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| Looking down on Hvar Town |
Out on the 10:10 bus for the 16km across the peninsula. Five minutes later and stopped for half an hour to wait for the ferry and more passengers. A quick trip across the peninsula and into Hvar Town. Dropped off our bags, found the catamaran to Korcula Town is indeed running (info in Stari Grad knew nothing about it) so we have until 5pm to see Hvar Town. It’s pathetic how poor tourist info is here. Nobody knows what is open or running, assuming of course the info place is open, which is rare at the moment.
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| Dear wee church above Hvar |
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| Going through the North Gate |
We spent the day wandering about, starting with a walk up to a little church overlooking the port, then across to the big Venetian-adapted fortress above the town where we had a picnic lunch. These Croatian towns are ancient, and really pretty mediaeval. They mostly have a town wall built at some stage and destroyed and rebuilt many times over the years. The port-based ones have squares running up from the early harbours, and are very attractive. Being as early in the season as we are, they have been quite quiet, though in Hvar the cafes were doing a good trade. They must be frenetic in full season.
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| Locals grilling fish for lunch |
After lunch we walked the opposite direction to a monastery and the old cemetery before recovering our bags from the ferry ticket agency, and waiting for the Krilojet ferry for Korcula. An interesting ride down between Hvar and Korcula Islands. Hvar is very fertile where the land is clear or level enough for soil. From the ferry we could see huge paddocks running up from the shore to the foot of the bare steep slopes along the ridgeline. We couldn’t tell if they were used for wine or veges, perhaps a combination.
A dead-flat ride into Korcula, where again there were accommodation people waiting for business, this time a taxi-driver who rents out two studio rooms in his ancient house inside the gorgeous walled centre of Korcula. He said his house was 650 years old, though that predates any of the buildings here according to all the guide books! All the same it was clearly very old, with a lovely internal courtyard and even a garden.
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| Horticulture on vertical land |
Had our first pizza of the trip for dinner, rather nice. I’ve got a sore clogged-up chest at the moment which is uncomfortable and annoying. Again we needed all our layers including down vests as it is cool and breezy. Had a good chat to Alastair in the evening over Skype.
