Hvar, Croatia
We anchored in the port of Hvar Town early this morning and the early risers enjoyed coffee and pastries on deck while viewing the medieval town in the morning light. After the Panorama's Zodiacs shuttled us to shore, we began our walking tour in the Franciscan monastery. The highlight here was the painting of the Last Supper – a magnificent oil by an unknown artist. Local lore has it that he was a sailor who had fallen ill and was abandoned on the island. The monks took him in and nursed him back to health. Out of gratitude he painted this beautiful masterpiece that hangs in the dining hall of the monastery. Then we walked along the Riva (harbor) to the town square as our guides Jana and Jo gave us an overview of the history of this island which was part of the vast Venetian Empire. One of the features of the town is the Benedictine convent where the nuns make lace out of the local agave fiber. The designs are exquisite and highly prized – so much so that they are now under the protection of UNESCO. We ended our tour at the cathedral of Sveti Stefan, an impressive structure with multiple altars of multi-colored marble from different areas of the Mediterranean.
The rest of the morning was free time to wander through the small streets, visit the farmers market, explore small shops or just sit in a cafe on the square to people watch. Some of the more energetic passengers hiked up the steps to the citadel for spectacular views of the harbor. The cactus (prickly pear and barrel) were in bloom along with native wildflowers. Hvar is known for the quality of its lavender which in addition to its beautiful scent has medicinal properties. The locals massage it in their temples to cure headaches and sprinkle a few drops on their pillows to ensure a good night's sleep and peaceful dreams. Lavender oil is also extremely beneficial for the skin and is a popular remedy for burns.
After lunch, the Panorama anchored off a secluded cove at the island of Vis which opened to the public in 1996. Vis was the headquarters of Tito's partisans during WWII and “Tito's Cave” where he hid from the Nazis is now a museum. The afternoon was sunny and calm, so swimming and kayaking were next on the agenda. The water is warming up and the high concentration of salt makes the water very buoyant so once you've recovered from the initial briskness of entry the temperature was refreshing and ideal for swimming and diving off the ship railing.
Grace Fielder gave the first lecture of the trip “The Myth of Maps” up in the lounge followed by appetizers and cocktails. Then our local guide Gorjana gave us a brief introduction to Croatia and we had time before dinner to get better acquainted with our shipmates. Dinner was “sit-down” with a choice of Greek stifado (a beef stew), local fish or a vegetarian plate. Mr. Nikos, the hotel manager, visited every table to make sure we had all that we needed or desired (and then some). The evening ended with a movie “Tito and Me”, a sweet, nostalgic comedy set in the Yugoslavia of the 1950's that provides insight into the popularity of the charismatic Tito and some much appreciated laughter.
