Hvar Island lies off of the central Dalmation coast of Croatia. Its three largest towns are Jelsa, Hvar, and Stari Grad. It is essentially a long, narrow limestone mountain that runs east - west, with a wide part on the west end that features a broad flat valley, where the islands viable agriculture takes place. It produces olives, wine (including prosec), and lavendar. But the main business is tourism.

The summer climate is warm and dry. So much so that in Stari Grad, the cinema is open area with one white wall and rows of plastic chairs (sort of like a drive-in without the cars.) Many houses have a central courtyard protected from the sun by a living roof of grape vines, where the family congregates to eat and relax, and talk. All of the houses, many of the streets and all of the quays of the harbors are constructed of native limestone.

Dressed limestone makes a lovely surface on which to walk, but the raw, rough stones covering the island make for tough, treachorous hiking. The walls of the terraces are so high, there must have been wooden ladders to assist the farmers in climbing up and down the hills in historic times.

The sea is a lovely clear blue water. But go below the surface with a face mask, and it does not look as interesting as say the coral reefs off of the Florida keys. Sub surface sea life is pretty sparce and monocromatic. But it does look lovely from above the surface.

In order to come to Hvar island, we took a ferry from Split.

Hvar town.

Trg Sveti Stjepana, the main square in the old section of Hvar town. Built in the 13th century, it is supposed to be one of the oldest squares in Croatia. Like almost every other flat, developed space on the coast of Croatia, or one of its islands, it is situated atop a land filled inlet or marsh. (This technique had the advantage of providing reale-estate for development and mosquito control at the same time.)

The ferries dock at limestone-paved quay, which happens to be the 'main drag'. In the evening we sat on a bench and watched packs of young teenage girls roaming this area each one armed with a pocketbook. I was not sure if they were hunting for young teenage boys, or just parading.

The waterfront in Hvar town

Stari Grad

Northeast of Havar, on the other side of the island is the town of Stari Grad (litterally "old town"). Stari Grad has a long narrow channel which provides great anchorage for sailors. Unfortunately the ocean currents do not replenish the water in the channel as quickly as they do the anchorages in the other port towns. Many times of the day, the port is characterized by the distinct, if faint, odor of sewage. Nontheless, it is a very popular destination for families. There is a hotel complex and a campground west of the town. There is frequent ferry service to Starigrad. (The new ferry dock is 2 km. west of the town where the bay is still wide.

Crossing the island by the old road

Scenes from the old road, on the top of the island, near Gragjle, between Stari Grad and Hvar town

South coast near Zvala.

The tourist books rave about Zvala to the west of Hvar town, on the sourth coast. It's actually a tiny, uninteresting town clinging to the side of the mountain. The most interesting thing is the route to Zvala. It goes through a 1.4 kilometer long, narrow, one-lane, unlighted tunnel though the mountain that divides the north ofthe island from the south. No cement was used in making this tunnel so the walls are the raw limestone as carved by the tunnel builders years ago. There is a traffic light at each end. And you must wait in a line of cars and trucks for the signal to turn green. Then it's a 1.4 kilometer rush over bad pavement as the rough and unenven walls fly by you uncomfortably close, and god help you if you want to slow down, because there are 23 cars full of impatient Croats behind you. The photos of this part of the journey are missing because I did the whole trip with my eyes closed. (I have promised Vivian that next time she can drive.)

Jelsa