Hvar, Hvar – Hoorah, Hoorah

Croatia Stage 5 – Thu 21st May 2015 – Jelsa to Hvar Town, Hvar Island (33 Km)

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It had to happen! It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is … definitely not snoring! I had to keep my wits about me today, with constant drizzle for the whole 30 Km from pretty Jelsa to pretty Hvar Town. But the show must go on! At least it wasn’t cold rain so I didn’t even bother donning the wet weather gear. It just made the hot shower so much better when I arrived at the lovely Hotel Croatia.

I was so thankful today for:

• My fantastic Ortlieb roll-top panniers, which have proven themselves to be 100% waterproof. Thanks Judy for your recommendation.
• My trusty Garmin GPS which works fine in the wet.
• My new Schwable Marathon Plus tyres which still have good tread and are puncture proof.
• My Cannondale Touring bike which holds the road well in all conditions, even with heavily laden panniers on a wet road.

Rain or no rain it was still an enjoyable ride and I saw at least 200 other riders, which proves I am not the only mad cyclist around. Funny thing, they all had smiles on their faces, probably because they were going down the mountain. I was going up! And what a mountain it was … you can probably see it in the background of some of the photos. Just as well I had another big bowl of pasta last night, then a great ham and cheese omelette this morning at the same Italian restaurant. Energy was not a problem as I powered my way to the top, before descending skilfully down the wet mountain like a Richie Porte or Cadel Evans. The solid looking railings provided some comfort, because without them I would be still falling now if I lost concentration and over-shot one of the bends.

Because of the rain my Panasonic Lumix stayed dry in one of the Ortliebs for most of the journey. However, I did manage a few photo opportunities. The scenery today was so delightful particularly the first few Km after leaving Jelsa, riding through lovely vineyards and market gardens and with red poppies (my favourite flowers) decorating the roadside.

Oh Alex and Ruth, I have to tell you I went through a town that has more than one vowel … Runje. On this subject check out this linguistic humour from my good friend Alex.

The centar of Hvar Town is a pleasant 15 minute stroll around the seaside promenade. Hvar Town, the island’s capital, is all about swanky hotels, elegant restaurants, trendy bars and clubs and posh yachts, so naturally is one of the most popular tourist destinations. There is no shortage of stone in Croatia, so all the buildings are stone and the streets and laneways are beautifully paved. Hvar is such a small, easily manageable town that it doesn’t even use street names.

For dinner tonight I chose one of many restaurants along the seaside promenade, attracted by the blackboard special featuring Wild Boar Stew in a rich hunter sauce accompanied by home-made gnocchi. Good choice, it was every bit as good as I had in Florence last year! For dessert I took the waiter’s suggestion to try a traditional 200 year old Dalmatian recipe called Rožata, which was a bit like our crème caramel only better. It was very pleasant sitting looking out the window at the boats bobbing up and down on the choppy harbour and people strolling by.

So Hvar Town was altogether an enjoyable experience, although I must say I prefer the less touristy Jelsa with its village atmosphere.

Tomorrow morning I have a 20 Km ride back over that mountain to Stari Grad (near Jelsa) where I catch the ferry to Split. Let’s hope it is not raining.