11.21.21
Time moves so quickly it seems, and we never get to do everything we have planned. That may fit you, too, regardless of where you are. As permanent travelers we usually have a FINITE amount of time in each location, and our target is about six weeks. On this, our second stay in Split, we will be here for 60 days, and we still didn’t go all the places/ do all the things we wanted. But we finally got to the island of Hvar for our four-year anniversary since meeting. And what an adventurous four years it has been!
It’s 53.3 km, 33 miles, and takes about 1.5 hours via a regular ferry. I say regular because we could have taken a higher speed catamaran, made it in one hour, but we wanted to go to the city of Stari Grad since we heard so much about it, rather than Hvar City, the more popular destination. Ninety minutes on a ferry is a pleasure for me and I am SO glad I no longer get sick like I did years ago. After a week of somewhat overcast skies, we intentionally waited as long as we could before making the trek since sunny skies on a ferry across the ocean are much better.
The ferry was perfect, as was Stari Grad, and the weather was flawless. We only wanted to stay for one day so the 0830 departure time from Split got us there by 10:30 which gave us most of the day as well as the next. We weren’t quite sure how far we were from the actual city or our room, but thank you, Google Maps, it was a 2 km walk, about 20 minutes, along the inland waterway, which was very nice. Since we had few smaller day packs, it was also easy. The actual “city” of Stari Grad is really just a few blocks long, with a “Riva” similar to what we have here in Split, along the waterfront. Since it is winter, most businesses and restaurants were closed, so our selection was limited. If we were there for a month, it might get boring, but we found a nice outside restaurant and had pasta and pork chops under sunny skies. Prices were comparable to Split, a nice surprise, and we explored a bit then took a break back at our room, which was another 15-minute walk up the other side of the waterway. But when you’re walking in such beautiful places, the time and the distance are less important. Since we had a later lunch, we went out that night for a coffee and dessert at a cute little spot, and we sat outside, bundled up, joined by a local cat who took the other chair and just cleaned him/her self the whole time. There is not much happening in this town at night, so the silence was welcome.
It was gorgeous the next morning and we found a great coffee spot, had our very typical breakfast strudel, then walked and explored the old homes and fortress in the area, then hiked outside town to what they call the Stari Grad Plain. It is several hundred acres of different crops growing aside each other, and at ground level it’s hard to see the patchwork, but from a higher elevation it is visually stunning. As it was, there was a pleasant breeze, and we enjoyed the walk. A nice afternoon lunch of one of the best soups I have EVER had really surprised me, and normally I would not be a carrot/ ginger soup eater, but this was outstanding.
From there it was back to our room to pack up, and we were very lucky to have a great AirBNB hostess who let us check in earlier the day before and check out late on our departure time. We walked back along the waterfront as the sun was setting and got on the ferry just as a full moon was cresting over the mountains and shortly, over the ocean. Whereas I spent our ferry time topside on the first leg, I definitely stayed inside and warm for our return trip.
Thoughts about Hvar.
There are 700 or so islands off the coast, and this was number three for us. Initially we planned to go to another island, Korcula, but the ferry timing didn’t work, and many say that Korcula is even better (plus I love the name) but that will wait until our next trip back here, which will be next year. Meanwhile Hvar is definitely on the list of places to return to, and we spoke with a waiter who told us what to expect for a monthly stay there in spring. Un-friggin-believable, so that is now on the list of things to do.
One of the best things about this weekend, and the whole time here in Croatia, is that COVID is a non-topic. No masks were required or requested on the ferry, but people still stayed a bit apart. We haven’t been thermal scanned since we got here and so appreciate that we can live life as “normal” as we used to.
In two weeks: Turkey.
