Day 21
Hvar, Croatia
We got up before dawn this morning — likely while many back home were just hitting the sack — for our high-speed Krilo ferry. About an hour later, after some initial fog had burned off, we arrived in Hvar, which fulfilled its sunny skies promise. As cafes set up outdoor seating and fishermen prepared their boats, we walked around this 13th century town that recently has been transformed into a swanky destination for international jetsetters.
We’re staying in a spacious top-floor two-bedroom at Apartments Milicic, about a 10-minute walk from town along a seaside promenade. Its patio offered a great spot to lounge, take in the lush scenery of a nearby cove and recover from the early start.
Afterwards, we headed into town, which is so small that its streets don’t even have names. We had a cup of coffee and a pastry at a café on the marble-paved main square, the Trg Sveti Stjepana, which, at 4,500 sq meters, is one of the largest old squares in Dalmatia. More remarkably, we learned, it was formed by filling in an inlet that once stretched into the bay.
Feeling particularly motivated, we next hiked to the top of the Fortress Spanjol citadel, built to defend Hvar from the Turks. It offered a great panorama of the harbor far below.
Back in town, and with temperatures creeping up, the crowds of yachts and sailboats began to fill the small harbor.
We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging down at the rock and pebble beach below our apartment. Soon enough, the chilly Adriatic was calling our names and we took a dip.
At a refreshing 16 degrees celsius, we didn’t last very long though.
Tonight, we don the trendy gear and hit the town. It’s likely we’ll have a late start tomorrow morning.
Marc Zawel 
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