Why I Love the Post Office on Hvar

If you have ever bought a house in a foreign country and moved there permanently, you will know that there are surprises along the way. Some people plan for every eventuality, asking all the right questions, and experience less surprises.

I am not one of those people. 

Having spontaneously visited Hvar for a weekend in 2002, I emerged on the Monday with a pre-contract for a house, which became a final contract with keys a month later. I moved in. But there was one thing I didn't know after the sale - my address.

I have written previously about finding out my address and my first encounter with a real life Hvar postman - it will remain one of my favourite moments in life (you can read about it here).

I have got to know some of the postal workers over the years. Hvar is a small community, and one of the things I like is a postman will sit down and have a beer with you on the square in the middle of his round (no names or locations in case the bosses are reading...) - I love that small community feeling of island living, something that has been largely lost in much of the UK.

Since being on television and in the national press, I have been receiving quite a lot of email and letters from strangers. My favourite so far was a letter from Zagreb, which was addressed to some chap called Mr. Pol Bernbery, 21450 Hvar - the code for the town of Hvar, 20km away from where I live. It was redirected there and arrived dutifully in Jelsa. 

It is the little things, such as the very relaxed and informal approach to mail delivery, which are small reminders why life on a Dalmatian island - away from the pressures of real life - is so enticing.