Day 4 Monday, 09 Sep -Korčula

 Korčula in the rain.

Today, as threatened, we awoke to heavy rain. It formed rivers running down the sidewalks and dripping from the various umbrellas and canopies the many restaurants have set up as few have indoor seating. We headed around the corner to where we ate last night but decided it wasn’t dry enough so continued under our umbrellas, up the street where they had large canopies under which we could eat while keeping dry.

While Pat and Des found a semblance of eggs with ham or bacon and toast, Kathy chose a variation of ham and cheese on toast and Eloise enjoyed a fruit salad with yogurt, walnuts and honey, an excellent choice.

By the time we’d finished breakfast, the rain had stopped so we took our chances to wander a little more. We decided to split up so Des and Eloise headed towards the harbour front and as we enjoyed the scenery, we realised we were on the path Filip had suggested would take us up and around to a summit lookout of the Old Town. It was a main road which wound ever upward at a gradual incline, a distance of about three kilometers. We could see the coast and houses along the way as well as a dense forest towards the interior.

We finally arrived at a clearing and saw below us the entire Old Town in all its splendour! The walk and climb had definitely been worth the effort. We walked back a short distance and found stairs that took us back along a more direct route close to Old Town. The staircase was not too difficult as there were only three or four stairs followed by a long stretch of sloped pavement. We were soon at the bottom, back in Old Town.

We soon spotted Kathy and Pat and walked around a little more before deciding it was lunch time. We were able to find another restaurant with a large canopy near the sea so we could watch the yachts and sailboats cruise by.

As the rains started, we headed back to our rooms for a little R&R and a chance to play some cards and write an early Blog.

The rain and thunder have continued into the evening with a considerable amount of rain accumulating throughout the area.  The alley in front of the entrance to our apartment is impassable. We're on the second floor and have experienced some leaks in our apartments' ceilings.  We've informed the owner.  Hopefully tomorrow will be finer weather as we set sail once more on the inter-island ferry to Split, about a 3-hour journey.

ADDENDUM:

The rain finally stopped around 9PM so we ventured out in search of a restaurant for a late dinner.  All of the premises in our alley including restaurants, beauty parlours and markets were flooded and owners and staff were busy using whatever they could find to bail the water out. Some of the places Des saw had 6" (150mm) of water throughout the store.  Wow! What a storm.  We bought fresh buns, ham and cheese at the market and ate in our apartment.

Rain cascading down the stairway outside our apartment

A park scene adjacent to our breakfast restaurant

One of several catamarans moored around Old Town Korcula - note the clear water.

Bailing buckets of water from his boat after the rain

View from along our hike to the lookout

From the lookout - Old Town in the background

Old Town from the lookout 

Interesting interconnections over the alley