Hvar - Island of Delights

There are several islands off the Croatian coast near Split, and we relaxed for a day in Hvar (Havar), a town on the island of Hvar. This town was once a major port in the Venetian era, and a setting for monasteries, but is now a tourist haven.

The Main Square

We boarded the morning ferry, taking the high-speed catamaran thinking we’d get there, from the hustle of Split, in the blink of an eye; well, about an hour. The boat was quite full but a murmur grew among the passengers about how slow it was sailing, which intensified as we saw the Hvar dock. As we approached, the boat suddenly turned away and then floated aimlessly around, just off shore. By now the locals were on their feet, on their mobiles, and on their high horses, as they searched for an answer. There was no announcement and, after an hour or so, the boat headed for the wharf and docked. It was apparent that he’d missed his time slot.

 

The passengers poured out; one guy stopped to gesture at the captain, who was leaning on the rail outside the bridge, smoking. This guy unleashed a torrent of abuse but Lili summarized his message: “You’re a disgrace to Croatian tourism!” The captain just smiled.

We walked into a large stone-paved square, the main square, and picked a restaurant; it was definitely time for beer.

Poet Hanibal Lucic

We grabbed a cab to the Spanjola (Spanish-built Citadel), which offers views of the town and out across the harbour. As I stood with my camera, a server from the café approached and offered me a free cappuccino; someone had ordered it and disappeared, she told me. I couldn’t say no, but as I started to sip it, the customer returned…

We meandered down the hillside and back into the town. Steep stepped narrow streets with olive trees in planters, bougainvillaea clinging to the walls and vines arching over, hiding cafes, churches and more. It was definitely time for wine…

Savouring Black Risotto

And this, it turned out, was the real reason we’d picked Hvar over the many other islands; Hostel Marinero, was our hosts’ favourite restaurant. As the name suggests, Marinero specializes in seafood, and it was a memorable feast – I swear Carol hasn’t gotten over the black risotto, coloured with squid ink and crammed full of clams, scallops, shrimp, squid and more, she searched it out everywhere we went from then on. I got stuck on the starter (tuna pate, octopus, olives, sardines, tuna carpaccio…).

St Mark’s Ruins

As we ate, an English wedding assembled in front of us wearing a mix of formal and ‘island casual’ dress. They were preparing to enter the ruins of the Dominican Monastery and church of St Mark’s. Later, as the others finished their wine, I went for a walk with my camera. I’d been unable to get into the ruins due to the wedding but an older gentleman walked up and said: “You want to get inside? Come along.”

We walked in together chatting. As we entered, the bride called out to us: “Dad, where have you been? The photographer’s been waiting for you.” He said goodbye and joined them. I’d taken my shots.

We caught the late ferry back to Split. We were home before we knew it.

The Hvar Spanjola (Citadel)