We first stopped at Čiovo island near Trogir to pick up some other visitors and then made the rather long boat ride to the island of Biševo to see the Blue Cave. The Blue Cave is illuminated from around 11 to 12 so we had to go here first to see the cave under optimal lighting conditions. The boat was cruising at about 25 MPH so it got a little chilly with the wind. In about 2 hours, we made it to Biševo and had a quick break.
The views here of Vis in the distance were really nice.
We then boarded a smaller boat to head to the cave. The Blue Cave has a very small entrance and so larger boats can’t get in. Even in the small boat, we had to duck down when entering.
Inside the cave, sunlight penetrated the water outside the cave and illuminated the cave in a beautiful blue light. It was amazing to see and hard to believe that it’s natural lighting.
After a quick run through the cave, we returned to the dock and re-boarded our tour boat. Martko took us over to the fishing village of Komiža on the island of Vis.
We had about an hour here, so we walked around the town, first visiting Komuna, the fishing museum. They had some interesting exhibits but the highlight was the view from the top.
Then we stopped by Gusarica beach and relaxed for a bit to enjoy the view of the bay.
Back at the boat, we continued around Vis and made a quick stop at Stiniva beach, rated as the best in Europe.
Tucked back away in cove protected by cliffs, it's no wonder it was rated highly. Our next stop was at the Green Cave on the island of Ravnik.
This cave is much larger than Blue Cave and bigger boats were able to get in. A small hole in the roof of the cave allowed sunlight to get in, creating an interesting green spot in the water.
A few people were in the water swimming, but with multiple boats in here, swimming didn't seem safe. As we were leaving the cave, we saw some people on top of the cave, jumping into the water. It was getting into the afternoon and we were getting hungry so our next stop was the small island Budikovac, with a population of one. A rather eccentric gentleman lives here year round with his donkeys and some other livestock.
We had lunch here and then took some time to swim and snorkel in the beautiful water. The water was very cold, but so crystal clear and I spotted a few fish while snorkeling. It was too cold to stay in long.
Our last stop was the city of Hvar on the island of the same name. We first walked past the Church of St. Stephen and then made the hike up to the fortress.
Along the way, we passed an old church; I never figured out a name for this one.
At the fortress, we first headed down into the prison. There were several small cells, including a torture chamber.
Then we went up to the top of the fortress for amazing views overlooking Hvar and the harbor.
After a few pictures, we headed back into town just walked around the beautiful old city for a bit. Passing the Benedictine Monastery, there was a statue of a monk praying outside.
When it was time, we got back on the boat and headed back to Split. There was some type of regatta going on and we passed a number of sailboats as we headed back to Split. For our last dinner in Split, we ate at Fife. It was buffet style, but the food was really good. After that, we had one more drink along the Riva to enjoy sunset and then headed back to the room to pack.
Sunday was long day in many airports, but we made it home without any incidents.
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