A little tired of the big cities and tourist throngs, we decided to hop over to some of Croatia's islands which to me almost felt like it made up for missing the islands in Greece the year before. Before too long we were landing on Hvar Island, and heading for our accommodation. Here we were treated to some more Croatian hospitality as upon arriving at our apartment, the owners informed us there had been a misunderstanding and booking.com had doubled booked us, leaving them with no space to house us. Not only were they extremely apologetic, but they found us new accommodation in the same price range not far away, and while we booked it online they plied us with their homemade (and extremely delicious) wine. Soon we were driving off to the town of Vrboska, and our little hotel.
The owner there was very friendly and offered us some tips on where to eat and park the car all over the island! By the time of our arrival we were hungry. so we headed off to find a restaurant and see the town by night.We were soon treated to a random and beautiful moment of a singing boat, as we stood on the bridge over the river and a little fishing boat full of what I assumed were fishermen sang Croatian folk songs which carried beautifully. It was somewhat surreal and I felt pretty lucky to have stumbled across it.
We also rather enjoyed our dinner that night, as the restaurant was very good. Necia had the best chicken of her life (who knew bbq meat could be so good!?) Overall it was a night to remember.
The next morning we also wandered the town, taking it in by daylight. The beautiful reflections of the bridges on the still water and the little stone houses made this village truly picturesque.
It was however only a village, so it only took so long to see it all. We left still in the morning to head to the nearby town of Jelsa which was meant to be a pretty harbor town. Developing in the 14th Century as a port it prospered economically - unfortunately today that prosperity comes mainly in the form of tourists. We saw many signs advertising fish picnics which seemed to comprise of getting stuck on a fishy smelling boat with many other tourists and loud music and chugging about the bay eating fish sandwiches. I felt horribly sure they involved mustard too. We soon fled to the relative safety of the narrow alleyways to escape such horrors.
The architecture of old Croatia is something definitely worth commenting on, as every city or town we went to had something interesting or beautiful to offer. This tiny church of St. John, built in Baroque style was extremely charming and well worth wandering to. The square itself and surrounding houses dated to the sixteenth century and clearly showed why Jelsa has become such a tourist destination. The square also offered some much needed shade which I quickly took advantage of - Croatia summers are certainly beautiful but the midday sun can be a little unbearable!
A sweaty climb up a nearby tower afforded us beautiful views of the town and was well worth popping up. We also had it to ourselves as the other tourists had kept to their fish picnics and waterfront views. All the better for us!
With many hours sunshine still left in the day, we decided to find a beach to head to for some much needed relaxation and swimming. Much googling occurred before we decided to follow directions from a random blog post and hope for the best. Next destination the beach paradise of Gromin Dolac!
No comments:
Post a Comment