Croatia 28 Hvar got news for you/pink rock roses and sheer drops from the roadside/ the crack heads east

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Motorhoming is one of those strange experiences where you change your mind often about what to do next, Sometimes it's the weather that moves you on. It can be too hot or too cold or even too wet . Sometimes it's the place you stay at . It does not float your boat. I think it was both the weather which was poor and the fact that we had miscalculated our trip dates for Bosnia that made us move Hvar from after Bosnia to before. It didnt take long to find out about the ferry to Hvar from Drvnick to Sucaraj and to make our minds up it was time to change plans.

It took us 7 mins from Zaostrog to the ferry and on arriving it was the same as every other ferry port we have used . A few bars full of smoking Croatians and a closed ticket office. The office opens half an hour before the departure of the boat. On my first trip to the ticket office it was closed. As I walked back to Gabby they opened the window and I had to make my way back I eventually booked our return trip to Hvar on the boat named the Ston for 234 kuna .

Gabby the motorhome is parked up like Billy No Mates at Camping Vira on the northern tip of Hvar. We are on our own apart from an empty Norwegian motorhome. The next plot has tables and chairs on it and later we were to find out why. There is no WiFi on the site , the restaurant is closed as is the bar. The shuttle bus does not run until the tourist season kicks off . My thoughts - we are paying ACSI prices which are cheap but for what? . Quite literally nothing but water , a dump for grey water and the toilet and a shower block with cold running water , There is a nice view of the bay through the pine trees. .We had planned to stay a day or two but in the end decided again to move on.

But first how did we get here . Waiting for the ferry we sat for a while watching people slowly turning up. There was an extra ferry on today which meant not having to sit around for almost two hours. The ferry approached and when it docked it was evident that today was turn around day on Hvar ,. Two buses full of tourists disembarked . A taste of things to come.

The journey across to Hvar took 30 minutes and the crossing was like a mill pond . We disembarked at Sucaraj which was much different to the ferry ports on the other side . This one had restaurants , a pretty harbour wall to sit on and shops. The journey north was awful. The roads were narrow and not fit for purpose . Much stopping and pulling in to let buses and lorries through. We even had our mirror hit on one part of the journey cracking the mirror guard. This was buttock clenching mile after mile of driving. It went on for mile after mile. Villages were spread about along the route , a school or two , laybyes for pulling in and a nightmare journey in the most awful of driving conditions. Now and again we saw an olive oil seller or a lavender stall but beyond that we could count on one hand the number of people we actually saw on the way north.

The one saving grace of the road were the flowers. A veritable wild life garden of pink Rock Roses, the shrubby plants were everywhere. Purple Loosestrife in between. In late summer the heady smell of Spring would be overtaken by the lavender which grows on the island.

By the time we had driven north and professed that was the worse driving experience of the trip the roads had improved . Helped no doubt by the ferry coming in to Stari Grad from Split. The roads widened , no more holding in our breath or buttock clenching. Now we had proper pull ins, lay byes and picnic areas.

Gabby moved the next morning . She is now parked up on a public car park in Hvar Town. 15 kunas for the parking and within walking distance of the town. It is very quiet this morning. Above us we can see the Spanish Castle. Years ago we would have walked up the steep slope to visit it . No doubt the views of the town from the top would have been well worth the effort of the climb. Perhaps we are getting too old to climb something so steep. We tell ourselves it's a castle , it looks good and we have seen it from a distance. Hvar town is encircled on the land side by protective walls and is overlooked by two massive fortresses. The Venetians commissioned the castle in 1278 to create a safe haven for their vessels. Within the walls we walked amongst the public buildings and palaces all of which looked Venetian. The question we kept asking ourselves was if the castle was Venetian why was it called Spanish . The walls were built in the 13th century and much of them were still intact. We later found out that the current Fortica the fortress known as the Tvrdava Spanjola was constructed following a gunpowder explosion in 1579. So now we know what the Spanish bit was all about. I am probably glad we didn't climb to the castle as it only contains a modern tourist complex and probably would have disappointed.

We walked to the heart of the piazza the Pjaca which led us into a large town square which claims to be the largest in Dalmatia at 48, 000 sq ft and which was fully paved in 1780. The buildings around the Pjaca were all 15th to 17 century palaces and merchants houses. In these we found a bakery, a number of cafes and restuarants and hotels. A Bishops Palace and Arsenal completed the buildings on the square together with the Cathedral dedicated to St Stephan . . Although the bells rang out the doors were firmly shut. No candle will be lit there today. Beyond the Arsenal the sea and the Fontik which was a communal store for grain. We stopped on the Pjaca for the obligatory people watching espresso.

From the main square ran a number of medieval streets. We got away from the crowds on the harbour by following those tiny streets that kept out the sun. We are still finding things to do in Croatia . Sometimes you think you have done everything and seen everything but Croatia even though the weather is inclement still continues to give as a holiday destination.

As far as the cracked windscreen goes the 6 inch crack began its life heading south. Today it has taken an easterly direction across the screen and gained another 6 inches of length. It is ominously close to the rear view mirror where there is some weight . Hopefully it will stop its progression across the screen until we get home and can replace it.

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