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Published: September 22nd 2022
“
But the beauty is in the walking - we are betrayed by destinations.” - Gwyn Thomas
And walk we did! Along quiet roads, paths, goat trails, trails full of rocks, twisty trails, up hills and down hills. I’ve got over 27,000 steps so far and it’s only 5 pm! (Now it’s close to 9 pm and I’ve got well over 29,000).
But, let’s start at the beginning. We lazed around our apartment this morning, and just had our 3 in 1 coffee packets and some leftovers for breakfast (cheese and rice cakes, grapes, and the last of our cakes from the bakery in Korcula). We met the group around the corner by the bus station at 8:50 am, then I popped into a nearby coffee place to get Susan and I double cappuccinos (they were very good, stronger than other coffees we’ve had here in Croatia), and then we all went in the grocery store to select items for our lunch later on. We were doing a “leisurely hike” Zigi said, a gentle descent from one village to the other, then along a “level” goat path back to Hvar. We obviously don’t have the same definition of “leisurely hike”
and “level” path! 😂.
Susan and I got two sandwiches to share, and some Pag goat cheese (it’s delicious), and some fruit (including really good dried figs). We first took two taxis to the village of Velo Grablje (which means big, or greater Grablje), in central Hvar Island. (We’re staying in Hvar Town, on the island of Hvar). It is a picturesque stone village founded in the 14th C, mostly abandoned today, although people have begun to return and there are numerous well kept, inhabited homes. The views from Velo Grablje were just beautiful. We began our hike here, walking though the village, then continued onto Malo Grablje (small Grablje). It was around a 1/2 hour, easy hike, gradually descending from Velo Grablje, past countless olive trees. Malo Grablje is entirely abandoned, the stone houses sagging and becoming quite covered in vines and plants. We did unexpectedly discover a konoba (small restaurant) though, in the middle of the abandoned village, and some people were eating there.
These two villages were abandoned by the 50s and 60s (our taxi driver’s grandparents moved from one of the villages to Hvar in the 50s). I think the villagers moved in search
of an easier life. Also, a disease affecting grape vines decimated the local wine industry in the early 1900s, which also led to the decline of these villages.
We walked around Malo Grablje for awhile, which was really interesting, then we hiked down to Milna Bay, a beautiful little cove with a pebbly beach, which took around an hour or so. It was a very pleasant walk, through many olive orchards (I tried an olive off the tree - extremely bitter!). In Milna Bay we had our picnic lunch, sharing fruit and cheese among the group (we all loved the Pag cheese). I had to go to the bathroom at this point, and there were no public bathrooms here, so Susan and I popped into a cute little restaurant first, and had a small draft beer, and used their facilities. We then joined the others on the beach, and enjoyed our lunch, with beautiful views of the bay. I had changed from my pants (the morning was cool) into my shorts in the restaurant bathroom, and I went wading in the water, which was very refreshing. A few of our group went swimming. After finishing our lunch and relaxing
in Milna Bay for awhile, we set off for our hike back to Hvar. This was along the “level” goat path Zigi said. Well, it was some goat path, which was pretty much never level! The goats must be mountain goats 😂. It was quite the 2 1/2 hour hike, up and down, along really rocky paths, including clambering over rocks along the shoreline, but we were rewarded by amazing views around every corner and along the entire hike back to Hvar. It was definitely a more strenuous hike than Susan had anticipated, but I was very proud of her for powering through it.
We passed several beach areas with restaurants, and finally were back on the road for the last stretch into Hvar. We passed the other side of the Franciscan Monastery, and stopped at a gelato place one of our group had recommended called “L’Amore Per Il Gelato”. I had a peppermint with chocolate, and Susan had a strawberry with mint. They were delicious and just what we needed after our long hike.
We returned to our apartment and I began the blog, and we did some laundry, and showered, and later went out for dinner.
I had wanted to go to a restaurant in Hvar that I had heard about before we left home, called “Fig.” When we returned from our hike, I noticed some diners at tables just down the street (the street from the entrance to the second level of the house our apartment is located in) and wondered what restaurant it was. Later when I googled Fig, I thought it might actually be that restaurant, and it was! A table was available, and we enjoyed a really nice dinner. Fig does not serve traditional Croatian food, and has lots of vegetarian options, so it was a great change. We shared a lovely salad with zucchini, peach, soft cheese, and candied walnuts; and a vegetable korma with grilled flatbread and yogurt sauce. It was a delicious dinner we both enjoyed very much. Ah yes, accompanied by house white for Susan and rosé for me.
Tomorrow we meet the group at 7:30 am (I was hoping for a later start), to get our ferry to Split. We plan on popping into a bakery to pick up something for breakfast before we get on the ferry. See you in Split!
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Scott
non-member comment
Looks like a joke to remember. My feet would be pretty tired by the end’