Wooden boats are an important part of Dalmatian history, a crucial item for generations of people as a way to put food on the table, and for transport. After all, there would be no islanders if there were no boats. The current exhibition in the Vrboska Fishermen’s Museum provides a fascinating glimpse into a time…
Tis the season for figs, and we’ve been enjoying them freshly picked when they’re at their best. But they don’t last for more than a couple of days in that condition, and we decided to dry a batch in the sunshine – the natural way. We’d successfully produced a nice little jar of sun-dried tomatoes,…
Our tomato plants are really on a roll by now, producing a nice little daily crop for us to enjoy with our lunch. Cherry tomatoes in pots are definitely the way to go for our courtyard, and so wonderfully tasty too! So as we’re getting towards a glut of tomatoes, this week we thought we’d…
Vrboska has a proud heritage of both fishing and boat-building. Traditional curvy wooden boats, that is, with latin sails. The local Udruga Lantina society hold their annual summer regatta on St Peter’s Day, as they reckon he was a fisherman too! This year was expanded to a two-day event, including a special workshop on boat-design…
It’s the end of June, so it’s lavender harvest time! Shame, really, as I love to see the purple hummocks decorating the hillsides. Unlike Provence, where the lavender is grown in great long stripes, here the bushes are kept separate, giving more of a pattern of dots. And, given the steepness of the fields, the…
When the Michelin awards were announced for 2018, we were delighted to see some international recognition, finally, for Croatia’s young chefs. These guys have set about creatively combining the very best of this country’s produce and traditions to produce a fresh style all their own. Paired, of course, with some wonderful Croatian wine. We’ve been…
It’s been nearly 5 years since we took the old Liburnia ferry from Stari Grad down the coast to Dubrovnik. That took a leisurely 8 hours, including stops at Korčula town and the island of Mljet. Things are speedier now. Krilo’s fast catamaran service does basically the same trip (leaving from Hvar, not Stari Grad)…
The town of Ston, and its partner Mali Ston lie at the base of the Pelješac peninsula. This place is famous for its salt, an extremely valuable commodity in past times, and the lagoon with its salt ponds was vigorously defended by Dubrovnik, who owned the local salt trade. To keep it safe from predatory…
On the last day of Karneval, it’s traditional to celebrate with a parade, and in some places a masked ball. The day is marked in Vrboska with everyone dressing up for the parade, which ends in Jure Karnevol being burned. Poor George! The tradition goes way back to Roman times, and is related to the…
Split’s Croatian National Theatre (HNK) has a full winter program of drama, opera and ballet, including the Nutcracker, although it took me a minute or two to recognise that under the name of “Orašar” in the schedule! Advance publicity and booking is curiously restricted to just one month ahead, making forward planning slightly tricky for…
Go Hvar 
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