Hvar - opulence VS rustic wonders

By the time we reached our third destination, our minds were made up that Croatia was a country of immeasurably beautiful landscapes. The second island we stopped at was Hvar (still not sure how to pronounce it), and it was, yet again, such a treasure. We arrived at the ferry port and drove towards our campsite. The set up was fantastic; there were orange orchids providing shade for the tents, which lay about 100m away from a gorgeous bay, where families were playing water-sports and enjoying the sunshine. Our location was about 20mins away from the city centre, which was just perfect! The local restaurant provided for a stunning sunset view as we watched the colours fade from purple-pink shades to a bright dark-blue.

A trek to the city centre was a must, and we had a very different experience from the rustic Dubrovnik. Here, the wealthy boathouse owners parked their sea-mansions and enjoyed their lunch on the deck whilst everyone envied their bikini bodies and their money flaunting lifestyles. It was a laugh, but also a very intriguing European Hollywood.

The sun was scorching hot and almost became unbearable, until we planted ourselves on some rocks and inhabited the water for quite some time. Now, reminiscing of it all, my heart throbs for the warmth as I sit under a blanket with thick socks and granny slippers on!

The highlight of the trip was making our way into a small village, where it almost seemed impossible that there would be any civilians. There were war-torn buildings and overgrown fields, which suddenly gave way to gorgeous, quaint houses and stone structures. We weaved our way through them until we found some hand painted signs directing us towards our restaurant, Konoba Dvor Dubokovic. Via a small alleyway, we came to our wooden-doored, stone-floored, open windowed, family restaurant where we were waited upon by the owner and his son. There was laughter, wine, overwhelming views of the countryside, and lets not forget the food!! The son of the owner came and made us all laugh as he told us wild stories of his adventures and his family’s history, including their move to New Zealand, which gave Tim a big head start on us all in terms of winning them over. We left with full tummies and happy hearts.

Next stop: Split.