Island Living - Korcula

Aw man I am a now days (and destinations) behind in this blog. I will try to catch up.

Korcula (kor-choo-la) is easily the word that Ben has enjoyed saying the most on this trip. This is a small island in the Adriatic between Split and Dubrovnik (we spent Tuesday and Wednesday night there). We took a catamaran to get there, which was a great ride, much better than the bus with more comfortable seats and the opportunity to walk around when needed.

Ben had made our reservations at prior to leaving Split. Helena, our hostess, met us at the dock to lead us to our accommodations for the two night stay. As we walked through town she pointed put the "famous" cookie lady at Cukarin, who we later learned deserved to be famous as we made two trips to her shop and on the second bought eight (yes 8, and I'm not ashamed) of her almond cookies before we left town. We also learned where the market was and the entrance to the old city, where we would do most of our sightseeing. Accommodation Drasko were located up a narrow stone stairway weaving through a mostly residential neighborhood. At the top we found a wonderful room and a huge balcony with amazing views of the town and the sea.

Our view

That night we ate traditional Dalmation food at Konoba Arsenal and had some really delicious local Croatian wine. The next morning Ben went into town and hit the local wine shop, bakery, produce stand and market. We were set! We made our own breakfast, did a load of laundry and then headed into town where our first stop was the cookie lady.

After that, we wandered the "old city" which is the stoned old town of Korcula. I have realized that I describe our time often as "wandering" but that is the best word to describe our approach to exploration...we seldom have a true course in mind and are simply setting out to see what we can find. The old cit had streets laid out like fish bones, and not being very large, Ben said that he wanted to walk up and down every street. And, so we did. Awesomely preserved, there were a few shops here and there,but mostly residents along these narrow cobbled streets.

The old city

One story worth mentioning was the bicyclist cruising full speed down a hill toward us and we think she may have said on the left in Croatian, Ben signaled me and as I turned and backed away watched as she slammed a bit too hard on her brakes and went over the handlebars. Ben and I helped her to collect her things, and with a smile and an examination of he scraped elbow, she seemed to laugh it off and go on her way.

We had a glass of wine and pizza with seafood overlooking the sea. After which we left the old city to walk along the shoreline. We collected a few cool rocks that had been smootfed by the waves and Ben found a crab! Some of the mountains in Croatia remind me of Wyoming scenery, with their green bottoms and huge rocky tops.

Korcula was incredibly relaxing, we had more than enough time to do the things we wanted and therefore plenty of time to listen to the water against the rocks from the shoreline or enjoy the view from our balcony with a glass of wine. It was a bit chilly and windy at times, the wind really picked up at night and howled through the trees. But, we still were able to enjoy our time there.

We departed via private shuttle with a few other tourists and were dropped at our hotel doorstep in Dubrovnik. On this drive I saw my first (and in all likelihood last) wild boar crossing sign. The drive was incredibly beautiful, winding mountain roads with a constant view of the Adriatic. The Adriatic Sea is incredibly clear, we were always able to see right through the water. It also took on many beautiful shades of greens and blues.

Dubrovnik up next!