Monday 14th October 2024

Hvar to Korcula

It was back to a Croatian brekky of pastry and coffee, partaken with a few worse for wear Spartans on the harbourside wall, with a pretty marina backdrop.

Obviously a lot of athletes had gone home, but nonetheless there were plenty more people being ferried in to replace them.

The Spartan team were pulling down all of the obstacles which appeared to make a few of the locals and visitors a bit happier with normality. 

Jane took off to do a bit of packing and I did one last lap of the town square and the church. Again the cats outnumbered the dogs and one was even guarding the door to the local supermarket.

Met a couple of travellers outside the church who bitched incessantly about the race the previous day and their inability to see the town in its normal state- can’t please them all – they would probably whine about all the bulls running around in Pamploma.

The church was a lot more ornate inside than expected given the plain exterior , but camera’s were banned- didn’t deter the whingers from outside from clicking away.

We packed up and lugged the bags down to the wharf and grabbed another coffee and watched the world go by before jumping on our catamaran and heading off for Korcula.

The seas were pretty calm and we got a great view of the coast line with its tiny towns and vineyards steepling up the mountainsides. It would surely have been a hand harvest. 

We also got glimpses of the karst mountains on the mainland, again bringing back memories of the rugged Turkish coastline.

It was a relatively short trip and we soon snuggled into a small harbour devoid of boats much bigger than about 30  metres long. Vasco soon had the map and App out and we unsurprisingly found our way to the apartment – at the top of the stairs.

In what was to be a 10 out of 10 experience with our host, he met us halfway and took Jane’s suitcase. On the way up he explained there was a problem with our booking so they gave us an upgrade into a 2 bedroom apartment. It was a home away from home and it even included welcoming biscuits and a bottle of wine. 

Went to a recommended cafe for a light lunch before doing a tour of town. Like most places it had an old town up on a hill and a vibrant harbourside with markets and the usual selection of bars, cafes, restaurants, jewellery shops, and excursion huts, with many having a view of the crystal clear waters for which Croatia is famous 

Looked for the town beaches and the main two were probably 30 metres wide, both empty. When it comes to history many places in Europe have some association with Marco Polo. When quizzed the local shopkeeper couldn’t convince us if he was born here, lived here or simply dropped in. It didn’t stop them having a statue and amphitheatre or a designated Marco Polo  shop selling everything a budding adventurer might need, from sextants to sundials and telescopes.

A bit more reconaissance for a restaurant before it was home to taste the wine and a little siesta, plus more organising for our forward journeys to Dubrovnik and Bari.

Rested and spruced up we headed to a lovely waterside restaurant, which like many were now full of the people from the small cruising boats. Quite a few Aussies but predominantly American. 

Lovely seafood inspired dinner, albeit with a backdrop from a loud whinging tourist moaning about boats, hotels, guides and food. Poor harangued husband just took a deep breath and asked ‘ guess you pick where and with whom we travel next year.’ Touché  it certainly quietened her down. 

We wandered along the seaboard a bit more taking in the view by night, before the daily fix of gelato and one last plod for the day up the stairs.