Awesome Adventure 2016: Korcula

On Wednesday morning, we persuaded Sophie and Will that it would be a good idea to walk up to an old fort overlooking the city. It was built as a strategic outpost by Wellington against the French (Napoleon). One advantage of the walk was to see whether the local beach would be okay for a swim the following day. John and I took turns at walking through the old town in the afternoon. Korcula was one of the earliest planned cities in Europe, with a 'fish skeleton' design. There is a central spine with smaller streets running off to each side, all enclosed by town walls. After our reconnisance and Soph and Will had spent some time resting, we all walked around the town walls, including a look at the 'Marco Polo' chair on the main promenade. We had dinner (expensive!) at a restaurant recommended by our host - but at least had the chance to try out a mixed platter of semi-local food - cured meats, olives, dried and salted fish, etc...

Thursday was a long day, starting with a swim and ending up with a performance by the Moreska local traditional dancers. The dances have been recreated - but initially began as a performance about Christians defeating the Ottomans (Turks). The 'blacks' capture a princess who wants to marry one of the 'whites' (dressed in red) and the 'whites' finally win back the princess. It is performed within the old walls in Korcula in a fabulous setting. For 100 kuna ($20 each) the performance was great value. We also went through the recently completed Marco Polo museum. With reasonable displays and a good audio guide, the museum was worthwhile - even though the audio only took us half an hour. It traced Marco Polo's journey, time with Kublai Kahn, capture and finally the compilation of his stories by another prisoner.