Day 5 – Korčula to Split

 Today's Voyage

Well, what a day yesterday was.  For those who didn’t see the news from here in southern Croatia, yesterday the area received about 4” of rain and from what we hear, the first rain in about 90 days.  The streets of Dubrovnik were flooded far worse than where we were in Korčula.

Here the store owners were still mopping up from last night although some restaurants were up and running serving breakfast.

Our ride on the ferry was comfortable and uneventful with a full complement of passengers possibly 350 to 400.  Each of the islands we passed seemed to display a mixture of modern and ancient architecture.  They were well populated and appeared to have a healthy boating scene.  Sailing catamarans seem to be very popular.

Upon docking in Split, we took a taxi to our accommodations and were met by Anna and learned her brother lives in Toronto, Canada.

After Anna’s tour of the apartment, our priority was food which we ate at a restaurant nearby, unremarkable! Restaurants here are mostly very small so seating is soon full or in the sun so not where you want to be sitting in this hot weather. We moved on to eventually find the best under the circumstances as it was now 3:00 and we were hungry.

The rest of the afternoon we spent wandering the streets of Old Town, Split. It is the largest city on Croatia's Dalmatian Coast. It was founded by the Greeks then occupied by the Romans, Venetians, French, and Austro-Hungarian Empire. At first glance, it has a lot to offer and very obviously it’s a tourist destination. The roads and alleys are pedestrian only. On first observation, Old Town Split appears more modern though some buildings do appear older. The map indicated a large block suggesting perhaps a walled area, so we headed in that direction. This indeed was where we found Diocletian’s Palace which was built in the 4th century. It is the oldest continuously-inhabited Roman palace in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It still has residents. It has very narrow alleys within tall walls. It is indeed within a large square enclosure. As we’ve found elsewhere, it has many shops selling jewellery, clothing and souvenirs. As we continued ever deeper, we found the ‘Piece de Resistance’. The alley opened to a large square and in front of us stood ruins with columns and a very tall tower which, upon closer observation, we noticed people climbing to the top. This area was in various stages of decomposition though some part of it did look like it had been rebuilt. It was quite impressive.

The square had raised seating around the edges with randomly scattered pillows. A notice indicated there were nightly free concerts.

At one side, there was a tunnel which led out to the port. We walk along it to the port side to take a couple pictures before finding some shade and heading back to our apartment for a break.   

We eventually headed out for dinner which we followed by our, what has become, routine game of cards to finish our evening. We spent another very rewarding day experiencing yet another city in Croatia. 

Plaza with restaurants

Fountain which receives water from the overhead spout in the wall 

Mural close to our accommodation - not Banksy!!

The beginnings of narrow alleys

Kathy & Eloise looking for Split souvenirs

Beautiful old architecture - Roman?

Bell tower and alley

The Bell Tower at St Dominius Cathedral

Ruins within the old Diocletian Palace

Harbour front and Riba Promenade in the background.

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

Day 3 Dubrovnik to Korcula

Korcula, pronounced  Kor-chula, as we soon learned though had difficulty incorporating into our vocabulary.

We vacated our apartment in Dubrovnik at 10:00 but our ferry didn’t depart until 2:15 PM so we spent the time near the ferry terminal enjoying the activity at the port side until departure time. The ferry ride to Korcula was just over two hours and we both seemed to doze throughout the trip as there was little to see. Our ferry was a catamaran and made the 90 km trip cruising at 45 kph.

This all changed drastically as we arrived at Korcula. We were met by Filip who walked us to our studio apartment which was about a four-minute walk from the port. He explained what we might want to check out while on the island and introduced us to our residence in an alley just off the port.

As soon as we were settled, we set out to explore. What a piece of heaven! The Old Town with its old walls and alleys and walkways each provides opportunities to engage us with Oohs and Aahs and wishes that we would have booked to stay here for a longer period. This is indeed a place to explore and of which we can marvel at each twist and turn.  There’s a relaxed atmosphere here that is associated with ‘island life’.  The island has a considerable history and was once visited by Marco Polo. The locals suggest he was born here!

We found, just outside our apartment, in our alley, a restaurant that served lamb shanks with mashed potatoes. Yes, we both ordered it, and it did not disappoint! The local white wine was also quite palatable.

As we wandered the alleys and corridors, we did finally come across the famous church, St Mark’s cathedral, which Kathy and Eloise visited. It was not as large or ornate as expected. We also visited the gallery owned by our landlord which has an amazing assortment of original art and trinkets that entices one to buy.

Tomorrow the forecast is not favourable but we are hopeful we will be able to continue exploring this unique treasure of Korcula we have discovered!

Leaving Dubrovnik - our ferry

The marina in Korcula

Our first look at the beginning of Old Town

Architectural features in our alley

Starting our tour around the exterior of Old Town - lush and green

Skirting Old Town -  amazing old trees and restaurants everywhere

A tiny beach bordering Old Town

St. Mark's Cathedral

Old Town scene- small cafe

Flagpole and narrow street near the Cathedral

Accessing Old Town via the narrow street and 'stairs'

Architectural features in Old Town

The narrow alleys of Old Town

The narrow alleys of Old Town

Exiting Old Town and approaching the marina

Our group at dinner

Day 2 Dubrovnik and Cavtat

Another sunny day in beautiful Croatia.  Today our initial task was to understand the bus schedule since we needed to get a bus into Dubrovnik and transfer at the bus terminal to get to Cavtat.  This seaside attraction was recommended by Saska, our apartment owner. After a considerable wait at a bus stop, we caught the #7 bus to the bus terminal and luckily were able to immediately board the next, #10,  for the 20 km ride to Cavtat. The bus ride was about one hour and very scenic as we skirted the Adriatic Sea and were able to see a number of villages, ships and appreciate the rugged coastline. The entire area is very hilly. All houses are built on the hillsides. They seem to be fourplexes for the most part.

Saska’s recommendation was ‘on the money’. What a beautiful spot.  Although busy, we certainly didn’t have to deal with the huge number of tourists, which was the case in Dubrovnik Old Town.

Upon our arrival, we chose to have lunch in a restaurant overlooking the marina.  A cold glass of local draught beer and lunch set us up for the afternoon of meandering along th main street adjacent to the harbour. The girls viewed a shell museum which featured a collection of shells from around the world. The variety was certainly impressive. We also entered a church to light a candle. They were preparing it for a wedding later in the day.

There were of course the usual variety of kiosks which entertained us and prompted us to open our wallets on the odd occasion. Croatia has a variety of jewellery items which are modelled from either interesting windows or high society buttons. They certainly caught our attention!

Of course, due to the very warm weather, we had to indulge in our first ice cream which definitely hit the spot. We eventually decided it was time to wander back towards the bus to head home.

Arriving in Dubrovnik at the bus terminal, we located a restaurant nearby near the marina,  for a bite to eat as there is nothing near our apartment. We finally settled on a pizza. 

Since the #7 bus had stopped running, we hired a taxi to take us home. We were happy to be out of the sun and back to a little airconditioned comfort.

All in all, it was a great day.

Pictures from the bus

Dubrovnik city wall

A long drop to the sea as we negotiate the windy road to Cavtat.

Beautiful seaside villages /towns dot the hillsides along the route

An example of the rugged coastline

Pictures in Cavtat

Nothing quite like a draught beer to set you up for the afternoon meanderings

Eloise and Kathy visited a church, which was preparing for a wedding, to light a candle

Cavtat scenes

Cavtat harbour

Cavtat harbour

Bougainvillea everywhere!

The church exterior

Cavtat scenes

Typical houses seen throughout this area

Bougainvillea arching the stairway