Korčula, Croatia - Welcome Suzanne!

Yikes! It really has been quite a long time since my last post on February 5th. There really is no good reason for being so delinquent, especially because we had so many rainy days in Porto Montenegro in the winter months which were perfect "blog writing" days. For some reason I was just never very motivated to get going on it. So, procrastinating is over and I'm determined to get caught up with writing about our time from February to April in Montenegro when we did some touring, had some visitors and participated in activities with other liveaboards. 

As I write this on May 21st, we are anchored in a quiet little area on the Krka River near Skradin, Croatia. My sister-in-law, Suzanne, is on board after joining us in Split on May 17th. She had booked a week-long cycling trip in Croatia with plans to meet up with us for 9 days when she finished. We were fortunate to have a "bonus" day with her when we both happened to be on the island of Korčula on May 12th. We began our visit and got caught up on the news from home over cappuccino and croissants.

Neil & Suzanne in front of Velika Knezeva Kula

The rest of the morning was spent touring around the gorgeous old buildings in old town and learning some of the history of the area. Korčula is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea that lies just off the Dalmatian coast. According to legend, the island was founded by a Trojan hero. The Illyrians inhabited the area around 1, 000 BCE leaving behind many old stone buildings and fortresses. Greek colonists from Corfu formed a colony there in the 6th century BCE before it became part of the Roman Empire and then under Byzantine rule in the 6th century. As most places around the Mediterranean, the area was controlled by many different groups of people over the centuries. The family of explorer Marco Polo was said to have come from Korčula. We paid the small fee to climb the very narrow staircase up the tower in St. Mark's Cathedral to gain a spectacular view over old town and the water surrounding it.

A view from the tower in St. Mark's Cathedral

St. Mark's Cathedral

Suzanne in the tower at St. Mark's Cathedral

After a lovely lunch overlooking the Pelješki kanal, we journeyed back to VikingBlod in the dinghy with Suzanne on board. The trip back on the dinghy was much calmer than the journey into town that morning when my black pants were stained white from the salt water coming over the bow of the dinghy. Thankfully, I was able to clean them so I didn't have to walk around looking like I had peed my pants! 

We were anchored at Badija island nearby and spent the afternoon relaxing on the boat with glasses of rosé. Neil and Suzanne had earned this reward since they had climbed the hill on Badija island to enjoy the view overlooking the large monastery. The evening prior, Neil, Finnegan and I went for a lovely walk around the island on the shoreline path just as the sun was setting. Franciscan monks arrived on Badija Island in the late 14th century and the monastery was built in the 15th century. It is called the Franciscan Monastery of the Assumption of Mary. The Franciscans owned the monastery until 1950 when it was expropriated from them and it became a tourism and sports centre. Most of the valuable library, works of art and artefacts were transported to other churches, however some of the valuable objects and works of art were destroyed or stolen. In 2003, the monastery and land were returned to the original owners.

Suzanne and I hit the jackpot of sea glass on the island's beach and I collected 10 handfulls in a very short time! Before sunset, we had to say our goodbyes to Suzanne. She would be continuing on with her cycling journey for 3 more days prior to meeting up with us again in Split.

Lunch and wine in Korčula

Franciscan Monastery on Badija Island

Relaxing on the boat with pastry!

Sunset over Korčula as seen from Badija Island

Revelin Tower

House of Marco Polo and the Church of St. Peter

Franciscan Monastery

Hiking on Badija Island