Ahhhh, Hvar

As I mentioned, I caught a ferry to Hvar to explore the island. For future reference, there are two places your ferry may arrive, Hvar City or Stari Grad. The ferry my sister and I took happened to arrive in Stari Grad. While the goal destination was Hvar City, the ferry ticketing office assured us there were multiple busses which would transport everyone across the island to get to Hvar City. The cost of the bus transfer was included in the ferry ticket, so off we went.
There are a couple different options as far as ferries are concerned, and I think we ended up taking the "slow" ferry, arriving at about 2 hours after our departure. I didn't mind the slower route, as the entire journey was beautiful. The Adriatic Sea is such a beautiful deep blue, it dares you not to fall in love.

We arrived to find ourselves the very last two people to board our bus (don't worry, there are several), and sat in the jump seats sprawled in front of the windshield. Our bus driver was hysterical, and clearly enamored with having not one, but TWO sisters from California on his bus. He kept asking about Schwarzenegger, and I'm pretty sure he was driving a little crazier than normal for our benefit. It really felt like an amusement park ride more than a bus transfer. It also provided the added benefit of an unofficial tour of the island. Driving straight across to the other side, we were afforded a look at various towns on the island as well as ancient ruins of long worn down walls dividing the island. After about half an hour of accidental exploration, we were in Hvar City.

Seriously?! Again with the crazy beautiful sea. We walked through the edge of town to come gobsmacked facing the yacht harbor. Let it be known that when I become filthy rich, one of my yachts will live in this very harbor, and I will live like a queen. My sister and I walked along the edge of the sea, set out to explore the beaches.

At this point, we started noticing a trend. As it turns out, true beaches are not really all that present in Hvar City. The edge of the sea more crashes into a rocky ledge, or rolling mound of pebbles that appear suspiciously like a manmade beach. Because of this, there are swimming-pool type ladders secured into the rock for entry to the sea. This helps to avoid carrying a sea urchin in your foot, as they happen to be quite fond of such rocky seashores. Additionally, all along the rocky edge, there are lounge chairs set up, apparently for rent throughout the day.
Having grown up in Hawaii, my sister and I cannot fathom PAYING to sit near the ocean, so we kept walking until the crowds were a bit more scarce. Here, we decided we would post up on a few chairs, and hold out until questioned. We went for a swim, sat down to relax, and like clockwork a gentleman showed up requesting payment for "chair rental." Playing dumb, we both gathered up our belongings, and moved along, giggling to ourselves.

We walked to another "beach" where we decided to up our legitimacy by ordering a cocktail from the beachside bar. As it turns out, this tactic worked marvelously, as we were never questioned. I think it helped that this beach was also part of a nearby resort, and we could have easily passed for hotel guests. Here we stayed undisturbed until we became hungry enough to leave.
Walking back to Hvar City toward our bus transfer, we stopped at a restaurant near the yacht harbor. Quite honestly, it was the sign reading "mixed shells" that drew me in. I happen to love shellfish. My poor sister saw both how hungry I was, and how much I love shellfish, as the platter began disappearing at what to her was an alarming rate. (Sorry!)

Ahhh, full bellied and relaxed, we began our trek back to Stari Grad to catch our return ferry. In hindsight, I would absolutely get a room and stay a few days. It would be so luxuriously wonderful to just lounge in Hvar, and I can't wait to do it again!