Hvar

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Well it has been a while since the last update and it feels like we have been busy but we are maybe just going a bit dozy in the meditteranean air cos I dont think we have done a lot. Swimming and eating seems to occupy lots of our days!!! The main adventure this week was a car trip to the town of Hvar, Stari Grad and Jelsa - Stipe lent us his car (an old beast Opel with no air-con or power steering)! So we set off early tuesday morning for the 70km trip that we thought would take about an hour.......2 hours of hair-raising journey on the narrowest road with absolutely no barriers as it winds 2000m up to the top of the island and then meanders along hairpin bends that plunge the whole 2000m to the sea below......we dreaded the ultimate terror of encountering a bus and having to reverse a kilometer to find a spot for it to squeeze by....luckily for us it did not happen and we arrived in Hvar safely in time for a very needed espresso!! Hvar is a well promoted tourist town and destination for all nationalities. It was nice to hear some different accents with a few Aussies and Kiwis thrown in. They dont usually make it to Sucuraj!! The town lies within the walls of the old fortress. We climbed to the top up hundreds of stairs and winding path ways to a magnificent view of the town and the Pakleni Islands. Down in the port there was a rich selection of beautiful cruisers and yachts being polished by cute deckhands - lots of money on show but really a great feeling at the docks. Boats were buzzing off on day trips to other islands while crowds of people sat around drinking coffee and people watching. On our return hell car trip we stopped off in Starigrad for a meander through the streets while Rob added to his collection of *door* photographs. The town was quiet relief from busy Hvar and we found a cute little restaurant for cold Pivo and juice for the boys. The hospitality has been fantastic with friendly local folks all helpful to the Sucuranji Jelicic family. The days are still very warm - low 30 degrees with morning westerly and that drops later in the day to still afternoons and light till 9.30 at night. Families on vacation here are from all parts of Eastern Europe - Poland - Austria - Slovenia - a few Germans and lots of backpacker old boats rolling in and out of the port island hopping. The talk amongst the backpackers is the Dalmatian island are the new Greek island destination - still fairly unspoilt and budget to travel in.
Next week we are heading off to Korcula probably a 2 hour boat trip. It is another island more beautiful than the next........................

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