Croatia
Trip Start
Sep 01, 2005
1
9
72
Trip End
Ongoing
Hvar,
Croatia
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
"Yes, we want an apartment."
"I have one with private kitchen, bathroom and big bed. Do you want to see? 5 minutes from center, 100m from the sea."
"How much?"
"70 kuna each." At 6 kuna to the dollar...
Beach
"and if we stay a couple off nights?""OK, 60 kuna each, but don't tell anyone, OK?"
The apartment was nice. On top of a hill with a view of the sea, a patio, kitchen, bed room, everything that she had said. It seemed like a great deal so we took her up on it. As soon as we dropped our bags I was unpacking looking for my swimming suit and goggles. It had been another long night of travel and after catching glimpses of the sea from the minibus, I needed to go swimming. We walked down the street, took a left at a small rock quarry and followed a rocky trail along the ridge of the hill. The sea wasn't 100 meters away, but it was close enough. Looking down the hill, beyond a small wooded area, we could see the Adriatic.
It shimmered an aquamarine blue, and looking through the depths you could see the white pebbles that make up the underwater floor. At one end of the small bay that we were looking on was a beach of different sized pebbles and stones. At the open end of the bay was a small rock island with a lighthouse. Stretching up the coastline, great marble boulders making up a rocky shore. Shaded by conifer and cedar trees we made our way down the hill. The air smelled of rosemary and lavender, which grows wild in the area.
We chose a cluster of rocks to sit on and dove in
harbor
. The water was cold and refreshing. After a minute of treading water for a minute I was not only comfortable, I was being healed. The two long trips, the tourist traps and the mold were being washed away as we swam with schools of minoes. After an hour of sitting in the sun and listening to the sea meet the rocks we returned to the apartment, took showers and headed towards the center.If people had not been working, children going to school and cats darting between legs and under bushes, I would have thought the place to be unreal. We were astounded be how beautiful and serene everything appeared. Hvar town is built amongst the hills on the coast. Narrow walkways of white marble lead through corridors between stone houses and gardens. Fig trees, grape vines and flowering bougainvillea vines make natural canopies shading the marble paths. A long boardwalk skirts the shore and leads towards a small harbor in Hvar center. Small sailboats dock near a white marble plaza, which is flanked by restaurant patios and leads to a church. Above the town is a 13th century castle built to protect the town from invasion.
Walking along the periphery of the main plaza, dried fig samples tempted us into a small shop specializing in local cheeses, wines and cured meats. The proprietor was a large man with a graying chinstrap beard and a deep echoing laugh. We talked about living and working, travel abroad and travel in the States
harbor2
. He gave us samples of his goods and we couldn't resist buying some of the delicacies: salt cured sausages, white sheep's cheese, dried figs and a bottle of red wine, all made on the island. Leaving the store he smiles widely "you know, this really is a paradise island," and I had the suspicion that he was right.At dusk, after another swim with our two new neighbors Paul and Annie, we watched the sunset and made dinner. Gnocchi with a white gorgonzola cream sauce, salad with greens, walnuts, figs, pear, carrots, tomatoes and sheep's cheese, bread warmed in the oven and red wine. Sitting on the patio later we finished the wine and drew a calendar to calculate the number of days that we could stay.
The next day we woke late. It is funny, each time that we board on an overnight trip, I start looking forward to sleeping the next night. In my opinion, we could not have awaken in a better place. We made tea, ate a pear and some figs, then repeated the day before. A brisk swim in the midmorning followed by a lunch of crepes with cheese with jam and nutella with bananas. Walks and naps in the afternoon followed by an evening swim. Walking along the shore we saw our delicacy friend lying on a rock, resting his forearm on his eyes shielding the sun. He closed his shop between 2 and 4 so that he could go to the sea, and in a couple of weeks he would close for the season
sunset
."what a good life," I said as we approached.
He looked up and said "oh, my friends. I was just contemplating. Yes, how great life is for those who are not greedy with work."
That night we made a large dinner and invited our neighbors. Paul from Toronto, Annie from Seattle, and Josh from Portland. The menu was the same and our guests brought wine, music and chocolate. It was fun to sit around the table telling stories and listening to ideas. It seems that there is often a common mentality among people with backpacks. Though people hit the road with different ideas and for different reasons, most often they are friendly and open. We have both met many good people from all over the world, and email makes it simple to stay in touch.
Two days grew into three, then four, but we had to limit our stay to five days if we still wanted to see the Black Sea and Turkey before our date in Cairo. There are several islands along the Dalmatian cost and we had envisioned visiting several on the way to Dubrovnik, but in Hvar we found nothing but beauty and ease.
Young boys playing soccer in the streets grew into old men throwing bocce balls as the sun set. Gardens were lush and patios were shaded by flowering vines. Sweet mandarins were fresh for the picking and the air smelled of wild herbs. Warm sunny days and cool starry nights. The golden glow of street lamps laced with marble stairs and streets. It was as if a piece of wedding cake had gently fallen from the sky and came to rest in the Adriatic.
When we left we doubted that the grass would get much greener. I suppose that we just wanted to see the other side.
