Tuesday, 20 May 

Hvar, Hvar Island 

Amfora Hotel

Weather - Sunny - 21c Max

We had a leisurely breakfast due to our later start. Once again the choice of food was enormous from fresh fruit to especially made fresh omlettes and pancakes while we waited, pastries, cured meats, cheeses and much more. The large restaurant room catered for many people but the tables were well spaced so it didn’t feel crowded. We had stunning views over the Adriatic Sea and islands. 

Our group met at 10.15am in the hotel lobby and we walked along the esplanade into town through the town’s main plaza. It is the largest plaza in Dalmatia and leads to the cathedral where we met our Hvar Island born guide at 10.30am. She took us on a walking tour of the Hvar township for over an hour then our bus picked us up and we were taken to the high fort, Fortico Fortress, which overlooks the town and port. 

The town is vehicle free and deliveries to the many hotels, cafes and little shops are done with small, quite electrical vehicles. We wondered about this one.

As we walked through the alleyways our guide showed the Venetian influence on the Hvar architecture. Hvar was part of the Venetian Empire from the 13th to 18th Century. Many of the nobles’ houses have survived and are still occupied in the town’s small alleyways.

In the town there are many little shops, restaurants and street cafes catering to the tourist trade.

The views from the fortress overlooking the town and the port were stunning. We had a perfect day for it.

We left our local guide at the fort and our bus headed to the north of the island to the port of Stari Grad. We left our bus at the port and our group of 21 (including our guide and driver) were met by three maxi vans and we were driven to Konoba Maslina (traditional Croatian restaurant) at Vrisnik in the centre of the island. The road was narrow and winding and we then understood why the bus was left at the port. The restaurant and home had magnificent views over their olive grove and the countryside. 

The lunch started with grappa on the front patio before heading inside to a welcoming table. I’m yet to acquire a taste for grappa! 

The friendly host was excellent as she and her staff effeciently handled our large group. We had a delicious three course lunch of wonderful Croatian local food and wine. The olive farm has at least 25 varieties of olives and some of these were served with a selection of olive pastes. This was followed by Croatian Peka, Lamb Under the Bell, and pastries for dessert. We were in Seventh Heaven. The Croatian Peka was lamb and veal cooked slowly over many, many hours under a cover or a bell made of terracotta or iron lid. The meat was super tender and delicious and it included very tasty potatoes and carrots. We devoured it. 

We reversed our trip and the maxi taxis picked us up at 3.00pm to return us to the the bus at the ferry terminal. Henk and I opted to get off the bus at Hvar instead of returning to the hotel. I left Henk having a coffee. I was keen to visit the Benedictine Convent in the centre of the old town. The convent was established in 1664. The nuns who reside at the convent and never leave it make a unique lace called Agave Lace which has been made since the 19th century. It’s exquisite and unusual and is made from the fine threads from the locally grown agave leaves. 

A nun was at the tiny museum and she showed me the thread made from the leaves. It was much finer than cotton and surprisingly tough. The lace has been included in the UNESCO World Intangible Heritage List. A 10cm circular piece of lace costs 500 Euros and is highly collectable. It takes about four months to make a piece. 

We returned to the hotel at about 5.00pm and had a wee LLD. Henk and I met Julia and Brian at the hotel bar at seven o’clock and we had a light dinner after our huge lunch. It was a wonderful day.