Hvar – Snapping The Globe

After the constant travel we had experienced on our vacation so far, we decided that we needed a relaxing beach day!

Wanting to explore the nearby Pakleni islands, we decided that renting a boat for the day would be the best option since we own a boat at home and have experience on the water. We awakened early, headed to the small harbor and sought out a vendor. After a lot of questions with a lot of people, we were informed that since the onset of Covid we would not be able to rent the boat ourselves but rather with the assistance of a captain. I don’t know what Covid had to do with any of this, however, the addition of a captain made it quite expensive and much less private than we desired.

Instead, we analyzed the signs along the Riva advertising the water taxis and their destinations.

Palmizana Beach on Sveti Klement Island.

Mlini and Zdrilica beaches on Marinkovac Island.

Kordovon beach on Jerolim Island.

Right away, we knew that Jerolim was out of contention as it’s home to a nudist beach…not that we have a problem with that…it’s just that my body isn’t in as great a shape as it once was! Kordovon beach is one of the oldest Adriatic nudist beaches (established in the 1950s) and has been voted by CNN as the most beautiful naturist beach in Europe…sorry we had to miss it!

When we had solicited the opinions the day before at the Visitor’s bureau, from our waiters and our host, some had suggested Milini for its beauty, others had suggested Palmizana for its sheer size and facilities.

Finally, we decided to just throw caution to the wind and flipped a coin…Palmizana won! We hopped on board the next water taxi, with a handful of other travelers, and held on as our boat made its way across open water towards the islands.

*View of Hvar Town and its mighty fortress.*

A short time later, we approached a dock and were allowed to disembark. Following a path and the other passengers, we made our way to the other side of the island where Palmizana beach spread out before us, sparkling and pristine.

Renting an umbrella and two chairs, we proceeded to relax and enjoy the sun for the majority of the day with a break to enjoy a couple of beers from one of the restaurants that remained open, since it was the last day of the tourist season.

The beach was a bit pebbly and waters crystal clear, albeit a bit cold for our liking, but all in all the adventure was worth it! It was nice to relax after all of our adventures.

During the late afternoon, we headed back to the dock to make the boat crossing back to Hvar Town. My husband was a bit sunburned and anxious to take a break in the apartment, but I spotted the Cathedral of St. Stephen’s doors open, so I opted to take a quick peek!

The cathedral, located on the eastern side of the city square (Pjaca) was built on the site of an early 6th century Christian church and later the Benedictine convent of St. Mary. While the church was decorated much less lavishly than I had expected, since it was decorated by Venetian artists, it did have some redeeming qualities. The side chapels were similar in style and much more ornate than the rest of the décor with heavy marble columns. The stone pulpit dates back to the 15th century and the crucifix, over the altar, is in the Gothic style, while the rest of the church is a blend of Renaissance, Manneristic and Baroque styles.

As I stepped outside to photograph the exterior of one of the most important historical buildings in Hvar and inspect its 17th century bell tower, the priest and another gentleman were hard at work raising a very large canvas portrait of what I assumed was St. Stephen above doorway. Stepping away into the Pjaca, I admired the uniquely styled cathedral in the dwindling afternoon light.

Meeting up with my husband, we proceeded to continue our afternoon sunset observations from the Riva before the dinner hour. The golden light was stunning as it set beyond the islands that we had visited on this day and once again, the yachts began to sail into the harbor, taking their places, sometimes five deep along the dock. With as many boats on this night, surely dinner was going to be a lively affair!

Hvar, while the smaller of the three cities that we visited, was filled with charm and natural beauty. We were only there for two nights, however, it definitely left a mark on us, making me wonder how many other secret spots Croatia had up it sleeve! Tomorrow, however, we were heading back, the final leg of our journey to Dubrovnik, and we were looking forward to see all of the sites we had not had time for during our first few days!

For more pictures check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral

Address: Trg Svetog Stjepana 1P, Hvar 21450 HR
Hours: 0900 to 2100, daily
Admission: 10 HKN per person

After enjoying our live music, we decided to leave the windows open to enjoy the fresh night air while we slept.

In the early hours of the morning, my husband was awakened by a sound. The way he described it was “otherworldly”, moving through the town and palace and causing the dogs to all begin barking and howling. It was as if something flew over and through the area.

I was awakened by the sound of him moving through the room and hastily shutting the windows and closing the curtains. As he realized that I was awake, visibly shaken he asked me if I had heard the sound. In a deep sleep, I had not, but I realized that he was most unnerved and wondered what exactly he had heard. Later, after thinking about the parts of the country that are remote and desolate and its history steeped in stories about vampires, giants and witches, I thought that maybe he had indeed experienced something out of this world.

A few hours later, my husband was up, packing his clothes and making a quick breakfast. As much as he had enjoyed the city of Split, he seemed determined to head down to the ferry as quickly as we could. He really was quite shaken!

After a quick walk, we determined which pier our ferry was departing from and grabbed a seat and waited for our boarding time.

Boarding commenced and we found a seat on the small ferry, readying ourselves for the hour and fifteen minute ride. Before we knew it, we had spotted the shoreline of Hvar and were disembarking on the main pier of Hvar Town.

Since the check-in time for our Airbnb was much later in the afternoon, we decided to check our bags into a storage facility, grab some lunch and then check out some of the sights in the area. After a quick stop at the Tourist Information office, I had a map and a list of all the pertinent things in Hvar Town.

After walking around the town a bit, we decided to tackle Fortica Spajnola (the Spanish Fortress or City Fortress), the citadel that towers over the town on the adjacent mountaintop, we headed up the many steps leading up to the fortress’s path. A little tired and now, very hot, we plodded on knowing that the end result would be stunning views of the town below and gaining some insight into the town’s history.

Twenty five minutes later and a little winded, we made it to the entrance and after paying our entrance fee, we began our explorations of this historic structure.

The building of the City Fortress was started in 1278 during the era of the Venetian empire. In 1551, a new fortress was built to replace the original to offer protection to the population that had retreated to the island during the Turkish Invasion in 1571. An explosion caused much destruction in 1579 and modifications and repairs were made at the beginning of the 17th century by building the Baroque defensive bastions. Army barracks were completed in 1775 and 1776. Today, as the island remains safe from invaders, the fortress stands preserved above the town as a reminder of its turbulent past.

Making our way through the maze of passageways, we discovered not only a collection of amphora and other exhibits from antiquity and the Middle Ages, but atop, stunning panoramic views of Hvar Town and the surrounding Pakleni islands. Thankfully, by this time a cool ocean breeze had refreshed us enough to enjoy the setting and we sat at the café to enjoy a cold drink.

Checking the time, we made our way down towards town first stopping at the small ruined chapel of Kostel Panny Marie na Kruvenicic (Church of the Virgin Mary in Kruvenica). Although the door was locked, we were able to walk around the building and take some nice photographs. Continuing on, we made our way down the mountainside, back to the stairs of the city, casually inspecting alleyways, architecture and shops along our path.

*Kostel Panny Marie na Kruvenicic (Church of the Virgin Mary in Kruvenica*

Reclaiming our luggage, we headed towards the Loggia, the 13th century remains of the governor’s palace that now houses the five-star Palace Elisabeth Hotel. Taking a seat, we waited for instructions from our Airbnb host. Although the property was supposed to be ready for occupancy at 4:00 p.m., we began to get a bit nervous when there was no contact from our host. After continuously texting, we eventually received a message, that he was taking care of a few last minute things in the apartment…frustrating when check-out is 11:00 a.m. and things should have been ready for our arrival five hours later. Close to 5:00 p.m., we were met by our host, learning that he had much on his plate with his wife pregnant and due any day, and escorted to what would be our headquarters for until we would depart for Dubrovnik a couple of days later. A nice place, situated above the popular Lola Bar, we once again had VIP seating for the live music below later in the evening.

That evening, we headed out to the waterfront, drinks in hand, to watch the sunset and the mega yachts sail into the harbor and contemplate what our next day would bring.

For more pictures, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.

Spanish Fortress (Fortica Spajnola)

Address: Ul. Biskupa Jurja Dubokovica 80, 21450, Hvar, Croatia
Hours: 0900-2000
Admission: Adults, 40 HRK, Children (7-16 years), 20 HRK, Children (under 7 years), free
Getting There: Walk from the main square to the north, passing the main city gate or Porta di Datalla (Gate of Dates) to ascend the stairs or take a taxi.

Kostel Panny Marie na Kruvenicic (Church of the Virgin Mary in Kruvenica)

Address: Ul. Higijeničkog Društva 9, 21450, Hvar, Croatia
Hours: 0900-2000
Admission: free
Getting There: Walk from the main square to the north, passing the main city gate or Porta di Datalla (Gate of Dates) to ascend the stairs or take a taxi.

Little Paradise Airbnb

https://abnb.me/VLNijBBUjqb
Address: Hvar, 21450, Croatia

Category: Hvar

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