Well, not exactly, but transportation and weather were the themes of the day. Big time!
We left Split on a ferry to the island of Hvar. It was one of those ferries where the end flips completely open to let the cars in. Not quite as stable as a Washington state ferry that we're used to. And we noticed it. The weather has been very stormy and there were white caps and small rollers on the open water. The ship smashed it's way through them, giving us a bit of a thrill for a couple of hours. We were happy to land safely in Stari grad on Hvar island. At that point, rain was coming down in buckets and we got soaked just walking to a little bus to take us to the main town. It quit by the time we got there, though, and we had a fine time wandering the picturesque (is there any other kind here?!) old town.
We had lunch at a place recommended in RS's book. Delicious, if challenging, fish stew. Everything was in there, except, thankfully, the head -meat, skin, and bones - lots of bones! Luckily, they were huge and easily found before swallowing!!
Our next mode of transportation was a catamaran to the island where we would spend the next night. We all met at the dock - no boat. Hmmm... Remember those stormy seas? After a wait of about half an hour, they announced the boat had been cancelled. This is where things really started to get interesting. Our guide, Marijan, got on the phone and after some time, announced he thought, maybe, he had a plan. We walked to the bus station and got on the last bus for hire available on the island. 29 seats - 29 of us. We drove the entire length of the island, close to 2 hours. Twisty road, steep sides, I am sensing a theme here!
I will spare you the exact details of the rest of the evening, but by the time we reached our hotel on Korcula island, we had taken 4 ferries and ridden on 4 buses!! Some we made by the skin of our teeth. Some had only outdoor seating in the rain. Marijan was not sure until a vehicle actaually showed up that everything would work. Then, as the bus was about to pull off the last ferry, the car right in front of us stalled! We couldn't leave until our driver and guide helped push the car until it started!
This is a prime example of the beauty of traveling with a guide. Marijan eearned his pay today!! And so did our driver, Peter, who had to drive our big bus way out of the way to pick us up from the unanticipated ferry stop.
PS: Dad, don't worry! We are all still smiling and obviously are in very good hands!
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