The mosaics of Vela Luka

From Hvar town on Hvar island (must get confusing) we motored to Vela Luka on Korcula island for the night. In 1968 the town invited artists from around the world to contribute mosaics and now a delightful path of street art wends past cafes and storefronts. There's even a pickleball one! (Art is open to interpretation.)

Steep climbs and steep fines

The Romantica motored away leaving us to climb to the spine of the island to get to the next port (and lunch) in the town of Hvar. I'm not sure why a llama greeted me in the restroom at the cafe at the summit unless it was a reference to our Machu Picchu steep climb. As we rolled into town, a sign "briefed" us about the steep fines for wearing underwear.

Four stars for Stari Grad

The port of Stari Grad charmed us with its twisting alleys and quieter ambiance. On a walk through town we learned that the wider stones down the middle show you the way to the sea. One smaller path led us to a tiny shop full of local fig products. I found fig pralines and fig schnapps. On a visit to the fortified villa of the poet Hektorović, right in the middle of town, we saw the fish pond he built within his estate so he could always get fresh fish from the sea — a tunnel connects it. He inscribed his philosophy of life in Latin phrases around the villa including this one: "Alas, the days flow like waves and do not return."

Local hero

After seeing all the colorful bike jerseys, I regretted not bringing one for safety on the roads. I stopped at a local souvenir stand and found a Croatian soccer jersey figuring the local drivers would cut me some slack. The back had the name Modric who is a superhero here. As soon as I put on the jersey, the crew and locals all shouted Modric and cheered. One crew member told me I might get kisses and hugs as well. Apparently Modric shot the winning goal against Germany one year. I hope there are no German drivers on the road…

Hvar island

Before breakfast ended, we arrived at Stari Grad port on the island of Hvar. Excitedly we adjusted our bikes for our first ride, a loop through the hill towns and fields of lavender and olives. Stone walls, all built by hand and some done by Greeks 2500 years ago, provide terraces for holding in the soil on the steep hillsides and protecting the crops from wind. The lavender had already been harvested this year but we could smell the lavender products sold in enterprising purple roadside stands. One clever seller at the top of the mountain even offered us lavender bike jerseys.

Welcome aboard the Romantica

Six Aussies, four Austrians, six Americans, a Brit, and a Finn walk onto a boat…there's a joke in there somewhere. I'll think of it schooner or later. Our enthusiastic international group and Croatian crew enjoyed a welcome dinner of octopus salad, tuna steak, and blackberry panna cotta after we sailed to our first port of Milna on the west side of Brac island. Based on the first spread, we don't plan to miss a single meal. It's a good strategy of the crew to get us back to the ship on time!

From Brac to the dock

When we first visited Croatia seven years ago, we saw a group unloading bicycles off a boat and riding to the next town. Arlo & I shot glances at each other and knew that we would do that some day. That day is today! We start our bike & boat trip around the Croatian islands. Ric and family dropped us at a Trogir gelateria, waved goodbye, and headed north. We will miss the family and our thumb wrestling matches. Even though my thumbs are four time longer, the girls can get me every time! Thanks for the wonderful trip together, Ric & family. We salute you!

Seas the day

With thousands of miles of coastline on mainland Croatia, not to mention over 1,000 islands, sea shore is easy to come by. Croatians have managed to keep it public access just about everywhere. They embrace it with showers, changing "rooms," stair steps into the water, beach bars, and promenades. At every turn we find another perfect spot for our daily vitamin sea.

Cakewalk

Though we can recommend Croatia for its sun and sea, the bakeries donut stack up. Considering its proximity to Italy and Austria, Croatia should enjoy some pastry influence from its neighbors. Alas, aside from Cafe Karma's apricot croissants, my strudel-tootles around town have been fruitless. At dinner in the harbor one evening I eyed the setup of little stands on a jetty. While the others headed for gelato, I found myself in a local bake sale of just desserts. A cakewalk! The homemade wonders put the bakeries to shame. I had my fig cake (surprise!), and ate it too. Arlo got a slice of the traditional Dol walnut cake that tasted similar to a pecan pie.

Food of the gods

Traveling in August means bigger crowds and higher prices but it also means we're here in fig season. Nearly every backyard on this island has a tree or two of figs, limes, and olives, with a grape arbor thrown in to shade a driveway or porch. After asking a bit about the local figs, our apartment owner surprised me with a plate full. During our last trip to Croatia we discovered fig gelato and now every shop presents another chance to find it again. It's a rather exhausting pursuit because four gelato shops might occupy one block. Challenge accepted. Finally, at Gelateria Emiliana, a scoop of ricotta fig melted my heart.

When we were eight

We celebrated Emilia's 8th birthday today by all playing like 8 year olds. After cake for breakfast, we had water fights in the pool until we left for the aquapark in the sea. The floating obstacle course with a slide, rope ladder, monkey bars, and a launching pad reminded me of a Survivor challenge. (I had to hush the adult voice inside me warning of rope burns and blown-out knees.) A young boy crawled out to the foot of the floating "bed" and Arlo climbed up above the "pillow" then jumped down onto the bed to launch the boy eight feet into the air. The boy's airborne twists and turns made him look like an Olympic high diver. Of course we all had to try it after that. A storm across the way added dramatic lightning, thunder, waves, and wind that turned the course into a bouncing slip-and-slide. Burgers and two gelatos later, we stargazed from an olive orchard.

Path to Hercules

A sign in the tiny town of Splitska got me curious, so in the early morning we followed the trail marked "Hercules." A path up the hill past wild pomegranate trees led us to an old Roman stone quarry where much of the limestone to build Diocletian's Palace was extracted in 300 AD. Finding Hercules proved to be a bit of a hunt. According to legend, the slaves who cut the stone secretly carved Hercules to protect them so they put him in an out of the way spot. Now you'll have to hunt for his outline in my photos. Hint: The sign shows the shape you need to "figure" out. Hey, it's 1700 years old and exposed to the elements. It's a statue of limitations…

Good karma

Our morning routine starts with a half-hour walk to the town of Postira with a lovely waterfront, cafes, a fruit market, and working fishing port. Last month a new hotel ruined the quiet town and, according to our apartment owner, is a money-laundering operation for the former director of the Croatian Secret Service. When we saw the hotel from the ferry ride, we wondered why there was a cruise ship in the tiny village. Perhaps it was built to "blend in" that way? We walk past and head to Cafe Karma where a warm apricot croissant and a cold iced coffee await. Croatian grannies do bootcamp on the beach across from us and I'm working up to an invitation to join them.