Adriatic Adventure: Korcula, Croatia

After exploring Split we took a catamaran to Korčula (Kohr-choo-lah), one of Croatia's island towns.  Like many other Croatian coastal towns, Korčula was founded by the Greeks; it then became part of the Roman Empire and then was a key outpost of the Venetian Republic.  One of the biggest historical attractions is that Korčulans take pride in the claim that Marco Polo was born there.

Before we explored Korčula, though, we instead checked out Lumbarda after checking into our private apartment at Panorama Apartments.  Our room had an absolutely wonderful view (scroll down for those shots) which rivaled our view of the Grand Canal from our room in Venice, Italy.  Not only that, but our host at Panorama Apartments was incredibly friendly, more than willing to give advice, and dropped us off in Lumbarda on his way to work.  Talk about great hospitality!

Our main goal in Lumbarda was to try some of the local wines of the region.  We quickly discovered, though, that many of the wineries in town aren't open during the day because, unlike in the U.S. where there's additional staff to run the tasting room, they work elsewhere during the day.  We had to have the tourist office call around to different wineries to find two that were open.  And once we got there only one had an employee (e.g. family member) to give us a small tasting.

We ended up at Bartul Cebalo winery where we tried some 2014 grk and 2013 Plavac.  (There are two varities of Plavac--read here and here.  Unfortunately it was unclear exactly which one we tried.)  We learned that 2014 wasn't a good harvest year in that there was an unusual amount of rain (the area is usually quite dry and hot), which diluted the sugars and, in many cases, caused the grapes to burst and attract insects.  Sadly we were able to tell that the 2014 grk we tasted wasn't their best yield, but it was a good attempt at trying to make the best with what they had!  As for the Plavac, it was unlike any red wine I'd tasted before.  It tasted very much like prunes.  I didn't mind it, but I think it's safe to say that it might not be for everyone!

After trying some local wine we walked to a nearby beach, relaxed, and enjoyed some radlers before taking the bus back into Old Town Korčula.  Ah, I love me some tiki huts.

Once back in Korčula we had ample time to enjoy the spectacular view from our room.  Simply breathtaking!

We even had a short rainstorm that blessed us with a rainbow for an absolutely stunning backdrop while we ate dinner on our balcony.

More views from our balcony!

Of course we have to have some obligatory food and beer pictures!  One of the best things about vacationing in the Adriatic/Mediterranean is the PIZZA!  I am a big fan of pizza so every pizza was a real treat for me.  Also, why do we not have 2 Liter bottles of beer for purchase here?!  Talk about the perfect beer to bring for a BYOB party.

And lastly, a trip to Korčula wouldn't be complete without testing out the waters.  Such beautiful clear water, which was perfect for viewing the small fish.  We didn't bring goggles, but rest assured that the vendors in Old Town have plenty to choose from!  Hands down this was one of my favorite places in Croatia.