Day 28: Ferry, Korcula and the Summer Solstice

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We got up early and caught the correct cab that Ivana had called for us at 7:10 am. We went to the harbor and got our ferry tickets to Korcula. The ride was 8:30 – 12:30. We sat on the interior of the bow, and had a nice view. We sat with a couple from Columbus, OH, who were traveling in the same fashion as we were, so we had lots of stories to exchange.



We arrived at Korcula at 12:30. It is beautiful to approach the old city by water. The old city is surrounded by walls, and the streets are arranged in a fish skeleton pattern, with the main street running from top to bottom, allowing free circulation of air through the fish ribs but protecting against strong winds. The winds are referred to as bad winds and good winds; good can get in to cool off the town by their directions. Building outside the walls was forbidden until the 18th century, and the wooden drawbridge was only replaced in 1863. The streets are steep with many steps, arriving at the high point with the square and churches. The street around the base of the town is flat, and is called the Street of Thoughts as one did not have to worry about the steps.



We caught a taxi and headed out to the town of Medvinjak, about 5 kilometers by taxi. We found the apartment, and were greeted by the owner, Senija. The apartment does not have AC, but after a few tries we did get very good internet. The apartment is high on a hill and has a beautiful view of the ocean and mainland of Croatia.



We immediately did 3 loads of laundry (took a 1.5 hours per load) and they dried very quickly in the heat. We walked to the grocery, got supplies; walk there was 10 min. down and 15 up the hill. HOT.



We went swimming at the small beach below the apartment around 5pm when the temperature started to drop. Rock shoes are a must as the beach is pebbly, with lots of black sea urchins in the larger rocks. I’ve been told that is a good sign of clean water. It was quite refreshing, and warmer than the water in Dubrovnik, by a degree or two! The color was beautiful and so clear you could see the shadow of the row boats on the bottom of the sea.



We walked to town around 8:00pm, a 25 minute walk. We had a beer and enjoyed watching the sea and the cruise ships and the tourists in the shadow of the old town. We walked around the old town, smaller by at least half than Dubrovnik; it felt more like a small town.



We had a good dinner in a restaurant that has local favorites, called Konoba Marinero. It was in an alley and looked all the way down the steps to the harbor! We had octopus salad (finally!) which is a speciality of the Dalmatia Coast. It was great, one of my favorite dishes here; sautéed octopus and red onions in olive oil and balsamic vinegar served cold. We also had a fish soup and fried octopus… five little tiny octopi fried in olive oil, very tasty.



We walked home, 25 minutes, enjoying the longest day of the year! It was still very warm, but a great way to spend the summer solstice.



MORE PHOTOS BELOW!

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