Day 13 - May 18. 2014 - Hvar via Motor Scooter!

We got tickets on the last ferry leaving Hvar at 7pm so that we could rent a motor scooter for the day and explore the island. By 10am, we were off! As Matt took the scooter for a test drive up the street, the woman who ran the rental place said, "Oh yeah, he is pro. You two have no problems." It was a perfect day for a scooter adventure. We took the old road out of town up into the hills. Once out of the fairy tale town of Hvar, we found their "dirty secret" which is forbidden to photograph...the town dump. So of course, we had to flip a u-turn and  photograph it.

The first village we reached was Brusje. This village is predominantly in charge of all the lavender grown on the island. They harvest it and produce all the various lavender products. Outside of Brusje, are acres of lavender fields. In about 2 weeks, the lavender would be blooming and the entire countryside becomes purple. That would have been great to see, I thought we might get lucky and see some blooming, but we were just too early.

Grablji was the next little town. We went down the hillside on the scooter, but  really felt like we would be disturbing the village with our noisy scooter. The village seemed to still be sleeping. Not a peep anywhere. 

Back on the old road, we made various stops to explore areas and do some short walks. The scooter is really the best way to explore the island. From the ridgeline, we could see Stari Grad far below. It was going to be a fun ride down into the town. I think we coasted the entire 5 miles down. By the time we got to Stari Grad, we had 1/2 tank left of gas and still alot of exploring to do. When I asked a local where the nearest gas station was, I was informed they did not have one. Gas could only be purchased in Hvar and Jelsa. I really thought I had misunderstood. The town had a big boat harbor and many locals were driving their cars around. We asked a second man, who confirmed that there was no gas in Stari Grad. Note, Stari Grad is the biggest town on the entire island. Since it was Sunday, most places were closed. Fortunately, the local market was open so we got some lunch items and had a picnic in the park.

Vrboska was the next stop. We were now entering wine country. Everyone seemed to have their own wine vineyards. Most gardens had olive trees, orange trees, lemon trees and grape vines. The red poppies were in full bloom among all the vineyards. Vrboska is called "little Venice" by the locals. I really don't think anyone there has been to Venice. One small, slightly arched bridge that goes over a waterway does not qualify as a Venetian bridge. The town was very pretty though. Lots of boats moored up waiting for the summer season to begin. Shop owners were doing maintenance work while a group of older men played boci ball.

Jelsa was alot like Vrboska...a pretty harbor, but much busier. They did have one thing though...a gas station that was open. It's always a relief not having to worry about running out of gas in the middle of an island. After Jelsa, we were now having to take the main road. There were some steep grades and a long tunnel. Cars passing us were unusually polite.

Dubovica was suppose to be our next stop. We passed the path down to the village twice. Far below the main road was a tiny little village with 4 houses on a pristine piece of beach. We got half way down and then realized the climb back up would be an absolute bitch. There were no roads to the village. Who ever lived down there really had to plan well for their supplies, not to mention what it would be like to have to carry down everything.

Zarace was the next village we drove through. It's now a UNESCO site but it did not look any different than any of the other small villages clinging to the mountains overlooking the ocean.

Finally we reached Milna. Iris had told us about the village of Malo Grablje. It was now a ghost town and could be reached on foot from Milna. It was a 30 minute hike up to Malo Grablje. I'm so glad we saved time to visit this place. Nobody was there. We had it all to ourselves and it really was an abandoned village in decay and overgrown. The stone village was originally the home of the local clan of Tudors. Some of the houses are several centuries old. This was a true treasure to find thanks to Iris. It was not on any of our maps.

We arrived back in Hvar a little before 6pm and returned the scooter. Ivanka met us there by 6pm with our bags as promised. She gave us big hugs goodbye and told us to please come visit her and her island again.

We caught the 7pm catamaran to Split. It was an easy crossing and we arrived in Split by 8pm. Upon disembarking the boat, we were greeted by a barrage of Sobe owners wanting to provide us with lodging. We made our way to Hotel Luxe. I had splurged a bit on our lodging in Split since Matt would be having his birthday here. Outside, the hotel looked nothing like the photo on their website. Inside was like walking into a tragically wannabe hip lobby, bordering on looking like a European disco. Once in our room, I about fell over laughing upon discovering that the bathroom (shower, toilet, sink) were all behind a display window next to the bed. There was a curtain, but the person on the bedroom side had control over it. I felt like we had stumbled into the Voyerism themed room complete with silver curtains and lavender velvet bedding. Matt and i have seen our share of crazy European rooms, but this one is definitely the most bizarre. We have an understanding that if the curtain is closed...leave it closed...no peeking.

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.