August 22 – Hvar, Croatia

Another pretty little Adriatic island; another pretty town.  This morning we are in Hvar.  It was an independent commune in the Venetian Empire.  The harbor was quite busy with many ferries and pleasure boats crisscrossing the harbor.  We also saw a five masted sailing ship pull in not long after we did.  We all decided it wasn’t quite as pretty as the Sea Cloud. 

The town had great walls similar to those in Dubrovnik.  However, when the constant danger of war was over the locals tore down the upper parts of the wall.  Now the walls are the spot for strolling and sitting at cafes and enjoying the views and sea breezes.

Our first stop was the 15th century Franciscan monastery...

where we saw a large painting of the Last Supper, believed to be by Bild Matteo Rosselli in the monastery.  

Adjacent to the dining room was a small museum with artifacts from the village and the harbor waters and in the gardens was a very unusually shaped cypress tree.  Usually cypress grow like a column.  This one looked very old and had large, sprawling limbs.

There was also a large citadel high on the hill overlooking the town and harbor. 

St. Stephen's square in Hvar is the largest town plaza on the Adriatic Coast at 4500 square meters (almost 49,000 square feet).  It ran from the harbor to the Cathedral of St. Stephen's at the other end. 

After the tour we wandered around the narrow streets of the town.  There were lots of shops and lots of stairs.  

We ended down on the waterfront where we found chairs at one of the outdoor cafés and settled in for refreshments and people watching.  

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More Hvar
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We were back on the ship in time for lunch and the ship hoisted anchor and we were on our way by mid-afternoon.  

Dinner tonight was outside on the Lido deck.  And we had a glorious sunset.  Best one so far on this trip.