We wrote about swifts before and also about swallows and martins. But Hvar is the summer home of a whole set of other birds, many of them rare or non-existent in more northern climes. We just saw our first flock of Bee Eaters (Merops apiaster). This colourful bird winters in deepest Africa, but comes to warmer parts…
One of the delights of Hvar is the variety of aromatic plants that grow naturally here. The island is well-known for its lavender (lavanda), but for many centuries, rosemary (ružmarin) was more important to the island’s economy. Rosemary is actually a close relative of lavender, both belonging to the Lamiaceae (mint) family of plants. The…
I find the Dalmatian landscape to be a wonderful inspiration, and I’m really enjoying my Painting Rocks! series. At the same time, I’m also exploring the work of local artists, especially those whose work is so evocative of this area. So this week, I’ve taken a work by Mato Celestin Medović, and created my own…
When we first started looking at properties on Hvar, one of the houses that really caught my imagination was in Prapatna. It was a gorgeous stone house with walled garden, right on the seafront. Sure, it needed a bit of work, but boy, what a stunning location! In the end, because the practicalities of life…
I mentioned in a previous article that the winds have names here. And as we’re into winter now, I thought I’d take a more in-depth look at that powerful force – the bura. Now, not all buras are created equal. In local speak – there is the light bura which clears the air and cools…
I really enjoy getting up early in Vrboska, especially on a sunny day. Even with the grilles on our shutters firmly closed, I can still tell that the sun is about to appear and it’s time to be out and about. From the top floor of our house, we have a view of the sunrise…
In Hvar’s Napoleon Fortress is a seismological station, part of a network covering the Adriatic coast from Rijeka in the north to Dubrovnik in the south. In fact they are all part of a larger international network that is responsible for monitoring earthquakes throughout the entire Mediterranean. Set up in 1973, the HVAR station contributes…
In the Adriatic, you’d think there wasn’t really much extreme weather to talk about, especially if you visited in the high summer. OK, the odd thunderstorm over the mainland in the afternoon, but not out on the islands, surely? Yet you’ll see examples of windroses here and there, with the winds clearly named. There’s one…
MF “Tin Ujević” is the car ferry that runs from Split to Stari Grad. It sails several times daily, more often in the summer months and less frequently throughout the rest of the year. The trip takes a couple of hours, I could wish it went faster, but it’s a time to have breakfast (or…
The Pakleni otoci lie off the south coast of Hvar, towards the western end. It’s a short expedition by boat to visit any one of this chain of islands, just take your pick from the choice of excursion vessels and taxiboats lining the waterfront in Hvar town. For those with their own yacht, of course,…
Go Hvar 
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