Day 12. Sunday 12 April.

A quiet day, starting with a recon of a route from the apartment to the ferry wharf that has no – or minimal – steps (D’s planning for our departure). Successful!

Along the way we noticed shrines marking the stations of the cross with bronze depictions. They are not, as far as we know, part of the Za Krizen, or “Behind the Cross” procession, an annual procession over 500 years old starting at 2200 on Maundy Thursday, with six simultaneous processions led by barefoot crossbearers leaving from Jelsa, Pitve, Vrisnik, Svirce, Vrbanj and Vrboska. The crossbearer, carrying the traditional cross of the village (weighing 10-18 kg), is followed by his acolytes with their torches and hundreds of pilgrims. Chanting through the night and stopping at churches in the other five villages through the night over a distance of 22km, they eventually return to their starting point around 0700 on Good Friday, running the last few metres before returning the cross to the awaiting priest. Something else we missed. Just a thought for something different at WVUC next year?

Arriving at the town centre the cafes were busy with Sunday diners & loungers.

Our first stop was the Hvar theatre (claimed to be Europe’s oldest theatre -1612?) a beautiful space: but sadly, we’ll be gone when the next show takes place. We were the first visitors for the day – at about 1100. The young woman at the ticket counter was delightful. She is studying Sports Management at university in Split & wants to be sports journalist. T asked lots of questions  – she googled answers to ones not known while we donned headsets for a virtual show about the history of the island.

Then it was coffee time and a walk along the waterfront, checking out potential swimming spots for the coming week, with forecasts of a few days at 20 degrees! There’s no way we’d be swimming without wetsuits back home at only 20.  There’s an intriguing warning sign about ‘don’ts’ in Hvar, including don’t wear your swimmers in town, and a local passerby commented that it’s just to scare people & this is not actually enforced. And there are ATMs everywhere, some in very unusual spots.

D’s eyes caught sight of a little, green-striped lizard & then T caught sight of a brightly coloured woman, just sitting in the sun, reading. And later another pretty little lizard.

A bit further on a young boy was fishing. He had pedalled past us earlier to a spot & was fiddling with line & hook, casting & re-casting competently. Then his grandma came onto the scene and in a brief conversation with us, told how fishing is her grandson’s passion. Every waking hour is about fishing & every day he brings something home, fish or octopus. School is okay but fishing is supreme.

Returning to the town centre, passed a sign for a night club where apparently there’s dancing on the tables – shades of 1971.

It’s Sunday, but Stella Maris Church is closed & Cathedral of St Stephen, Pope and Martyr, is also closed. Or perhaps it’s just part of being pre-season.

Time to source dinner – D had been promised some meat. But Konzum closed, so a trek up many flights of steps to Studenac – also closed. It was interesting to be off the main  tourist areas and into normal living, albeit that there were lots of  ‘Apartman’ signs along the route. All grocery stores closed…just as well T has a plan! And a promise of meat tomorrow night.  Last chance.