We woke up to a sunny and warm morning for our last full day in Korčula. We sauntered along the waterfront boardwalk to look for a cafe with good breakfast, but found most of the places only served omelettes. Judy then found a nice looking place with "cute napkins" that had more on the menu. Turns out they served the best breakfast we have had on our trip. We ordered homemade granola with fresh bread and an array of local jams. And, of course, the coffee was great. We chatted with this amicable waiter who showed us a booklet about the attached hotel, which had been renovated and the rooms decorated in the theme of Marco Polo's travels - from Venice to Beijing, India and Ceylon (we looked at the prices online, and the smaller room would put you back $400/night).
We relaxed and lingered at the breakfast table and felt more relaxed than we had all trip to this point.
After finishing off our 3rd cup of coffee, we decided it was time to check out the rocks and water on the other side of the old city wall.
The water is incredibly beautiful, there were still people swimming and sailboats galore.
After a quick sit, we decided to start our Rick Steves self guided walking tour and learn a little more about the city. The walk started at the main entrance gate to the old town, which dates back to around the 15th century. Korčula was part of the Venitian empire and was important as their southernmost stronghold.
We entered the fortress and learned about the many churches and the lions that adorn the walls, showing the town's former alliance to Venice.
We then learned about Korčula's alleged famous resident - Marco Polo. In this day and age we mostly know Marco Polo as that irritating pool game and the man who traveled to the Far East and brought back ice cream, spaghetti and silk. Ron had already watched a documentary on Marco Polo that stated that although the man probably existed, he probably didn't do all the things that are attributed to him. There is a Marco Polo museum, Marco Polo's residence and many Marco Polo gift shops around the city, which sell tacky Marco Polo themed items.
We slipped in to an artists artelier to peruse some paintings (Judy and Ron bought 3 sketches) and started chatting with a couple from Normandie. The couple didn't speak English but were curious as to what happened to Ron's arm, so Kelly translated and explained it. The man chuckled and mused that it's probably nicer staying in a Canadian prison than a Bosnian hospital (he's probably right). We said our au revoirs and then continued on our tour. We looked at Marco Polo's house and listened in to a French group, the tour leader confirming Ron's suspiscions - we can only confirm that a Marco Polo was born and died.
In no time we were at the end of the road and end of the tour, so we decided to honour Marco Polo by having some ice cream.
We noticed that Croatians seem to have a late lunch, mid-afternoon siesta and a late dinner, so for the afternoon we returned to our apartment to relax - Judy did laundry, Ron had a snooze and Kelly wrote out some postcards. We went for an early dinner - it was serviceable - and are turning in early, as we have to be up at the crack of dawn to catch the ferry to Split, and get maximum enjoyment from Kelly's birthday.
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