101. Dalmations

Try reading these out loud:

Riba ribi grize rep

Na vrh brda vrba mrda

Cvrchi, cvrchi cvrcak na chvoru crne smrche

These are real Croatian sayings. They are really into consonants and some words don’t have any vowels at all! This made for a highly entertaining language lesson lead by our program directors, Rok and Ivan. Scarlet and I both embarrassed ourselves in front of everyone by trying to pronounce these tongue twisters on the mic. I had the second one, and didn’t make it far at all.

I woke up at 6 this morning as our boat pulled out of the dock in Split and started the trip to Hvar. Of course, I immediately turned over and fell straight asleep for an extra hour before breakfast. We pulled into the dock at 8 and got off for a tour of the island.

Hvar is the newest “it” island. Celebrities are known to flock for a getaway vacation in this isolated beautiful place. We only had a few hours, so there was no time to sneak off and try to see one. We took a bus from one side of the island to the other stopping at scenic places along the way. Europe is really into naming their winds. This island had two specific winds. Maestral is the good, healthy type of wind that cools down the town on hot summer days. Bura is the bad winter wind that just puts everyone in a crappy mood. It is just known that if there are Bura winds, the entire island is in for a bad day.

When we got to the main part of the city, we had a small walking tour. The highlights were the 4 dogs I got to pet, the model cat in the ally, lavender, and the nuns who made lace. Hvar is known for its lavender, and it is used for curing many ailments. I bought a small bottle and hope its magic qualities will help me pass my classes next semester. The nunnery makes very intricate lace pieces from a plant, agave. It looks a lot like a giant aloe plant to me. A small palm sized piece of lace can take up to 6 months to make. 

Next, was what everyone had been waiting for. Wine tasting! Or juice for those who just wanted to enjoy the almonds and cheese. When everyone had their fill and bought their chosen bottles, we took a walk around to the bus passing dog number five who we spent plenty of time petting. We made it to the boat in time to head for the nearby island, Korcula. On the way there we took some time to learn the Croatian language. So when I get back to America, I’ll know how to pronounce creation words. All those little tick marks over the letters? I know what they mean!

By 6 we were at Korcula and got off the boat for an evening walk around the town before dinner. The walk around the outside of the town took less than 15 minutes, that’s how quaint the place is. Tomorrow we will be spending more time on the island, but for the night we headed to a local bar close to the ship and enjoyed some live music recommended by Rok. This couple was awesome! They played guitar duets and sang some. I loved it! On the way home to the boat, Scarlet and I took a little dip in the Adriatic Sea.