Today we set out for Stari Grad on the local car ferry; a journey of two hours one way. Our mission to discover Hvar, but along the way we found another gem of Croatia Stari Grad (more on that later). Arriving at the ferry terminal in Stari Grad a public coach takes you across the island to Hvar township. This like many of the destinations we have experienced so far Hvar and Stari Grad are ancient towns, built from stone, fought over many times by many different invaders - Romans, Venetians, Austrians, Spanish, Italians. You name it, they seem to have been here at some point, each leaving their imprint. The bus driver was very Italian in his enthusiasm to get to Hvar, in a bus that liked to roll around. Luckily he took the new tunnel option which was very direct. Terry you will have to brush up on the cornering and handling skills, if this is the Croatian standard. On arriving in Hvar around 11 am, we were informed the return bus was 4.30pm for the 5.30pm sailing back to Split. We however spied another option at 12.20 returning to Stari Grad township which we also wanted to see. This gave us a very limited window to knock off the sights of Hvar. Hvar is a typical little Croatian port town, with wonderful promenade with a traditional town square and church at one end. It has two zones, the hill streets and the harbour streets. We headed up the hill option, with the goal of climbing to the fortress above the town. Trip Advisor rated this the number two attraction of Hvar after its nightlife, which clearly we weren't going to attempt. So the castle option it was. If you ever come to Hvar take the time to wander up the steep hillside paths through the trees to what was a wonderful view out over the town and local islands. The original walls that run down the hillside to protect the town below are intact, whilst the castle is largely in good shape considering its age. We spent longer than we should have up there taking in the history. We arrived back at the bus stop just in time to catch the coach to Stari Grad, the coach with the same driver. This time however we headed in the opposite direction via the hill towns. Little did we know at the time what a good choice we made. Whilst all the other tourist spent the day in Hvar, which frankly had limited attractions once the initial exploration was done, we were off on a fascinating trip around the northern parts of the island, climbing high to the mountain top villages, through intriguing scenery. Part from almost losing my front teeth when the driver slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting a car coming the other way, the journey was much more restrained, as the road was narrow and twisted through very barren rocky hillside farms. The land has to be seen to be believed. The entire mountainside over century's has had rocks removed into large wind-rows. All very close together, generally running vertically down to the sea. Most of this land appears to have been abandoned, with the remains of olive trees and rosemary and lavender growing in the gaps which are still tended to. The scale of this endeavour is astonishing to a New Zealand lad brought up around large scale farming. This is very small scale subsistent farming which no-longer is economical or sustainable. Centuries of growing produce that the arid country would support, no longer supports large communities of people. The views from the highest point were amazing, and being a transport to local villages, there were a few older locals in the front talking to the driver and a few young ones at the back. We were alone in the middle. Grandparents look after the grandchildren, with many elder folk out with grandchildren during the work week. Stari Grad is a fascinating town for different reasons to both Hvar and Split. It had an almost ghost like quality to it. It was quiet, most shops were closed and very few locals were out. You wander through narrow streets, cobbled in marble with very old stone houses on either side. It felt deserted, but there were some weeds, and most places were lived in, but the standard of stone repair and cleaning work was limited. It feels much older than the other towns so-far. Looks can be deceiving when it comes to food. We had the most delicious lunch of spaghetti, with feta, fresh tomato, bacon, rocket, and a creamy sauce. Complimented with a carafe of wine, and finished off with an espresso coffee with devine biscotti (orange, almond flavour). Dinner at lunchtime! Everything was made in this lonely restaurant, only one of two choices we had to eat lat. We were one of only a few customers, as the town was very quiet apart from workers preparing for the summer tourist madness, such a contrast to Split. Like most of the other seaside towns visited so far Stari Grad is building new yacht moorings, with a new promenade of limestone being built right around both wings of a large bay. The quality of the work will make this a worthy destination if you hire a yacht. The wide smooth promenade wanders around the old township, opening all the little back streets onto the waterfront. It was an enjoyable afternoon soaking up this unique location. We took a leisurely walk around the bay to the ferry terminal, in time to catch the only ferry returning to Split. On return to the hotel Michelle had a foot massage for some very worn out feet (with a tall, young, dark-haired masseuse who was very easy on the eye...;)MH A good day.