we had a short 1-hour walking tour of Korčula Town that was very informative. We met a local bengal cat that is the “official” town greeter. It’s a very charming little town. Locals, including our guide, like to say that Marco Polo lived on the island. They even have a museum set up in what they say was his house. Historians say there’s no evidence Polo lived on the island for any signifiant amount of time. In fact, the only historical record of Marco Polo being on the island was when he was captured by the Genoese during a naval battle off the shores of Korčula in 1298 while commanding a Venetian fleet, and he was imprisoned there for a time.
After the walking tour of old town, we hopped in the van and headed into the hills for some local honey tasting. The bee keeper also makes olive oil and gin. We bought some gin and honey to bring home. (For some reason none of us took any photos inside the tasting room. I guess we were too busy tasting!) On the way to the tasting, we pulled over at a popular photo spot that has an iron sign that says Korčula, with a view of the town behind it.
After honey tasting, we split up and did different things. Teresa and I explored old town shops before eventually running into Sheri and Janet. The four of us found a great lunch spot right on the water – Aurora. Just as we were ordering, Hugh arrived to join us. The food was outstanding. My grilled chicken thighs with grilled veggies and sweet potato puree was delicious. (Seriously, it was one of the best restaurant meals of the trip, even if it was just “lowly” chicken thighs!)
Dinner was at a small cafe near the apartment. I tried a Balkan specialty – čevapi. It’s small, hand-rolled, skinless grilled sausages, traditionally made from a mixture of minced beef, lamb, pork, or a combination, seasoned with garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika, and served in warm flatbread with onions and roasted red pepper sauce. It was flavorful, but there wasn’t enough sauce, so it was a bit dry.
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