Hvar
The Adriatic was calm as the Sea Cloud sailed into the sheltered harbor of Hvar and anchored off of the Pakleni Islands. When the Greeks first brought grapes and olives to the island, they settled in the nearby town of Stari Grad (Old Town), but the Venetians preferred Hvar Town’s location. We got an early start with a walking tour of this peaceful medieval town led by experienced guides Jo and Diana. The Franciscan Monastery was our first stop where we learned the history of its very unique mural of the Last Supper. Although the painting is unsigned, a panel of experts believe that it is the work of a Croatian painter who studied in Italy because of the very specific perspective of the scene. The monastery also has a small museum of paintings, sculptures and relics, as well as a lovely terrace in the shade of an ancient cypress tree with a panoramic view of the harbor. As we strolled along the Riva to the central square Jo explained how the peasants terraced the hills using the dry wall method (basically piling up stones on top of each other without any mortar) in order to catch the rainfall and retain what little soil there was left on the hills. This was necessary because most of the island’s Dalmatian oak trees had been cut down to provide wood for Venice’s shipbuilding. We saw the Arsenal where ships were repaired and on its second floor what is perhaps the oldest public theater in Europe. We then wandered past the numerous cafes on the plaza to cross over to the “noble” side of the town “Grod” to admire some of the restored palatial homes. We ended our walking tour in the Cathedral of St. Stephen with its seven marble altars and elaborate choir boxes carved from carob wood.
The next dilemma was how to spend our remaining free time. Hvar, of course, has a large number of shops with unique jewelry and clothing, as well as essential oils of lavender and rosemary, a mainstay of the local economy. The Benedictine nuns make from the local agave exquisite lace that is now under UNESCO protection. There is also a bustling farmers market where Grace and Sharon stopped off to see their friend Ivo at his delicatessen and have a sample of Pošip, the local white wine, with his homemade venison sausage. Some of the passengers decided to climb up the hill to the fortress for the panoramic views of the town, the islands and the many boats in the harbor. Others preferred to get up close and personal with the sea and swim in its buoyant waters (I like to think of it as swimming in champagne). Before we knew it, it was time to take the last tender back to the Sea Cloud for lunch.
After lunch the Sea Cloud was under sail as Gil Grosvenor presented “Geography Education in America” which brought home to all of us the importance of teaching geography in K-12. Pastry chef Marco prepared delicate crepes for afternoon tea to take the sting out of having to pack for disembarkation tomorrow.
By 6:30 we were all more than ready for the Captain’s Farewell Cocktail Party. The champagne flowed freely accompanied by caviar shots as we exchanged our favorite memories of this journey along the Dalmatian Coast.
