Day 91: September 19, 2016 (Hvar, Croatia)

We needed to spend 10-days in Croatia to not overstay our time in the Schengen area (read Daniel’s story about that here).  We rented a long-term AirBnB in Split and now we are heading for an overnight trip to Hvar, a nearby island.  

It felt a little like “home,” leaving all of our things unpacked in one place to go stay at another.  We haven’t had this feeling in months. Hopping onto a Jadrolinija catamaran, we grabbed a seat on the top deck and rode just over an hour to the island. When I hear catamaran, I think of an open-air wind-in-your-face boat where you can see passing islands and feel the salt in your hair. Not this one.  We were crowded in the middle of the boat without any view to speak of.

Once we arrived, the walk to our AirBnB was straight uphill, alongside several other backpackers that would veer off at various points.  We met our sweet and energetic young host that answered every question we didn’t have about Hvar before we took off exploring for the day. The weather was perfect.

I was so charmed by the area that I wanted to walk up and down every street, alleyway, and staircase all afternoon.  Everywhere we walked, we spotted enormous fruit trees growing onto the sidewalk from people’s homes, everything from pomegranates to kiwis, and black olives to figs. Figs are my absolute favorite and I was a little sad to see that they weren’t yet ripe for picking.

In reading some blogs about the city, I learned about a local brewery with delicious beer and a friendly atmosphere that we couldn’t miss.  We must have been thirsty because we showed up before they opened at 2pm, but in Hvar, there is a beach nearly everywhere you look, so we had no problem finding a spot to pass the time. The beach was rocky and proved hard to get into the water with the seaweed-covered rocks that made a slippery entry.  No problem though, a concrete path led out to a spot you could hop right in!  We quickly jumped in and swam around, wandering about with the one pair of goggles we brought along.  People were laying out on the rocks as if they comfortably did this every day.  It’s not quite the comfort I know of a sandy beach, but perhaps all you need is a warm day and water.

We spent the afternoon at Vunetovo Brewery, the only brewery on the island, and had a perfect afternoon enjoying the shade of the tree-house terrace that sat on top of olive and orange trees while sipping Saison (my favorite!) and chatting with Anna, the brewmaster and owner.  We learned about her operation, the beer culture in Croatia, and shared some of our stories of Charlotte brewing and beer styles. Daniel is partial to IPAs, which is a style that Europe, and particularly Croatia, apparently haven’t quite adopted yet. She brewed a lot of lighter or Belgian-style beers, which were much more preferred by the the local palate.  The love Anna put into her beers and her excitement for brewing was so evident that it made the beer taste that much better!  

With this being our only night on the island, we walked to the Hvar Fortress, one of the higher points in the city, for an evening view of Hvar.  The view of the city at night was spectacular, especially the main square clock tower and the lights of the boats surrounding the island. We snapped some photos, and enjoyed the view until the bugs got the better of us.

Our walk back into town followed a steep path of narrow roads and worn-in stone steps, lined with stone buildings decorated with flower boxes, colorful shutters and dim lights.  Eventually, we entered the tourist area where the restaurant representatives shoved menus in our face every other stride to get us into their establishment. We purposefully don’t go to those places.  We decided instead on a restaurant suggested by Anna, our new brewery friend, called Alviz.  As we walked in, we were seated on the outdoor patio, where we enjoyed the ring of conversations in all different languages, including the occasional raucous from big boat crews that would wander in after their day’s work.

The meal started with a heavy pour of their house red, a Croatian blend, followed by a few dishes to share, including a homemade black gnocchi in a mushroom and shrimp sauce that was unforgettable.  The gnocchi was made with cuddlefish ink, so the black color of the dumpling was a beautiful contrast to the creamy white sauce, and my was it delicious.  After the first bite, I told Daniel that it was one of my favorite dishes of our trip, easily surpassing our Italian indulgences. We have an ongoing superlative list and this dish is still in our Top 5.

After dinner, we wanted to explore the city a bit more, so we walked around until we found a little dessert shop where we grabbed something to go and took a seat at the square, watching the night pass by.