The morning of the first day of our expedition we sat on the spanker deck to learn about square-rigged sailing while enjoying the view of Vis, one of the most remote islands on the Dalmatian Coast as the sailors set sails towards the island of Hvar.
In the early afternoon after an informative lecture about the basics of photography given by our photo instructor Jose Calvo, we reached Hvar—the island of lavender. The Zodiacs left us at the lively waterfront promenade where our guides introduced us to the history of this former Greek colony and Venetian province. We were surprised to find out about the rich past of this little island and see the oldest theatre in Europe. The art and tradition of making lace out of the threads of agave leaves, which is still kept alive by the nuns of the Benedictine Monastery was one of the most fascinating things we learned about this medieval city of Hvar. Some of us took the opportunity to climb the 16th-century fortress overlooking the vivid harbor and the scattered Pakleni Islands while others were enjoying their free time swimming in the crystal clear water or having refreshing drinks while watching people going by at the town’s main square Pljaca.
Back on board with champagne in our hands and looking at the sun coming down over the sunniest island in Europe (an average of 2,715 hours of sun per year) our Captain introduced the officers of the Sea Cloud, and after dinner we continued our expedition towards Korcula—the home of one of the most famous European explorer: Marco Polo.
