After an hour and thirty minutes tense and stressful taxi ride with our taxi driver Kiko, we arrived safely in Hvar traveling from Sucuraj. Kiko thought nothing about texting and answering his phone while driving around hairpin curves, up and down steep hills and mountain passes on a small two lane road. Somehow his proclamation that he does the drive five or six times a day was not very reassuring. Jamie was in the front seat and I was just waiting for her to scream slow down while I had my eyes closed in the back seat.
Since we had four and a half hours before our catamaran left for Korcula, we found a nice harbor view restaurant next to the ferry stop where it was perfect for people watching and passing the time. With food, cocktails, mocktails and more food, the hours passed quickly though it was extremely hot sitting there on the harbor. As I've mentioned before, Hvar is the place to see and be seen. A young peoples playground. The young and beautiful, guys walking around shirtless and girls in their bikinis. Needless to say, we had no complaints waiting for our next adventure. The town of Hvar is beautiful with a fortress high on a hill overlooking the city. If I was to return, I would stay away from the town center but would want easy access to get there because of so much to do.
Our catamaran ride was approximately one hour and 45 minutes from Hvar to Korcula. I have to say I enjoyed the scenery immensely. NOT!
Arriving Korcula after two weeks in Sucaraj was so exciting. It was a bustle of activity with so many people, boats, buses, and restaurants. After chickens and roosters in the backyard civilization never looked so good! Our first impression was we had landed in a medieval town from centuries past, reminding me
of a small Dubrovnik which I visited almost 30 years ago.
Our host, Tanja , whose apartment we rented for the next two weeks met us at the ferry port. She smiled and shrugged her shouldiers and said "we have a few steps to climb to get to the apartment but this is Croatia" ha ha! Reflecting back on the packing situation that I so religiously didn't follow, I was not happy. A few steps turned into a hill on the top of the town with more steps than I care to mention.
The town of Korcula, named by the ancient Greeks, is situated on the island of the same name. It is known for the beauty of it's nature and the richness of it's historical and cultural heritage. Shipbuilding and stone-cutting were the main professions of the town. They say that Marco Polo was born here but everyone seems to have a different opinion of what the true origins of that myth are. Our host believes that he spent a night here on his journeys and the town expanded on that notion, even dedicating several museums in his name. I
am sure the Italian's have a totally different story to tell.
The medieval town of Korcula is surrounded by walls and towers erected by local stone masters dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. The bell tower of St, Mark's Cathedral sits on the top of a hill overlooking the historical center of the town.
The beauty of this town and the warmth and friendliness of the people who live here is a wonderful feeling to experience. Even though it is a busy tourist destination, the people who live here are generally proud of the history and beauty that Korcula has to offer. Swimming in the Adriatic here today was an amazing experience, clean, clear and more fish then I have seen snorkeling since arriving in Croatia.
I am sitting on our patio overlooking the city writing this blog tonight. There is a beautiful breeze, the stars are out and the moon is shining in the distance. There are multiple musical venues going on in town , a marching band, an opera, a guitar strumming, and a rock band playing and at the top of the hour the church bells chime! My neighbors are barbecuing dinner. They probably met the fisherman's boat this morning and got fresh fish.
I am feeling so blessed and lucky to be here for the summer, experiencing such an amazing mix of life, beauty, and cultures. Today was the first day of our exploration. I can't wait to find out what the next two weeks have in store for us.