This morning, at Total Hvar HQ in Jelsa, we were treated to a behind the scenes look at the filming of Total Hvar’s language lesson series. If you haven’t been following along as the Professor gives us the benefit of his expertise in the Hvar dialect, you’ve missed one of the cultural highlights of the…
The Jelsa wine festival continued on day 2 with some traditional fun and games. First up, a donkey race. Until very recently, donkeys did a lot of the heavy lifting around here. Every family would have one, and you can tell that many of the old routes through the hills are suitable only for people…
Jelsa, it seems, can throw a really good party. Last night’s festival of wine and Jazz was a fine evening’s entertainment in a lovely setting. The entire waterfront was sparkling as we arrived shortly after the 8pm start. We strolled around, looking to see what was where, enjoying the wafting smells of food being prepared…
Following coffee at Cafe Splendid in Jelsa one morning, on the way back to the car we happened upon a sign for an arts and crafts fair. This had been part of the May Fair celebrations which had been held when we weren’t able to go, so we were delighted to find it had been…
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…
Visiting Bol on the neighbouring island of Brač is an easy day trip from Jelsa. The two towns practically face each other across the narrow channel of sea dividing the islands. Most visitors to Bol will be heading for the iconic Zlatni Rat beach, or Golden Horn in English. That is indeed an impressively beautiful…
The ancient Greek colonists of Faros were not altogether firmly settled, despite their clear legacy of agriculture on the island. In fact the Stari Grad Plain was constantly under threat from the local Illyrian tribes who really didn’t want them there. High above the town of Jelsa, the Greeks built a big strong watchtower with…
Always on the lookout for some authentic island happening, we were delighted to read about a folklore evening this Saturday in Jelsa. Thank you to the excellent Total Hvar Blog. So on with the long trousers and insect repellent and off to Jelsa. The Pjaca square was already bustling, and we snagged the last two chairs…
After finding our way to all the other sites on the Archaeological Paths map provided by the Stari Grad tourist board, we thought it would be a doddle to visit Hum – Sveti Vid. Who needs signposts, anyway? You can see the hill perfectly well, it’s just a matter of working out which path takes…
In the heat of summer the Glavica headland near Vrboska is popular for its beaches, and I see that there are plans afoot to improve the car parking – or at least the collecting of fees! Out of season, it’s a lovely walking, jogging, cycling trail with pretty views. We set out on the north…
Go Hvar 