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…
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…
A birthday is a perfect excuse for eating somewhere special – maybe even somewhere new. We’d read about the Zlatna Školjka (Golden Shell) in Hvar town, and how the chef is part of the “slow food” movement. Now that doesn’t mean you’ll still be waiting for your starter a couple of hours after ordering, but…
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…
To round off an afternoon of wine tasting, the Dalmacija Wine Expo brings in some of Croatia’s best chefs to prepare dinner at local restaurants. The menus of these Culinary Stars are published online, so you can choose in advance which of these gastronomic feasts you want to indulge in. Not an easy choice, as…
At the eastern tip of Hvar lies the pretty little port of Sućuraj. From there, it’s only 5 km, a short hop by ferry across to Drvenik on the mainland. From the island the effect is rather dramatic – you’re looking up at a 4,000 ft wall across the small channel, which looms ever larger…
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…
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…
Stina wines draw their inspiration from the famous Brač stone. Stina, of course, means stone in the local Dalmatian dialect. Although there’s a history of winemaking on the island that goes back to the ancient Greeks, it’s been somewhat run down over the last century. Stina aka Jako vino has spent the recent few years…
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 
You must be logged in to post a comment.