We headed into the Old Town, just missing the tour groups, in search of an ATM that would take our debit card (not always the case), then a welcome dinner. Later we walked through Diocletian’s Palace which looked amazing as twilight approached. There was entertainment in the centre in Peristylen Square, Diocletian’s former entry hall, and the whole atmosphere was mystical. A musical duo was playing and singing outside the Luxor Bar and children were dancing in the square. You could almost believe you were back in Roman times if you ignored the many, many shops set up inside the labyrinths of the palace. We were so glad to see it at night as the atmosphere the next day amidst the hoards was totally different.
The next day we walked along the waterfront (riva) and finally found Buffet Fife
in Varoš near the Fishermen’s port, which a local told us about. After climbing up some stairs in the Marjan
“forest” for a view of the port and palace, we retraced our steps to the
restaurant. Indeed the portions were
large, the food good and the waitress entertaining. Jim asked her how many languages she spoke and she said, "Only 165 but there are hundreds more I don't know". Jim had a local beef specialty, pasticada, roasted and braised in a rich wine sauce, served with gnocchi; I had
dried cod brudetto, a savoury stew of fish, broth and potatoes. It had turned quite hot
and we didn’t feel like wandering any more so parked ourselves close to the
water to relax. Suddenly the darkening
clouds produced the threatening rain, but by then we’d almost made it back to
Diana’s to pick up our bags. By the time
we arrived at the dock, at 4:00, all was sunny and bright again. We boarded the Krilo catamaran at 4:30, crowded with passengers
going first to Hvar and eventually to Korcula, where we arrived shortly before
8:00 after a bouncy ride.
Korcula: We
were among the first to get off the ferry.
Immediately we were approached by two women selling accommodation. The
first one, smarter and more professional looking, had pictures and told us her Apartmani were nearby but her price
seemed high. Jim started talking to the
other woman, and the first one said, “Do you want it or not?” so Jim said “no”
and she went looking for other customers.
The second woman could not speak much English but made up for it with
enthusiasm, assuring us her place was 4 or 5 kms away by car, 15-20 min. by
footpath. She said the apartment had a
kitchen, garden and was near shops and 2-3 minutes from the beach. She wanted 200 kn./night ($40) and she and
her husband would drive us to look at it so we agreed. They showed us the suite on the bottom floor of a
house. We just looked at each other; there was clutter everywhere, the beds weren’t made up, and it was dark as
the French doors were frosted glass so you couldn't see out. It
obviously wasn’t ready for renting, but she kept countering any objections with
ways the problems could be overcome: hot
water carried from the bathroom to wash the dishes, move the little table outside to
take coffee in the “garden” (cement, rocks and weeds, no view), no coffee machine (use
instant). There was no decoration unless
you counted a girlie calendar. She had no WIFI but we'd be able to trek into town and sit on her porch! Her
husband kept emphasizing the air/con feature (klima). In the end, it was too late to back out, so
we agreed to stay for the night. She was really high energy and
told us her husband was having heart surgery on Friday. We felt sorry for
them, but in the end that wasn’t enough to get us to stay two more days. When she hadn’t shown up by 10:00 we hid the key, hoisted
our backpacks and walked into town. We
tried to book a place at Rezi and Andro DePolo’s (distant relatives of town poster boy Marco) west of Old Town. Rezi was full but showed us a sobe next door
which we took for 260 kn/night ($52). The room was small but clean, had a view of
the water and Old Town, and a swimming beach across the street. Nobody else was staying there so
we had exclusive use of the front patio and also the kitchen and bathroom on
our floor. This is more like it! Rezi is a sweetheart; she feeds and has spayed 5 stray cats who have great lives as a result. "I am a cat lover. But my husband is getting mad at me." I told her, "You are a good woman, Rezi." She said, "I know, but it costs me a lot of money. It's a good thing my husband doesn't speak English."
The last day we walked to a sandy beach in Lumbrada, maybe 10 kms, arriving at Vela Pržina very hot and tired. We rented an umbrella for 20 kn. and waded into the warm shallow waters. Heavenly! We hated to leave Korcula, but Dubrovnik was waiting.
Dubrovnik: Fri. We were outside waiting for our shuttle pickup at 8:25. The taxi picked up another woman en route to the harbour ferry. She turned out to be a tour guide for Adventure Tours of Richmond and lives in Vancouver. Small world.
The ferry crossing to Orebić took 10 minutes, affording great
views of Old Town. Once on the shuttle
bus, an 8-passenger minivan, we followed the coast, through an interesting
walled town called Ston, and arrived in Dub. about 11:30. Our driver had to call Ivo for directions to
the Airbnb and he showed up on his motorcycle in his business dress
from the bank to lead the way up the road to the attic apartment. Ivo took a few minutes to show us in and give us brief instructions.
Once unpacked, we walked to find a Konsum store nearby and stock up. Then we walked 20 minutes into the crowded Old
Town, flooded with tourists. Somehow
this is getting less appealing, but we gave it a good look. We enjoyed our home-cooked dinner in our
apartment. Today (Sat) we walked to a nearby beach for a swim. Perhaps we'll climb the Old Town walls tomorrow. So help me, if I'm not fitter and slimmer when I get home, I'm going to be upset!!!!!
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