Today was about exploring Korčula further. We ventured out into the old town again, this time first walking around the outside of the walls before entering.
It was an overcast and windy day, with rain looming. Many locals had suggested it would be a wet day, and the low clouds hanging over the nearby islands suggested the same.
We headed into the centre of town and climbed up the St. Mark’s Cathedral bell tower—which had its challenges, given I’m not a fan of heights and the winds were only getting stronger as we climbed.
The 360-degree view from the top of the bell tower was incredible, but my nerves were surely being tested at this point. We circled the top, taking in the view from all directions before heading back to ground level.
After the bell tower, we visited the Marco Polo museum, which was very interesting with lots to see.
After the museum, we continued our exploration of the old town and then ventured out to explore the outer parts of the town before heading home for lunch.
We chilled out at the apartment for a while to recharge before deciding to head down for a swim in the crystal-clear waters of the Adriatic.
We found a small jetty that seemed like a good place to take a dip. Suspecting the water would not be at its warmest just yet, I had to summon a decent amount of courage, but took the plunge into the cool waters (trying not to show the kids it was too cold).
It was actually refreshing—and while cool, it was not the coldest I’ve swum in.
The kids were next: jetty jumping in Korčula!
As they each hit the water, they realised it wasn’t quite as warm as Dad was making out 🫣. So it was a quick swim back to the ladder to get out. Once was enough for A, but H persisted and kept coming back—although she was a bit concerned about the number of sea urchins on the rocks we had to stand on. In the end, this got the better of her, despite my efforts to gently move them away.
Regardless, we had our swim and loved it.
Now it was time to head back to the apartment for showers and to get ready for dinner.
We had no real plans for dinner—more a wander through the old town to see what looked good. But first, we wanted to check out a cool little wine bar called Mariola that we had seen on our morning wander.
Wow—it was fantastic. The owner was so lovely and great with the kids. Laura and I both did a three-wine tasting, which came with a platter of cheese, meats, olives, and breads to share. We also got the trio of bruschetta to share.
The wines were lovely.
First up was a rosé from the local Bire winery. Next was (our favourite) the Pošip Intrada (white) from the Krajančić winery. Finally, our first red: the Plavac Mali from the Bire winery—which was an amazing red and a lovely way to finish the wine tasting.
During the tasting, the owner continued to pop out and chat with us, refilled our water, and brought a few extra snacks for the kids—which was great.
By the end of the tasting—and the delicious platters and bruschetta—we decided we were all actually quite full and didn’t need anything more for dinner, other than a gelato on the way home.
Our journey home through the old town took us back toward the main gates. This is where we encountered the amazing sounds of the local Klapa singers. The Klapa (a cappella) singing resonates off the stone walls of the old town and produces such an amazing sound. It was mesmerising to sit and listen to them.
We finally made it home after a pretty full day.
