August 10 Korcula, Croatia

 Our ship stopped briefly at Mljet, a pristine island which is known for its national park and its protected forests. Some people went ashore to walk in the National Park or to swim, we stayed on board saving ourselves for the afternoon exploring the island of Korcula a little further north. 

The port of Korcula

This is where Marco Polo was supposed to have been born.  The whole place is steeped in history and the ramparts of the medieval district are quite impressive – it is also famous for its wine which we tasted later that evening. We were met at the pier by a local guide who took us on a walking tour of the old town.  Cleverly from C13 the streets of Korcula were built in a ‘fishbone’ plan with a main central street and smaller street radiating from that. The street pattern channels the wind for cooling in summer and blocks the cold wind of winter. 

A diorama of the city

Remembering that this is an island, this C14 portal and its C15 Revelin Tower once provided the only land access to the walled Old Town. The gate is embellished with a sculpture of Saint Mark's lion over its arch. This lion holds an open book which signifies that this was built during a time of peace: a closed book means the reverse. 

The old Cathedral of Korcula

They say that the cathedral built in Gothic-Renaissance style, is probably the most important building in Old Town of Korcula. It was completed in the C15 on the site of another church from C13 - we saw some of the remains of that older church. 

Stairs going up ......

The dwelling above is where Marco Polo was supposedly born

Capers growing out of the stone walls

We spent a few hours wandering this lovely old town then had a quick trip back to the ship for an early dinner before returning for a special performance of the Moreška. This is a traditional sword dance from Korčula and dates back 100s of years. It is an elaborate production involving two groups of dancers engaging in a mock battle over the fate of a veiled young woman. The swords are very heavy and the dancers leap about for about 30 mins. Quite a small spectacle! We were served traditional pastries and local wine – Plavac (red) and Posip (white) - at the end of the show.

Local  winr and pastries post-performance

The end of a beautiful day