Day 12 - May 17. 2014 - Hvar

We awoke to a beautiful day. Every time I looked out from our balcony, it was hard to believe how pretty the Adriatic and all the surrounding islands were. We headed down the lane to the neighborhood bakery recommended by Ivanka, but it was closed. So down the hill we went into the main square for a breakfast of warm apple strudel pastries. The town square was beginning to buzz with daily activities.

First on the day's agenda, hike up to the town's fortress. To get to the fortress, I'm positive we burned enough calories to justify eating apple strudel for breakfast. Flights of stairs took us above the village and then a switch back trail up the mountainside brought us to the fortress entrance. During many times in history, the villagers would come up to the fortress to take refuge from those attacking the town. The town's people said that pirates liked to attack their village over the centuries. The view from above was great and there were lots of nooks to explore.

On the way down the mountainside, we were suppose to be able to stop at a nunnery and watch the nuns make lace from the local agave plants, but I guess the nuns were taking the day off because their gates were closed. However, just down from the nunnery was a little shop called Aurora run by a young woman named Iris. She and her mother make hand-crafted jewelry. It was all beautiful work and I wanted most ever piece. After selecting a set in teal (necklace, bracelet & earrings), Matt surprised me by purchasing them as my wedding present. When Iris found out we were newlyweds, she went into her storage closet and came out with a 2 litre bottle of cherry grappa and plastic shot glasses. We had an impromptu grappa party together! My favorite part of traveling is meeting people like Iris.

The rest of the day, we walked along the coastal walk outside of town. There were many beautiful beaches to enjoy. By 5:00 we headed back to the nunnery to see if they would open as stated on their door, but there was not a peep. We passed Iris's shop and I just had to go in to look at a few more pieces. Her mother did a weaving technique with wire that was so unique, i just had to pick out another set. Meanwhile, Iris pulled out another bottle of grappa. This time it was honey flavored. It definitely had more of a kick than the cherry grappa. While I tried to choose another set, Matt and Iris chatted. She said that for 4 months out of the year, living on the island is "miserable" because there is nothing to do and all the shops are closed. Only the market and a few cafes are open in winter. She said during that time her and her mom make jewelry. She said their are very few boys her age. Most of the young people are too young for her to hang out with. I figured she was probably around 26. She was currently trying to get a Visa to come visit America. We really enjoyed our time visiting with Iris and I did pick out another set of her jewelry.

That night we went back to the same little restaurant so Matt could have the lasagna. I had the shrimp risotto. It was good, but did not compare to the lasagne. After dinner, we briefly made friends with the table of Americans next to us. They were from Los Angeles. The owner brought us all complimentary shots of herb grappa. This grappa was soaked for a month in 12 different herbs found on the island. It was strong! The taste was really peculiar. As it burned going down, I could taste hints of lavender and rosemary. Matt thought it tasted like dirt and grass clippings. We decided he should stick to the "girlie" cherry grappa.