Happy Birthday in Hvar

01.10.2007 25 °C

Hvar, (pronounced Ha whar), is just one of many Dalmatian islands that dot the Croatian coastline and the first thing we noticed was the tremendous welcome we were given by the locals as we stepped off the ferry. We soon realised that the welcoming committee was made up entirely of landladies hoping to snare us into their B&Bs or self-catering apartments. It is the very end of September and tourists are scarce. But the weather is still warm and sunny, the soft sand beaches are deserted and the sea is still balmy.

Getting around Hvar at this time of the year can be a little tricky so we hired a car - a funny car with squealing wheel bearings and bad brakes...!

The roads were twisty and narrow, but this tunnel was barely wide enough for our mini car...

The views of the island were enchanting

And we discovered some picturesque little harbours

To venture further afield we took a tour boat to neighbouring islands to visit castles and to explore blue grottoes that have been carved into the cliffs over millennia...

And then we returned to Hvar for a very special birthday dinner of freshly caught fish under a starry sky.

No one was more surprised than Sheila when the waiter announced to the entire restaurant amid the orange
trees that it was her birthday and patrons from many different countries all sang, "Happy Birthday."
A moment on Hvar that Sheila will never forget...