Hvar, Croatia - April 5

Today our private tour was through Tours By Locals and our guide was Frane (Frah-nay) https://www.toursbylocals.com/hvar2017 Our driver was Jani.       

Frane and I corresponded a lot to work out our day. The only issue we had with Tours By Locals was the payment system. We used that company for Japan in 2013 and it was great to use the local transportation from Bullet Trains, subways, taxis and buses to get around. Payment then was on the day in cash. This time it had to be paid in advance up front and was handled by a 3^rd party and the system was not set up well for multiple couples to make their payments. We got it worked out, but it took a lot of emails and phone calls. Frane was responsive and a good guide. 

It was a tender port and none of those have gone quickly on this WC. We finally, got on the first tender and waited for our guide. The Princess tours came and went and he still wasn’t there. Greg called to see what was going on and Frane said 10 more minutes. ??? So, we decided to find a bathroom and a bakery there let us come in and use theirs. Greg bought a delightful baklava type pastry and we ate that while Frane told us about Hvar. (yes, another talkative one)

 postal van

 post office

Frane said he thought our tour started at 9:00 and he was early. No worries, we had plenty of time to do our scheduled tour. Like our last few ports this is not their tourist season, so a lot of things are pretty quiet and many stores not open. 

Today we were joined by Rick & Janie, George & Anne and Lorraine & Chuck. It was our first and only tour with George and Anne and they were a delightful couple doing only one segment of this world cruise.

We started our day with a walking tour of Hvar that included the Franciscan Monastery, Cathedral of St. Stephen, Loggia, Ancient Arsenal, promenade, paved alleys and narrow streets...Just charming! 

 Frane, our guide

We then waited for the van to come pick us up so we had some free time for another bathroom break and to peruse the vegetable and fruit market.

Then we had a scenic drive to the city fortress of Spanjola and we saw one of the best panoramic views on the Adriatic: old Hvar city, islands, harbor. We also toured the fortress.

our ship from the fortress

 Greg going down to the dungeon

We drove the backroads of the countryside through lavender fields (sadly not in bloom this time of year, but pretty, none-the-less. We stopped in Brusje for panoramic views and to buy some lavender or other things from the cute roadside stand.

 lavender fields not in bloom 

We then continued on to the village of Stari Grad (the first Greek colony of the island...) where we did a walking tour. We saw the Dominican Monastery, churches and town squares and more.

 taken through the church window

 George, Anne, Janie, Rick, Lorraine, Chuck, Annette, Greg

We toured Vrboska, a delightful fishing village. Vrboska is a settlement on the north coast of the island of Hvar in Dalmatia, Croatia, in the Municipality of Jelsa. Founded in the 15th century as a fishing harbour, Vrboska is best known for the fortress Church of Sv. Marija (St Mary), built as a refuge for its inhabitants during the 16th century.

We were supposed to have lunch in Milna, but the restaurant was not open yet for the season so Frane called another restaurant in Jelsa that was open. The name of this seaside restaurant was Me & Mrs. Jones. Greg had the warm Octopus Salad and I ordered the Shrimp & Asparagus Risotto. Greg’s lunch was a work of art and tasty. Mine was not tasty at all. Not bad, just boring with not much flavor. Four of us ordered it and 3 of us didn’t like it at all. Chuck ordered tuna steak and he shared some and it was very good. Rick had fresh fish and he enjoyed that. They brought Grappa which is the local firewater. It’s not a sipping drink, it’s best just to toss it back and experience the warmth in your chest.

 the restaurant

 fresh fish

 Warm Octopus Salad

 Shrimp & Asparagus Risotto

Grappa

For something quirky to see and do, Frane took us through a tunnel to “nowhere”. It’s so small that the van barely fit and when we came out the other side, we then had to turn around and go back through it. Two people have wine stored in the tunnel as it is the perfect temperature for wine. 

It was a 4:30 all aboard today, so we drove back to the port. We had some time left for some souvenir shopping and wandering before we caught the tender back to the ship. 

 sail away

We had dinner and went to the production show which was Talk of the Town. (yes, another repeat) 

Then, we dragged our tired selves to the cabin for an early night before our first day in Venice tomorrow. The sail in through the Grand Canal and past Piazza San Marco started around 6:15 in the morning. It was kind of cloudy so not as beautiful as it can be, but Greg set up the Go Pro to record the sail in. (yes, when we get home with free and fast internet we’ll post all the videos from the trip)

Eight port days in a row and only part way through……..