We had booked tickets for a ferry from Korcula to Hvar and we opened the email sent to us by the ferry company and followed their directions to where the ferry was to leave. There were a few other people there, but no signs anywhere indicating where the ferry was to leave from. Eventually Lidia walked over to the other side of the old town to a different port and found the ferry waiting there with a thousand people in the queue. She rushed back to us and we dragged our suitcases over the cobbled streets to the other port. Madi and Lidia both ran over their little toes with their suitcases in their rush, and Lidia got her suitcase wheel stuck in a cracked cobblestone and wrenched it free, scraping her weenus on a stone wall and taking the skin off her elbow. Jye was wearing thongs and slipped on a wet cobblestone, jarring his back. The only person not to sustain an injury in our mad dash was, miraculously, Awkwardo.

When we made it to the ferry, we stood at the back of the extremely long queue waiting for everyone to board. While we were waiting, the sky suddenly opened up and the rain started belting down on us. By the time we boarded the ferry we were soaked to the bone.

We sat down and the ferry started it's 1.5 hour journey to Hvar. By this time the storm had settled in and the sea was very choppy. The boat was rolling around on a huge swell and it wasn't long before people started feeling unwell. Finally a woman and her husband ran past us towards a bin and she started throwing up with gay abandon. This was the trigger that led to a bunch of other people grabbing the nearest sick bag and hurling indiscriminately.

By the time we arrived in Hvar, Madi and Jye were both looking a little green around the gills. Madi held it together but after hauling our suitcases to a taxi and then up a bunch of stairs to our apartment in the searing heat, Jye wasted no time in running to the bathroom and peppering his beard with carrot.

The apartment was fantastic. Roomy with a huge balcony overlooking the port of Hvar and a few islands floating around in the Adriatic. Lidia and I walked down to the old town to see what all the fuss was about. The port was full of very expensive looking yachts. One of them, the Samara, dwarfed all of the others and I googled it to see who owned it. It was owned by a Kuwaiti oil sheik. It was for sale and I considered buying it until I realised I didn't have $100 million laying around nor the money to pay the 26 full time staff it takes to run it. This includes the helicopter pilot that flies the chopper based on the yacht. We walked past it the following day and the back section was open, revealing two speedboats inside the yacht and a mini minor.

The next morning we took the kids for a walk up a path to a fort that overlooks the town. The fort was based on the foundations of a structure that was built 100 years B.C. and the Spaniards built it up into an impressive fortress in the 15th century. The walk was very easy, but that didn't stop the whingeing. Madi spent half the time walking behind us shouting "Ma! Ma! Ma!" In a voice that could be used as a torture device. It was worth it though, because the views of Hvar from up there were truly spectacular.

We spent two nights in Hvar mostly trying to deplete their supplies of beer and burek. We also had a couple of very nice meals, including one where we had palachinka for dessert, which reminded Lidia of her Mum's pancakes.

After a couple of days we took another ferry to Split. This ferry ride was much smoother and shorter than the last, so there were no sick bags required.

We arrived in Split and walked to our apartment, which was right inside the old town. The apartment was like a 5 star hotel and was in the best location. Our host, Franko recommended a place for lunch and it was the best meal we had in Croatia so far. The kids and I had risotto and Lidia had a mushroom pasta and the flavours were outstanding. I finished the meal with a chocolate cherry cake, coated in chocolate ganache. Simply divine.

The girls went shopping after lunch and Jye and I explored the old town, which is largely built on a 4th century palace built by the Roman Emperor Diocletian. We found Split to be a gorgeous city with a lot to offer.

That night we took a sunset cruise around the coast. We met the boat at the harbour and had to embark by stepping onto a short plank that was moving up and down with the waves. I tried to go first and stumbled, almost falling into the sea. Jye and Lidia grabbed me before I fell but it was a very close call and scared the bejeezus out of me. The captain, Josip, was a retired Naval Captain who had a fascinating life. He did numerous tours to Afghanistan and fought in the homeland war against Serbia. We enjoyed hearing about his life and watching the sun set over the Adriatic sea.

The next day we took a food walking tour around Split. Our host, Olga, was fantastic and took us all around the old town, explaining the history and feeding us with local dishes. After the tour we packed up our bags, said goodbye to our apartment and walked to a car hire agency. We hired a Peugeot 508 GT line, a very groovy looking car and dropped the kids off at the Split airport for their flight to London, while we continued on to Zadar.