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. 

This is where Marco Polo was supposed to have been born.  The whole place is steeped in history and 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 C13th the streets of Korcula have been built in a ‘fishbone’ plan with a main centre street and smaller street radiating from that. The pattern channels the wind for cooling in summer and blocks the cold wind of winter. 

Remembering that this is an island, this C14th portal and its C15th 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. Zoom in and you will see that the lion holds an open book. This signifies this was built during a time of peace; a closed book means the reverse. 

They say that this cathedral built in Gothic-Renaissance style.is probably the most important building in Old Town of Korcula. It was completed in the C15th on the site of another church from C13th - we saw some of the remains of that older church. 

This 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’s 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.

The end of a beautiful day