Croatian Hvar and other islands

Statistics will hardly tell you anything about the Hvar island villages and the isolated places enlivened by the local people and tourists who wish to get closer to nature. While separation from the mainland can sometimes be a handicap, it also provides some protection from the factory chimneys and other misfortunes which come with civilisation. Instead, there are vast fields of lavender, ancient olive trees and vineyards, in immaculate harmony between man and nature. There are wine and olives, so a guest wishing to get closer to nature will stop at a small inn rather than a top quality restaurant. He will taste real home-made wine instead of some famous sparkling wine, he will sing the old island songs and forget the monotony of the everyday routine. Through the centuries and life's sufferings, an oasis of culture has remained here, a testimony to the identity, despite the many attempts, some temporarily successful, to destroy it.

Every guest is really The Guest here and his every wish is a command. Hard-working hosts are well aware of this. They will offer home-made bread and smoked ham or freshly picked mandarins or fish garnished with home-pressed olive oil. Without additives or preservatives but with that natural taste that you sense when you feel a togetherness with unspoiled nature during your visit to the island.

Hvar - overview

As all good stories, this one also has to start with introduction ..

HVAR
Long warm days, old stone homes, vineyards and fields of lavender. Welcome to life on Hvar. Croatia’s little island in the Adriatic is safe, affordable and, well, intoxicating.

Floating just off Croatia’s drop-dead gorgeous Dalmatian coast, Hvar is far different from the other islands; think olive trees, fields of lavender, vineyards and rocky shores. But what Hvar shares with the other islands may surprise you; with an average of nearly eight hours of sunshine per day and water temperatures that hover around 70 degrees for at least half the year, it has one of Europe’s best climates.

Settled, over the centuries, by Venetians, Greeks and Croats, Hvar has a long history of art and culture. The 16th-century Spanjola fortress and the 17th-century municipal theater dominate Hvar town. Here, locals gather in cafés around the cobblestone square and along the palmshaded waterfront each evening to sip prosek, a dessert wine, and dine on local favorites like octopus salad or muckalica (pork cutlets). Beyond the town are rugged mountains scented with lavender and rosemary. You can also take a water taxi to the nearby Pakleni archipelago, where secluded strands of white sand, hiking trails and pine groves await.

First Hvar post

Just to say hello world and to see how this looks like