Day 42 - 1/9/11 - Thursday- Hvar- Split

Given we had turned in by midnight anoche we hadn't turned into pumpkins, so we were able to get up at a reasonable hour, and trek up the top of the hill to the fort prior to 10am check out. Sleeping so close to the centre square did have its disadvantage though, as we were very close to the Stari Grad bell tower, which chimed 6 times to signal 6 o'clock, and then a further 20 times to wake everyone up. Cinthia didn't think it ws get up time, however clearly the bell clock did, and it made its thought known very loudly. I'm not sure how many people can sleep through that, and how many wake up each day at 6am, without needing a seperate alarm.

The trek involved lots of steps, and the rapid intake of oxygen into our lungs. A good wake up walk! It was nice to look down upon Stari Grad and its harbour from the top of the hill, and see how the fort had given the locals a good view of any enemies approaching. In the centuries prior to the 20th, it was probably the Ottoman empire that was of greatest concern.

Post packing and handing back keys to the nice old Croatian lady, it was back to the beach to pass a few hours. We plonked ourselves and our travel bag closer this time, given we only had an hour or two to relax prior to lunch and the ferry. This was a quieter rocky area, and therefore we had to approach getting into the water with caution, as wet rocks are normally slipery, however rarely forgiving. Nevertheless the water was too tempting, therefore we both had a nice swim in order to cool off as the mercury progressively climbed toward 35 on the thermometer.

It was becoming increasingly apparent that there were a lot of Australian tourists in Croatia, with perhaps only Germans in greater number than Aussies. Our accomodation proprieter in Split just said "We get loads of Australians".

Croatia is the country of Goran Ivanisivic, Marian Chilic, and Vlaska Dodik (women's high jump champion for the last 5 years or so) and yes, its people are tall. Many of the women are around 6ft and the men a couple of inches taller. The women generally have long black or dark brown hair, however the facial structure with strong cheek bones usually give indication to their slavic heredity. Obviously very different looking than the Danish and Dutch, however another good looking race of people. Given the fact most of Croatia is perenially sunny, they also wear permanant tans (as opposed to fake tans in other parts of Europe).

The ferry ride back was uneventful, and upon return to Split we had to check back into our hotel, and then set to arranging bus tickets to get to Dubrovnik tomorrow. It would have been nice to spend more time in Hvar, it was scenic, accomodation was cheap, and it is a party island, however this would have limited us in our current Eastern Europe plan, so onwards we journeyed, back to the mainland.

We strolled around the streets, and whilst Cinthia chose to rest her knees, I ventured up the Catherdal bell tower. One general rule with bell towers is that the stairs/ ladders are generally steep, and you will be met with a sign that says enter at your own risk. This Bell tower was no exception, however wisely had hand rails to counter the steep steps and tight turns.

Dinner that night was a lovely dinner, one of the best so far on the trip. Cinthia voiced "Compliments to the chef" and we even left a decent tip. In fact the food in Croatia had been good so far.

A final stroll through Split, which in itself is a decent tourist attraction, especially the central Roman castle, whose walls still house many restaurants and shops. People were dancing to music, the cathedral was nicely lit up, and the palace walls created a nice intimacy inside the central area.