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…
The hill overlooking the town of Hvar is a magnificent viewpoint. From there, you can look down on the town itself, watch the comings and goings in the harbour, see the Pakleni islands and the sea beyond. On a clear day (which they mostly are), you can see right over to Vis. The benefits of…
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…
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…
Go Hvar 
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