Wavering over whether or not to bother with all of the rain, I take advantage of the partly sunny forecast to visit one of Croatia’s thousands of islands. The most popular, Hvar is so crowded in summer, but now should provide just enough tourism that infrastructure remains open.

I take the plunge, hop on the ferry in the rain for an obscured view of the islands in the mist. I realize I am at the wrong port, but I take advantage of the pause in the rain to walk along the pier suitcase in hand.

I take the roundabout bus to my destination in the pouring rain and arrive at my site. I think I’m meant to sleep on the couch until I remember “first floor” really is European for “2nd floor” and take the keys upstairs. A beeping sound is driving me crazy, but it’s a broken fire detector. The cleaning lady comes to fix it, I think that’s all, and I go to sleep.

I wake up early for the bus back to Hvar town, but I am surprised to find the door is locked. The cleaning lady must have locked me in; I try messaging the host to send for her, but realizing that isn’t working, I shout for help on the street. The two people who walk by ignore me. Desperate, I calculate the window to be too high to climb down from. I go into another room and see the balcony goes onto the stairs bellow. Slippery from the rain, I plan for my hands to slide down the banister, lowering myself onto the stairs below. I bump my arm, but thanks to parkour training in Reunion, I escape relatively unscathed.

I still miss the bus, but this gives me the chance to explore Stari Grad (Old town). The harbor view of the island hills is nice and the city has some Venetian artifacts. I enjoy wandering around the town and seeing all the construction works restoring the old Venetian colony. There is even an archeological site with Greek and medieval ruins.

I finally catch the bus over to Hvar and what a view! The route along the coast and over the hills is spectacular, passing dried up lavender fields and mysterious stone walls cutting through the shrubby landscape. I later discover the stone walls date back to Greek times and are used for agriculture. Crossing over the mountains I arrive in town. My first step is to go up the steps! Towards the fortress I go one alley at a time, slowly making my way through the gates of the old Venetian city. Some are lined with plants and flowers; others have hanging vines strewn across. Most shops are closed, yet a barbershop plays club music.

I go up to the fortress by a winding path and a meowing cat. The fortress is closed but there is a nice view of the islands off the coast of Hvar. On the way down, I stop by an old church and go off down a little hiking trail, but I bump into the stone walls and can go no further. It kinda disturbs the landscape, so I return back down.

After sightseeing in the port town, I continue along the coast on the same path from the day before until I reach cliffs. A beautiful blue bay lays at the end of the trail, and I have a nice snack before continuing back the other way. I wrap around each inlet until I find a nature trail cutting across the coast with shrubby forest. White rocks jut out below the path, and I really enjoy this part. After a couple kilometers I reach a pebbled beach with a small patch of sand I walk through. I am finally happy to be here with the blue water, beaming intensely under the newly appeared sunlight.

I walk back in the golden hour glow to the town center, watching the sun dip behind the islands. I expect I won’t make the ferry back to the mainland, but the bus takes a different route along the coast, where I continue watching the sunset and see all the secret beaches of the island hidden in the inlets. It drops me off right in town center, giving me just enough time to pack my stuff. Though I barely miss the bus to the ferry, I run with my luggage and arrive just before departure as the cars load. With a storm coming in the morning, with the risk of becoming stranded for the weekend in unpleasant accommodations, I take it as a sign to leave.

My heart races the rest of the night, never truly recovering from the sprint to the ferry. The late night pizza I have is as good as any you’d get in NYC, with a crisp crust and nice cheese. I enjoy walking around Split town one last time at night, appreciating the late Roman details and grateful to be back on the mainland.