Singing Dalmatians on my b day

Sorry, no photos, we haven't been able to upload our photos off the camera. (photos added on Oct 7th) But, I will help you imagine what it looks like here in Hvar. The sea is blue, very very clear, and warm. The town wraps around a harbor and up the hills. There are no cars allowed on most of the streets around the harbor so except for the sounds of the cafes and clubs after dark it is a lovely quiet town. It is a more upscale vacation town then anywhere else we've been in Croatia. Yachts are moored along the waterfront and fancy cafes and bars with new minimalist decor keep watch. It won't be long before P. Diddy is mooring his yacht here.



On on first night in town we saw a poster for a concert, the top vocal group on the Dalmation Coast was performing in the 17th century monastery cloister. I know, visions of singing dalmatian dogs danced in my mind too, but it was a group of three tenors, two baritones, and three bass singers, all male. Two of the bass singers had the deepest bass voices I'd ever heard. They sang unaccompanied for the first half, then with only a guitar. All Dalmatian folk songs.



It was dark and the monastery was lit up, underlighting the bats which flew overhead. The songs were wonderful, even without understanding any of the words we enjoyed them. The group is called a Klappa, we means they are a group of friends who sing for fun together. As one of the bass singers translated for the audience, it is all about wine, friends, and singing. They do it not because they are professionals, but because they love it. I teased Rich on the walk over that they were most likely the Tom Jones of the Dalmatian Coast, the darlings of the Croatian housewives, who would scream and throw panties on the stage. Any panty chucking and I'm out of here, Rich said.

No panties were thrown, the concert was great, and we have spent the rest of our time walking around and swimming. We are staying up the hill a bit in a room with a terrace and a view of the harbor and the islands. Today we catch the ferry to Split.