
      I see that you do Heritage Walks? Wow!! I'm impressed. I'm coming by your blog to read your stories.

  • Siddhartha Joshi
    4 April 2012 at 3:41 am
    Leave a Reply

    Seems like a nice, fun place to be 🙂

    • dNambiar
      4 April 2012 at 11:10 pm
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      It's a simple, quiet place. It could be a fun place.

  • Sujatha Sathya
    28 April 2012 at 9:11 am
    Leave a Reply

    ok just one word: JEALOUS 🙁

    • dNambiar
      29 April 2012 at 8:45 am
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      Don't be Sujatha. I'll take you around California. Just keep visiting Tipsy from the Trip :).

  • Jitaditya
    29 April 2012 at 8:45 pm
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    Lovely images… & yes I like the idea of venturing into the unknown… over preparation ruins trips…

    • dNambiar
      10 May 2012 at 11:26 pm
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      That's right, if we're don't prepare, we're in for surprises. If they're all good surprises, good for us. 😀

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  • Kokila Gupta
    6 March 2017 at 11:17 am
    Leave a Reply

    Whoa!Such a beautiful post! Now, I have to go back to the doors post and re-read it as I missed whether you guys revisited this place or if the door post is also from #throwback?
    For now, It seems such a sweet place tucked in like a pearl in an oyster, unblemished and pristine1 I liked the way you have used the word crude in the sense of raw and unaffected by neon lights(un-touristy) so much that I am going to use it somewhere in my poetry!
    The last pic looked like candy houses to me! may be I am getting blind but, I had to zoom in to see they are for real! 🙂

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