Hvar Croatia - Days 20, 21 & 22

We are on the island of Hvar off the coast of Croatia for a few days, and it’s the perfect place to take a vacation from our vacation. Hvar is in the Dalmatian Islands which are part of Croatia and there are lots of islands, some so small there is really nothing on them. Hvar is one of the bigger islands and considered to be the most upscale. We are here at what we think is the perfect time because most of the restaurants and shops are closed till May 1st, and from what I’ve read July and August are totally insane here. We rented an apartment that has a spectacular view of the Adriatic Sea, and I’ve spent quite a bit of time sitting on the deck enjoying the view.

Hvar is an island and the only way to get there is on a boat. You have a few options including a ferry if you have a car, but the quickest way is on a catamaran. During busy season the boats sell out fast so I went ahead and bought our tickets on the Internet in advance to assure we would get here at the time we wanted. The main company is Jadrolinija so that’s who we used. We didn’t want to take any chances so we went over to the docks the night before to check on the dock we needed to be at, so things went really smoothly. They start loading the boat 30 minutes in advance and when we got there about that time there was already a line. The boat holds a lot of people but it was packed. The ride takes about an hour and a half so I’m glad we got a seat.

Our boat and first look at the harbor in Hvar. That’s Julie lower right hauling her stuff. Remember we’re traveling pretty light. Just a carry on and a personal item. Good thing because you are on your own with luggage.

We decided that we would fully embrace Island time. That means no agenda, no schedule (so hard for me but I’m trying!) and really spend some time relaxing. That said we have done a lot of hiking which has been great. They have wonderful trails right along the water and today we walked down to two different beaches. The second beach called Robinson Beach was a bit of a nude beach 😳 To our surprise a totally naked man pulled himself out of the water onto the rocks and didn’t seem to care that we were standing right there. We didn’t feel compelled to join him but it was the cherry on the top of our walk😊

Hvar is really an old city. Parts of it date back to the 15th century and many of the buildings on the square are from the 16th and 17th century when they were ruled by Venice. I love to read about architecture and history when I am visiting somewhere and look for all the quirky uniqueness each city offers. I have subjected Julie to numerous details of things of interest to me that I am positive she will be on the edge of her seat to look for. She has been a trouper and always at least acts interested. Here are some of my favorites....

Top left - very narrow streets lined with cute bars, restaurants and shops. Top right - the tab with the hole was used to fly flags that told people what was happening in your home. A white flag for a birth and a black flag for a death. Medieval Fac… — Top left - very narrow streets lined with cute bars, restaurants and shops. Top right - the tab with the hole was used to fly flags that told people what was happening in your home. A white flag for a birth and a black flag for a death. Medieval Facebook! Bottom left - the many Venetian style windows everywhere and lastly a statue outside the Benedictine Convent where they make lace from agava. Cool!

There is a big old fortress that sits above the town so hiking to the top for a great view is a fun thing to do. So of course we did it! Easy compared to some of our other hikes. It dates back to the 13th century but not much left to see inside.

But the view is amazing and it was my favorite picture of the day!

Hvar harbor with views of a few of the tiny islands that are everywhere.

The weather was overcast one day so we took the opportunity when it appeared to clear a little to walk around the island in the other direction. While we were walking a squall blew in quickly and we had to “shelter in place.” That is a term Julie shared with me that I had never heard of. Luckily there was a wonderful seaside bar called Hula Hula Hvar that welcomed us in and insisted on giving us free wine while we sat out the rain. There was hardly anyone there as the season is just getting started but they told us soon they will have 700 people there during the day. They were awesome and took good care of us so I told them I would give them a shout out on the blog. We shared an awesome grilled chicken club sandwich and great fries.

Our super nice waiter and love the Hvar sign!

I have no other food pictures to post. We really haven’t eaten that much here - shocking I know. They do have good pizza - we’ve had some of that, and lots of fresh fish available. Tonight we are going to find fish for sure. The emphasis is much more about eating to live versus living to eat, and so hard to compare anything to the food they have in Italy. There is a good dessert place here I’ve had my eye on that might just happen tonight.

Tomorrow we are leaving Hvar on the early boat back to Split. Just enough time for breakfast there and we’ll be on a bus to Dubrovnik. I have heard so many great things about it and can’t wait to see it and walk the wall. Check back in soon!