If you look carefully at the head of the Cabal Peninsula as the ferry passes by, you’ll see a lighthouse. And to the left of the lighthouse are tunnels and gun emplacements for the defense of the shipping lanes. The tunnels date from 1969, one year on from the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet-led…
There’s a large stone cross on Glavica, the hill overlooking Stari Grad on the north shore. It makes a very useful marker, as it can be seen from miles around. Conversely, of course, from the top of Glavica, you have great views over the surrounding countryside, and the approach into Stari Grad harbour. The cross…
Incredibly, it’s been over 30 years since our last visit to Dubrovnik as students exploring the coast of what was then Yugoslavia in an old VW beetle. Not much seems to have changed as we arrive at the Pile Gate, and head into the walled city. But of course, much has changed for the residents…
Our original plan for Friday was for a bit of a beach day – let the artists out to paint and play by the water. However… the weather once again didn’t cooperate, and the day dawned clear, cool and windy, a classic bura pattern. Over a breakfast of coffee and the remainder of the birthday…
Legend has it that the skill of making lace from agave leaves arrived from the Canary Islands around the mid-nineteenth century. A seaman brought back a sample of Tenerife lace from his latest trip, you could imagine as a gift for his sister, who may have been a nun, or attended convent school. The sister…
The trip up to Velo Grablje from Stari Grad provides you with marvellous views as the road winds its way uphill. The slopes are covered in a distinctive lattice of drystone walls and mounds. As you reach the top, the view to the south opens up, with Vis floating in the distance. And just off…
Step back in time as you enter the world of the traditional Dalmatian Konoba. It’s where the wine is made and stored, where tools are kept when not out working in the fields, and it’s where you sit around a table of an evening and enjoy a glass or two and a song. The konoba…
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…
Stari Grad is an old town. If you wind back time by a couple of thousand years to the turn of the millenium, you’d find that settlements on the island consisted of Illyrian hillforts, mostly away from the coast, though the castle at Hvar town directly overlooked the harbour. And then there was Stari Grad,…
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…
Go Hvar 
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