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“Our next stop is Hvar Town, which our guide book describes as St. Moritz with surf instead of snow.” |
The next morning we had breakfast at our hotel. Only after we had eaten from the buffet did we learn that we could have gotten freshly prepared eggs.
We call a cab to transport us down to the harbor with all our luggage, but have to wait ~20 minutes for one to arrive. We find Skarda easily and board at noon. Ted and Julie are already on board. I know Ted from our excite@home days. They live in London now. Trish and her sister, Julie, join us about a half hour later. Trish is a friend from ebay.
The three other NY couples that were supposed to be joining my group of 7 have cancelled and instead we are joined by a Croatian/American couple (Vinci and Lydja) from Queen’s, who’s daughter won the trip in NY, and Marinko, the boat’s owner’s, twenty-something year old niece Tanja and her friend Tatiana, also Croatian/Americans from Queens. Each of the single women – Trish, Julie, mom, Kim and I - get our own private cabins with bath and air. The boat has a crew of six – Captain Ricky, the engineer, the cook, our waiter, Mick and Yulbo.
Our first meal on board is a lite lunch of salami, cheeses, and fresh tomatoes. The eleven of us dine around a big round table on the top deck with a lazy susan. We will eat all our meals here, unless it is too windy.
We stop in a quiet cove on the island of Hvar for a swim. The water is very cool, salty and deep. At first mom isn’t sure if she wants to swim where she can’t touch, but she does it.
Our next stop is Hvar Town, which our guide book describes as St. Moritz with surf instead of snow. Here amid wild lavender (for which the island is famous) palaces and churches financed by rich Venetian merchants scatter the hillside. Lined with cafes, restaurants and clubs, the Riva is the central thoroughfare, leading from the busy little harbor to the 16th century St. Stephen’s Cathedral which dominates the town. We wander along the waterfront and stop at a trendy café for trendy frozen drinks before dinner. The girls climb up to the 16th century Fortress, once a medieval castle, above the city for excellent views.
Dinner aboard Skarda is fresh whole fish, potatoes and salad. Everything is simply prepared and simply yummy.
After dinner we head out and explore the alleys beyond the water front filled with restaurants and shops. We stop for a drink at a café in St. Stephen’s Square with Trish and Julie and then separate as Kim is in search of someplace to dance and meet people. We end up being nearly the only patrons at a wine bar and our gracious host recommends a great white and an even better red, Grand Cru Zlatan Plavac 2005. Carpe Diem is the hoping night spot, but there is a long line of scantily clad young things waiting to get in. From the deck of Skarda, we can hear music from an extraordinarily bad piano bar, the thumping music from the club and watch the human traffic on the Riva.
previous travel blog entry
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