HVAR

Velo Grablje

ISLAND OF LOST VILLAGES

Velo Grablje - have you seen Croatian cartoon called "Profesor Baltazar"?

There are too many little villages around the isle of Hvar with just a few inhabitants, and some with none at all. Living monuments to traditional architecture and lifestyle of the age gone by, these villages can still offer worthwhile advice for living in our modern times.

Humac

When you’re hooked onto a good memory, distance means nothing: the power of a recovered memory of your old home will bring you straight back to the backyard of the days gone by. Old homes, forgotten and neglected victims of irresponsibility, are as many in Croatia as are rare intentions to restore them to life. With tradition dying out, what will Croatia offer to guests in the future? Surely not all of them are solely into modern buildings and sightseeing? Old, traditionally built houses attract many foreign visitors to Croatia, but that part of our cultural heritage is still ignored by the “higher” powers.

Malo Grablje

As the years pass, the infrastructure decays and these houses and villages are getting farther and farther from the eye of the modern society. What makes them special, though, is the lifestyle they promise. Tranquility and freshness of nature, as well as the splendid isolation, make the old houses of the isle of Hvar especially attractive to foreign guests. Cruises may well show you the best of Dubrovnik’s fancy palaces, but you won’t find much tranquility on a cruiser. 

Malo Grablje

The real estate market is transforming agricultural land into urban development land, transforming entire areas into places with no historical roots, but inspired by tradition. Ultimately this process uses architecture to create commercial, tourist-oriented objects and communities that in the long run are assimilated into the area – if, and only if some rules are respected, as is the specific local culture.

Male Rudine

The options offered by European Union funding have inspired many to start dreaming of returning to their roots, to old villages that kept their purity and calm. Dalmatians have always been defined by their past, cherished it and preserved it, all the while questioning their very right to live in that beautiful place. There are as many as six thousand dilapidated, abandoned villages, all with sleeping potential to be someone’s dream come true; the dream of freedom. This yearning for carefree living is a direct consequence of too many years spent under the yoke of modern society – it is no longer only the very rich elite to long for their little peaceful corner of paradise, no longer the ultimate goal of the smart and educated top layers of society: it’s becoming a dream of the masses. The middle class is on the prowl for the picturesque: places like Humac, Velo and Malo Grablje, Zarače, Brusje lure with their promise of a life soothing the body and the soul. Now more than ever before we are ready to throw whatever we thought defined us and rush into the thrill of unpredictable future.

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Sveta Nedjelja's cave

The isle of Hvar from the perspective of these villages feels more deserted than anything else, like a place struck by disaster and abandoned in a hurry – there are only things left behind, no new objects to sully the landscape. This virgin island is a place of self-reinvention, a place that teaches how to give with ease. To bring it back to life we must think things through, search inside ourselves for enthusiasm and goodwill, make only conscious moves. Certainly, the financial value of real estate will be the core of such a project, but the island would profit best if brought from the brink of oblivion by locals or their descendants, people who could spark life in many areas of life, from ecology (agriculture before anything else) to art (workshops, galleries, independent film festivals like the ones in Grožnjan and Zagvozd), building connections between smaller groups and thus building new communities of permanent inhabitants. 

at Berti's - Malo Grablje

Peaceful island living in its essence is in public interest when viewed as inspiration to turn all corners of the country into developed, stable areas, and it is therefore crucial for the state to support these “reanimation” projects, especially when it comes to application of strict laws concerning traditional architecture restoration, seeing how many developers bend ecology-oriented rules much too easily. Maybe we should make them lay back and look at the starlit sky, listen to the old stone houses tell their history – that is an experience money cannot buy.

Humac

Courtesy of Yachts Croatia
www.yachtscroatia.com
Text :Damir Vrdoljak Mandeta
Photo: Ivo Pervan, croActive-holidays

SATURDAY BLISS

A perfect cycling day around Vrana lake.

Vrana Lake is about 1.5h drive from Split.  Because it is one of the rare natural habitats of water birds as well as because of its fresh water springs and biodiversity, the Vrana Lake and its surroundings have been declared a nature park on July 21st, 1999.

 

It is an unusual compromise and connection of land and water which offers a refuge to diverse species of plants and animals, offering them all that its necessary for life. Overgrown with grass, sedge, rush and reed it looks like field with shallow ponds scattered all over it and covered with permanent flowers of vibrant colours and with many butterflies, dragonflies and other different insects which enable the birds to stay in the reserve and in the park throughout the year. Hidden in the reed, bird lovers can experience watching the birds nesting and taking care of their chicks. 

Vrana Lake is a hot-spot with tremendous diversity of ornithofauna of 249 recorded bird species, of which 102 nest in the park area. Of these nesting birds, four are considered Endangered on the European level and seven on national level. For some of these birds Vrana Lake is the only nesting area in the entire Mediterranean part of Croatia. The park area is also an important resting and feeding place for a whole range of endangered European species. More than 100 000 water birds come here to spend the winter.

But if you are not that big Brid watcher and you like to spend your day more active, than cycling around Vrana lake provides amazing experience.

As usual you would need the common ingredients, if possible; friend(s), local guide and comfy bike… Not much ;)

The tour around the entire lake is about 36km long, with approx. 400m of total altitude, makes it quite pleasant ride both for beginners and more advanced riders.  It is about 20% asphalted road and about 80% of the dirt road, which isn’t technical so it is manageable for most of cyclists.

And off course after amazing views and physical activity, is there a better way to finish the day than by great local meal in small locally owned agro tourism in the vicinity of the park? 

And definitely the surprise of the day was a small private concert by owners of the tavern where we had dinner. Great welcoming place with amazing hosts… Just the way it should be. :)

IT IS NOVEMBER, so what?

Often we can hear how the tourist season ends by the end of October, and the new one starts sometime in April. But some of us keep on thinking is that really true or how this could be changed..

We have great climate, great food and wine, great places, history and architecture, beautiful scenery, but somehow this "fact" doesn't manage to exceed the popularity of the "Sun&Sea" in the summer, the peak season.

There are sooooo many different "theories" and points of view what we would need to do in order to prolong the season, but I don't feel like theorizing about it..  I know that telling people how many great things they could do in the off season and which are the benefits of visiting Croatia now, instead in August, wouldn't change this magic circle overnight, but its a start...

I could write about the climate, about facts, prices, history or just about places/destinations, but I wouldn't (at least for now). I would rather like to tell you what can you expect if you are "brave" enough to visit us NOW, in the off season, instead of peak season with the endless river of tourists just pouring into our destination.

So do you wonder what could you do if you visit Split, now, in the off season? In this and my following blogs, I would try to offer you some of the ideas and experiences.

How about a great day trip from Split to Hvar island? But not just any day trip, but a spectacular one. A day which starts with magnificent flight from Split over Brac island and Solta to Jelsa on Hvar island?

It is a fairly short flight, so much shorter than getting on a ferry. On the ferry you would travel for 2h each way and yes it is nice, but not as close to the great experience provided on ECA hydroplane flight. Yes it is only about 15 min flight, but in those 15 min you see so many amazing views that you can't believe that it all fitted in "only" 15minutes.

Starting from Split at around 8am, you are in Jelsa on Hvar island already before 8.30am. And there is a full day ahead of you to explore one of the most magnificent Adriatic islands. At this time of year the island is bit slow and sleepy, but its magic is there.  Whatever you choose to do. To get the shuttle from Jelsa to Hvar town and to explore on your own, or you could have a private island tour followed by wine tasting and lunch... All at your choice... :)

And the best about it there is plenty of time to enjoy your day and to be back in Split just on the time for dinner.

SO HVAR SO GOOD

islands

It's often that being local you get asked which island in central/south Dalmatia is the most beautiful...and I say they're all beautiful just different. Same same but different. Each one of them has certain dialects, tastes, architecture, history, character and so on to be anatomized into details.

Komiža

Vis has often been my silent favourite – somehow as if being made to fit man's needs; self-sustainable, not too big nor too small, with spectacular southern coastline and its fields, farms and households spread around the island. Vis and Komiža – two towns, two pearls, two different worlds...there are many reasons why one would go to Vis and fall in love with it at first sight, it could be that its remoteness makes it so desirable, tempting. And it works every way you look at it. Greeks from Siracusa have landed to its shores around 397 BC and it became their first colony in the Adriatic known as Issa.

Being close to Split island of Brač has usually, unexpectedly and definitely undeservedly, been just seen by many only onboard a ferry on the way to other islands. Brač and not Brak, how it's usually pronounced, (latter in Croatian meaning marriage), is slightly bigger then Malta which has around 420000 inhabitants, while Brač only around 20000.

Brač

Malta is over populated, Brač has a lot of space, green vegetation, fields, olive grooves, natural beauties, pictoresque towns and villages, events. Zlatni rat – famous beach is just a tip of Brač's charm, but let's not forget about Blaca monastery, village of Škrip, stonemasonry in Pučišća and so on...
 
Right opposite it on the west side there's another „dark horse“ called Šolta. The two are separated by strait known as „The gate of Split“ and share an islet of Mrduja and every year they tie ropes to it and „pull“ it to see which island is going to get it for a year – crazy local customs, what can you do...

Šolta

Šolta is not on the main tourist charts, it's ignored by crowds as well as massive sailors' attacks and perhaps it should embrace that situation and turn it (touristically speaking) into its adventage. But discretely, to those wishing to see beyond the obvious.

Korčula is in my heart – my love is from there and although I haven't explored it as much as I would like to or should - its contrasts, myths, wines...have drawn me for years and I only rarely indulged my curiosity more...until recently.

Korčula

The old town of Korčula itself is a little wonder having been built following the pattern of fishbone to use the flow of wind as a natural air conditioning to survive summer months...

Hvar rocks

Somewhere in between this „spread out archipelago“ lays the island of Hvar that got its name again from Greeks who came in 385/4 BC from their island of Paros to present-day Starigrad. They named it Faros. Locals still call Hvar town simply For.

Greek era

What is there to see, one can wonder...did you know that on the UNESCO's list of material and non-material cultural heritage Hvar island has three assets? Well, apart from its history dating back all the way to stone age culture, Ilirian and Greek era artefacts, Roman villas, architecture and works of art that flourished during Venetian period, breathtaking sceneries,old  towns and villages scattered around the island in harmony with landscape (the old folks knew how to do it), ports, bars, restaurants, parties, there is island itself in its natural, unadulterad and silent existence.

abandoned medieval? town on Hvar

 Of course this shouldn't be taken as a fact unconditionally due to man's interventions into nature that sometimes reaches little bit too far...but still the pure essence of Hvar emerges when the summer heat subsides...as if it regains its full lungs capacity. September come and grapes are ready for harvesting and then to be processed into wine. Not long after that it's olive harvest and the year is almost over.

vineyards and sights

Visitors are very few; only some return at this stage of island life to witness south east wind known as jugo (jug stands for south) blowing sometimes for days rolling on and over the hills (and peoples' minds making them grumpy) crashing the waves onto the south exposed rocky shores washing the beaches out with driftwood and unpaired plastic shoes. Nothing changed there for thousands of years since Odysseus spontaneously arrived to the Adriatic carried by jugo winds.

boates are like people

 Boats are pulled out for winter dream, only the most persistent and dedicated fishermen still navigate the waters in colder months. Past the New year Hvar shares the life of many other Adriatic and Mediterranean islands seemingly hibernating till spring when the nature and spirits awaken once again. Although winter temperatures are considerably higher then in the rest of continental Croatia, (not to mention the number of sunny days), apart from when bura (cold wind from northeast) is blowing, springtime is perhaps the most enjoyable to wander around the island's trails, it's when the scents of herbs and plants and colours are the most intense and alluring.

with a view to Vis

Days are getting tangibly longer, temperature rises, life is suddenly promising more miracles to come, new hopes are floating in the air...if you can spare one or two weeks before things start getting serious, (meaning the season and visitors coming in bigger numbers), don't think twice, just make sure the forecast is good and go – trails, caves, herbs, villages, churches and chapels, dry walls, pebbles, hills, vallies, fields, winds, coves, currents, scents, flavours, sounds, colours and so much more are out there... 

nice

more stones

spring is in the air

shepherd's shelter

 

as good as it gets

PICIGIN - ONE OF SPLIT'S SYMBOLS

flying circus

THE ART OF KEEPING THE BALL DRY UP IN THE AIR.

The history of this game dates back in 1920s and was `brought under regulations` in 1950s.

Picigin stands for Split contribution to evolution of homo ludens.

The most valuable competitive element of this original game is keeping the ball dry up in the air by implying the most artistic body movements while launching yourself through the air aiming for the ball – a sensational esthetic experience.

Done with all your tasks/chores, fulfilled all your obligations - what next? Have fun?...As a result of many different lifestyles, one has an array of possibilities; nevertheless I believe many would choose sport. Life is hard, so it's better to take it easy whenever we can. We don't know much what was going on before the written history, but from the available data peoples throughout the history have been using ball as sport equipment. And if we add evolution theory, one could actually say picigin is an evolutionary step forward when it comes to sports utilizing balls. Nevertheless, picigin is not an ordinary sport. The final aim in sport, especially professional one, is the element of victory, either of an individual or a team, bringing defeat to the other side, while picigin is not about winning or losing...


One cannot bet on the result of this game, there are no expenses, there are no terrain or player preparations, no sponsors, sometimes there is no audience as well, it takes place in a natural ambience on sandy beach called Bačvice, located within ten minutes walking distance from the harbour of Split, town of 180.000 inhabitants (according to some research a place offering ideal life quality). Although it would not be hard to contest this research information, if one takes into consideration `urban development` of Split in the past few decades – enlarged number of inhabitants, city being suffocated with concrete. Back in 1923 or 1924, hard-to-tame Split mentality created picigin on the beach Bačvice. Around 1950 number of the players was established – five players per team in a circle. Picigin player Emil Giosento was the first to peel off the felt of tennis ball and use its bald core as picigin – sole equipment of this popular game. It is a real miracle this `non-profit fooling around game` has managed to withstand the wheel of civilization.


Here is a list of secret ingredients for a good game of picigin, and maybe some unnecessary data:

- Origin of name: there are many theories, it is speculated it derives from Italian word `pizzicare` meaning pinch, nip, tweak, tingle, pluck, sting, bite...stands for something fluttery;
- A small ball: the most suiting colour would be black, not available in stores, so either make one or find appropriate one;
- Terrain: apart from more and more crowded Bačvice beach, there is an array of unexplored terrains, and the most attractive one for me would be a sandbank  in Kenya surrounded by sea, so during tide as sea level reaches ankle joint one can enjoy picigin in turquoise ocean waters without seeing the land near by;
- Favourable sea conditions; sea level not surpassing your ankle joint, calm sea (bonaca);
- Number of persons per team: five (but the right ones) standing in a circle;
- Circle positions in picigin: first runner, second runner, third runner, `quarterback`, `stopper` ( `Toni`): a1, a2, a3, a4 and Toni - Toni stands for Toni Veršić who always played in this position until he recently retired at the age of 80;
- Encounter with ball: should be soft, though not mushy, active and free; just set relaxed wide-open palm of your hand under the ball and hit it - hit the ball across the circle diagonally, change game direction, full power hit ahead-run-launch-dive, surprise hit;
- Launching/Diving: have the ability to fall into shallow water - slide with your body through water, let go and merge with water;
- Finally, the aim of the game: keep the ball dry up in the air; opened for discussion keeping in mind that nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced.

Picigin players cherish different styles. Though, it is a genuine pleasure watching, not to mention playing, with those who can play it by implying both sides of their brain, by using both hands. I remember an interview by the late great mind (not only regarding picigin) Tolja Kudrjavcev, published on two pages of a newspaper (I think it was Nedjeljna Dalmacija) with our sculptress that lived in New York under the title: `Fascinated by picigin`; a perspective of a woman and artist and her experience of watching these athletes running and launching their sculptured bodies above the surface of shallow water, flying and aiming for the ball; giving their best to make the perfect match with the ball. I remember my first game of picigin played with `professionals`: Dado, my ex-partner for picigin-in-two, and I were sneaking around the team of three Suvi, Fantom and Vera...somehow we found courage to ask if we could join them, the world stopped turning – Ok, position yourself in the circle...our hearts were racing, we started playing, we passed – not a penguin class, but heading towards the `professionals`.


The greatest pleasure is to play off summer or winter season, under the clouds, no wind, no audience...or early in the morning enjoy an energizing game before the crowd starts swarming the beach and mistral starts blowing. And then you have the whole day in front of you! Sometimes, we come across aggravated bathers, who actually of all beaches to go for a swim choose Bačvice, `trespassing` through the `magic ring` or trying to go around the `ring` finding themselves inside the `ring of fire`, completely unaware of possible collision (or the war of the two different worlds just like in Avatar) with players. Every player inside this `magic ring` has his own position, during the game these positions can interchange, but with intention of always returning to the original position. The same rule applies if the ball falls into the water. So, if you notice a random number of players in the shallow water running around in a circle in disorderly manner, even though it might be great fun for the players, that kind of game cannot be referred to as picigin. Genuine picigin players apart from having their own style, also experience the game in their own peculiar way. Amazing moments of this game where only sky is the limit when it comes to a wide range of game combinations every player perceives and cherishes differently ...I have no idea if time actually exists or we are just moving through space faster or more slowly, but when you, full speed, run for the ball, with uncertainty in the air, your body turns into intergalactic missile with only one target – the ball, swift as a lightning, you launch your body in the air, fly aiming for the ball, nothing exists anymore, just the palm of your hand and the ball trying to make the perfect match, all your senses are shut out, disconnected...having reached the highest peak of your `flight`, you drop down-dive, merge with water, the only thing left in the air is the palm of your hand, stretching out towards the ball, completely separated from your body and senses – you hit the ball somewhere between heaven and water...

The World Competition in Picigin has been going on for the past ten years, every June on Bačvice. Well, yeah, once in a year picigin turns into competition. Jury of expert picigin players evaluates the 15 minutes performance of teams taking into consideration their artistic impression as well...so they reach a `verdict` which Split team played the best and gained the title of the Champions of the Universe followed by party which goes into superfinals till small hours.

Few years ago when Michael Palin was making a documentary about the countries to enter EU he and his crew also came down to Bačvice and after watching picigin he said that it was only then he realised why Yugoslavia (at the time) had been the first non-english speaking country to show "Monty Python's Flying Circus".

So, when you put it all together, it does not matter if you are young, old, man or a woman; picigin one plays is either `penguin class` picigin or the genuine `professional` one.