Monday, 19 May 

Dubrovnik - Hvar Island 

Amfora Hotel, Hvar, Hvar Isand 

Weather - Overcast to sunny skies - 22c Max

It’s two weeks today since we left Brisbane and it seems an age since we started our travels. We have seen and experienced so much already. 

After a hearty breakfast we were on the bus at 8.00am ready for a day’s travelling along the Adriatic coastline to Hvar Island. It was initially a heavy overcast sky and we all remarked how lucky we were to see Dubrovnik yesterday in perfect weather. 

The road north overlooked small villages and harbours and as the clouds disappeared and the sun came out the sea was back to its beautiful blue green colour. On our right were high mountains and vineyards.

After an hour’s driving the road took us inland and we passed through more high mountains and many long tunnels. The quality of the road was very good and we made good time. At 9.30am we stopped for a photo of the spectacular Pljesac Bridge which links Croatian territory and avoids entering Bosnia Herzegovina’s small coastal strip. A lot of us in the group tried to take a photo of the bridge with us trying to hold it up. We weren’t too successful.

We had a couple of stops before reaching the ferry at 11.00am. One was at the Bacina Lakes which is in an area known as the Valley of Life. The area grows fruit and vegetables for Croatia and the rest of Europe.

At the lookout was a small market stall. The lady had fresh fruit and vegetables and had home-made jams and liquors. 

There was a tasting table and after we tasted her products many of us bought her liquors, especially her delicious mandarin liquor, dried figs, sugar-coated almonds and dried sugar-coated orange peel. When we left she came out from under her stall and waved to us. We think she was happy with her sales. 

We arrived early for the ferry at Drvenik and Sanda asked if we wanted to catch the earlier 11.30am ferry or wait until the 2.15pm which we were booked on. We unanimously voted for the earlier time. We walked onto the ferry and went to the comfortable lounge area for a quick coffee whilst Zoren our bus driver parked the bus underneath. 

It was only a short journey to the island and we were at Sucuraj, a small lovely port on Hvar Island at noon. 

We climbed back onto the bus and drove from the far east of the island to the far west to the port town of Hvar. The road was narrow and winding and there were a few breath taking moments. There were high mountains, stony ground, olive groves, vineyards and thick pine forests.

There was quite a bit of roadwork happening as well and at times we had to stop.

The drive across the island took 1.45 hours and we arrived at the hotel at 2.00pm. We were an hour early for check-in so we all decided to have a late lunch on the hotel’s large outdoor patio overlooking the amazing pool area and the Adriatic Sea. We shared two pizzas and tasted a very good Croatian Sauvignon Bland.

We were in our rooms at 3.15pm and agreed to meet up at 5.30pm in the lobby to walk into the port town and have a quick look around before having dinner. Henk and I had another afternoon nap.

The walk into town is on a wide marble pavement and only took about seven minutes to reach the harbour. We had a stunning view of the harbour in the late afternoon sun. There were many small boats but also large luxury yachts. 

There was a warning sign on what to wear and how to behave in Hvar.

Whilst it is sunny there is still a chill in the air. We walked around the harbour onto the square where there were many little shops including many jewellery shops, markets and many cafes.

We had dinner on an enclosed terrace at the Paladini Restaurant which is in the old part of the town in a narrow alleyway. It had large orange trees with ripe oranges and other large plants. It was very pleasant. Tomorrow is a later start of 10.15am when we will start the day with a tour of the port harbour with a local guide.