The Island of Hvar
This morning we anchored in front of the lovely town of Hvar situated on the island with the same name. The island is one of the most beautiful along the Croatian coast and it belongs to the group of central Dalmatian islands. After arriving ashore we were welcomed by two local guides, Jana and Josipa. Stepping ashore one could enjoy the air that island of Hvar is so famous for. So called “Adriatic Madeira” has the longest insolation on the Adriatic with 2715 sunny hours per year. This supports the growth of rich vegetation such as palm trees, laurel, agaves, pines, rosemary and lavender. The harbor of Hvar is just lovely, guarded by the fort situated above the city on a hill. The walls that once surrounded the town are still visible, giving the town a special medieval charm.
We followed the guides to the Franciscan monastery of our Lady of Grace and they introduced us to their hometown under the shade of pines. The entire island is full of traces of ancient cultures and testifies about the cultures that were present here: Illyrian, Greek, Roman and Croatian. The monastery dates back to the 15th century and we stopped in the beautiful cloister with the cistern to hear the legendary story about the attack of the Turks on the monastery, when people found shelter inside the bell tower. Many artists participated in building the tower, but the most significant name is Marko Andrijic, famous stonemason from the island of Korcula.
The guide took us inside to see the museum collection that includes items from different periods, but the most monumental was the painting of The Last Supper by Matej Ponzoni. We also went to the garden in the back, where Josipa showed us a two hundred year-old cypress tree with the most unusual shape, growing horizontally instead vertically as they usually do. This amazing tree was hit by lightning, splitting it in half and it’s been spreading horizontally ever since.
We continued our walk along a beautiful promenade with stands selling lavender oil and dried lavender together with other products such as olive oil, honey and all kinds of herbs. The island is famous for its high quality lavender that grows in the fields, spreading out over 10 hectares. Unfortunately, that is just a small part of the field saved from the recent fire that swallowed the rest of the lavender.
The morning atmosphere on the main square was delightful. We stopped by the famous Arsenal where a war galley was once situated and, even more important, where the first community theater was opened in Hvar in 1612. We then walked along the main square and turned on to one of the lovely side streets. One of the streets led us to the front of the Benedictine convent where nuns were making incredible agave lace. As we walked along what used to be the main street we enjoyed the beautiful architecture: old gothic palaces of patrician Hvar families. The local guide, Josipa, said goodbye in front of the cathedral of St. Stephen the Pope, the symbol of Hvar, built by local masters and architects and everyone went to explore the labyrinth of streets of this charming town. Returning to Panorama we said goodbye to this magical place, still felling the lavender smell in the air.
After lunch time and sailing for one hour, Panorama anchored in a very picturesque bay for a swim stop. The water was wonderful and we spent some of the calories from lunch and enjoyed the lazy afternoon.
Late afternoon was followed by my introduction to Croatia and wonderful recaps. Grace Fielder, National Geographic expert, told the story about Yugoslavia, and Sharon Grainger, Naturalist, spoke about the magical plant….lavender.
This morning we anchored in front of the lovely town of Hvar situated on the island with the same name. The island is one of the most beautiful along the Croatian coast and it belongs to the group of central Dalmatian islands. After arriving ashore we were welcomed by two local guides, Jana and Josipa. Stepping ashore one could enjoy the air that island of Hvar is so famous for. So called “Adriatic Madeira” has the longest insolation on the Adriatic with 2715 sunny hours per year. This supports the growth of rich vegetation such as palm trees, laurel, agaves, pines, rosemary and lavender. The harbor of Hvar is just lovely, guarded by the fort situated above the city on a hill. The walls that once surrounded the town are still visible, giving the town a special medieval charm.
We followed the guides to the Franciscan monastery of our Lady of Grace and they introduced us to their hometown under the shade of pines. The entire island is full of traces of ancient cultures and testifies about the cultures that were present here: Illyrian, Greek, Roman and Croatian. The monastery dates back to the 15th century and we stopped in the beautiful cloister with the cistern to hear the legendary story about the attack of the Turks on the monastery, when people found shelter inside the bell tower. Many artists participated in building the tower, but the most significant name is Marko Andrijic, famous stonemason from the island of Korcula.
The guide took us inside to see the museum collection that includes items from different periods, but the most monumental was the painting of The Last Supper by Matej Ponzoni. We also went to the garden in the back, where Josipa showed us a two hundred year-old cypress tree with the most unusual shape, growing horizontally instead vertically as they usually do. This amazing tree was hit by lightning, splitting it in half and it’s been spreading horizontally ever since.
We continued our walk along a beautiful promenade with stands selling lavender oil and dried lavender together with other products such as olive oil, honey and all kinds of herbs. The island is famous for its high quality lavender that grows in the fields, spreading out over 10 hectares. Unfortunately, that is just a small part of the field saved from the recent fire that swallowed the rest of the lavender.
The morning atmosphere on the main square was delightful. We stopped by the famous Arsenal where a war galley was once situated and, even more important, where the first community theater was opened in Hvar in 1612. We then walked along the main square and turned on to one of the lovely side streets. One of the streets led us to the front of the Benedictine convent where nuns were making incredible agave lace. As we walked along what used to be the main street we enjoyed the beautiful architecture: old gothic palaces of patrician Hvar families. The local guide, Josipa, said goodbye in front of the cathedral of St. Stephen the Pope, the symbol of Hvar, built by local masters and architects and everyone went to explore the labyrinth of streets of this charming town. Returning to Panorama we said goodbye to this magical place, still felling the lavender smell in the air.
After lunch time and sailing for one hour, Panorama anchored in a very picturesque bay for a swim stop. The water was wonderful and we spent some of the calories from lunch and enjoyed the lazy afternoon.
Late afternoon was followed by my introduction to Croatia and wonderful recaps. Grace Fielder, National Geographic expert, told the story about Yugoslavia, and Sharon Grainger, Naturalist, spoke about the magical plant….lavender.
