On the last morning of our cruise we anchored in front of one of the most beautiful Croatian islands of all Croatia: Hvar. Hvar is known as the sunniest island of the Croatian coast, with an average of 280 sunny days per year, and this is how this island welcomed us, with sun and the nice fragrance of lavender.
Lavender is the product number 1 on Hvar. Kiosks around the town were full of lavender products like essential oils, soaps, small bags with dried lavender, and creams. Hvar is also rich in historical heritage, so we began with a walk that took us to most interesting parts of the old city: the Franciscan monastery, the Old Theatre of Hvar—one of the oldest in Europe—the cathedral and the Benedictine monastery. There was also time for shopping, swimming or just sitting in one of the famous cafes of Hvar and “people watching.”
The last tender left the port of Hvar at 1:00 p.m. for lunch on board. After lunch we had the final sailing of the voyage, starting with almost no wind. But with clear and sunny skies we got an afternoon sea breeze as the land heated up faster than the Adriatic, and the winds finally filled the sails for an excellent southerly sail in the late afternoon. After taking in the sails in very nice afternoon light, we got a chance to sample the different olive oils from all the places on this trip, before the Captain's farewell cocktail party and farewell dinner. It was a perfect ending of this beautiful voyage.
