Meaghan: Unfortunately today the waves were too high to get into the Blue Cave, something we had been hoping to do. Instead, Luka offered to drive us and two other girls (shoutout Jenny and Ran!) around the island, then make us all dinner at the end of the day. It was a beautiful sunny day and we set off in the van. Every turn came to a breathtaking view of the bluest water and the quaintest little towns. We even stopped by Luka’s hometown, 20 minutes or so from Hvar. We saw the house he was born in and he told us about the town. Apparently when he was young, more than 3000 people lived there but then one year a vine disease came through and wiped out all the grapes. Now, there’s maybe 150 people living in this beautiful town high up on the hill, overlooking the sea. And it seemed like Luka knew every single one of them as he honked, yelled out the window and spoke to people on the streets. He dropped us off at the fortress in Hvar, where Savanna thought she could climb a tree.

Savanna: I DID CLIMB THE TREE….

I just couldn’t get down.

Really though the wall I leaped from was fine to get onto the tree… But my short legs would not reach far enough to get back. Suffice to say Meaghan got wonderful photos of the view and me in a tree, but also hilarious photos of Maddie trying to help me OUT of the tree. I eventually tumbled out and ended up with a few fun scrapes on my arms and legs. Worth it.

After the Treecapades we grabbed our towels and swimsuits and ran into the ocean. The water was clear turquoise and cold, but so refreshing. We spent the rest of the afternoon tanning and relaxing on the beach, literally until the sun went down. Sunset was a glorious mix of pinks and yellows, while dozens of sailboats floated into the harbour.

M: For the record, the water was not cold. It was just not warm. And yes, those are two different temperatures. And also Savanna is a baby.

Luka cooked us up a delicious dinner in the outdoor kitchen, with homemade bread and his own olive oil. There was steak, salad, Croatian potato salad and wine too. We sat around the table and stuffed ourselves while getting to know the other girls and Eva who works at the hostel. The night air was a little chilly, making the warm dinner even more satisfying. A very nice cat has attached itself to the hostel and it joined us on the bench for dinner too. There was a moment at dinner when the cat jumped on to Savanna’s lap, attached itself to Maddie and I tried to pick it out of their two laps. Hilarity ensued, followed by even more eating. It was the best way to end our time in Hvar. Every moment here has been perfect.

S: A side story – We are comfy, we are warm, we are writing this blog post and all of a sudden from the bathroom we hear Maddie say “guys? We have a problem.” All four of us in the room look around at each other like what could she possibly need us for? Meaghan guessed correctly, turns out Maddie got her hair stuck in the hairdryer! She had a full dreadlock underneath the hair dryer trap! I have never had to cut a friends hair before…

Quotes from Maddie while this is happening:
“I always wanted dreadlocks.”
“Is this fashionable?”
“Well if anyone wants the hairdryer, I’m done with it now.”

S&M