The second part of the Cunning Plan

Well the second part of the cunning plan is to avoid driving the coast road where in places it requires so much concentration on driving that the views cannot be appreciated. Don't get me wrong I have driven all over Europe, including the Arctic (in the winter) and the USA. I was a vehicle development engineer and have door-handled all types of vehicle around most places. But the roads in Croatia are something else, and they require respect. So tootling along, admiring the view is not really feasible.
So to get the best of the Dalmatian coast I conceived the idea of cruising it by boat!
The plan was to get a ferry from Dubrovnik to Rijeka and enjoy the scenery along the way from the deck, G&T in hand. I planned to stop at convenient places along the way like Korcula and Hvar etc. Unfortunately the ferry only runs from June until Sept, bum....The girl in the Jadrolinija office in Dubrovnik was very nice but regretted that the boats only travel to the local islands in the off-season.
So I was toying with the idea of driving and stopping again at various places, but then it occurred to me that I can get local ferries and at least do some of the islands along the way. So stage 1 was to get to a small place called Dvrenik and get the ferry to Hvar (Suceraj).

So here is the little car ferry arriving at Dvrenik. If I take the bike off the rack of my van and fold the carrier up I can get car prices on the ferry, which for the Dvrenik-Suceraj journey was about £20.

Just a quick look at the lifesaving equipment. 4X50 person inflatables and a RIB.

I was early and got a place up the front.

They had to do a bit of squeezing to get every aboard.

The weather was very dull and grey. Looking back at the mainland.

Hvar hoves into view. Ferry takes 35mins.

Previously to this the weather turned bad and it rained (slung it down) all day (1st May). Here the clouds are starting to lift over the mainland later in the afternoon.

And what a view the following day! The little island is Zecevo, the big island with the mountains is Brac.

I still remain fascinated with the clear water....

I had saved some Tesco's finest bacon and this is the first opportunity I have had to do some cooking. Bacon and egg for breakfast...lovely!

The campsite only opened on the 1st May, even though I arrived on the 30th April they were very accommodating. At this moment there are 14 persons on site, qualified to hold 400.

But the good weather is fading away again. 

Walking around the coast there are some 'artworks' placed at prominent locations.

Here is another...

And another....but look how the weather is getting worse.

Next morning it is slinging it down again.

So I walked into Vrboska to the Tourist information office to see what is worth seeing round and abouts.

Remember that Hvar is probably the jewel of all the Dalmation Islands, so the people of Hvar would say. But the lady in the Information centre, who had the most noticeable blue eyes, was very good and helpful. At least by 1.00pm the rain had stopped and the Paperazzo bar on the harbour has free wifi...and the local Pivo (beer) Ozujsko is £1.75 for half a litre, somewhat cheaper than the Buza Bar in Dubrovnik!

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