Leaving Dubrovnik we made our way to Korcula Island and after a 3 hour bus ride and a short ferry ride we made it. Upon reaching Korcula we again were bombarded with people trying to get us to stay in their rooms however most of them were expensive and the only one that was affordable we could only stay one night in. So after dumping our bags in the room we quickly set off to explore the small island town and to make the most of our short stay on the island.
We started off by just going for a walk around the old city which is perched up over the sea and even has some old city walls still intact, although they were not anywhere near as impressive as the ones at Dubrovnik. After our tour around the walls we delved into the old town and quickly found the Cathedral square where most of the sights are located. Our first stop was in the Gothic St Mark's Cathedral which was a dominating building in the old town and contained some nice artwork inside. After visiting the church we went in search of the house where Marco Polo is said to have been born in. Finding the house there wasn't much to see but still pretty interesting to see the location where it's thought he was born. Returning back to the Cathedral square we attempted to visit a couple of museums but found them closed for the afternoon so we decided instead to just wander around the town for a bit. That evening we went to find out what time ferries ran to Hvar the next day since we had to leave Korcula and found out that the only ferry running there departed at the ungodly hour of 6am. So after an enjoyable pasta dinner on the waterfront and a short amount of wandering around the old town again we made our way to bed so we could wake up for the ferry.
Waking up at 5:15am the next morning wasn't very pleasant but we managed to make our way to the ferry with all our gear so I guess it was a success. After our 2 hour long ferry ride we arrived on Hvar island and quickly found a place to store our bags for the day since we planned on leaving that afternoon for Split. After dumping our bags we enjoyed a self service breakfast from the nearby supermarket on the waterfront and then set off to climb the hill above town to the Venetian fortress. Reaching the fortress we were rewarded with some stunning views out over the town of Hvar and out to the Mediterranean sea although it was definitely a hot climb up to get them. Other than the views that we were awarded there wasn't much else at the fortress so we quickly climbed back down to explore the old town. Near the base of the climb to the fortress we saw the remains of the partially destroyed Church of St Marko. The church wasn't too spectacular but its location did offer another splendid view of the old town of Hvar. From here we made our way to the huge Gothic Arsenal which is an enormous cathedral located pretty much in the centre of Hvar and it's giant arch is visible from almost everywhere. After the Gothic Arsenal we just wandered through the small alleyways in the old town arriving at the church at the far end: Franciscan Monastery which was quite nice and included a small museum displaying mostly religious artwork.
At this point we learned that the latest ferry leaving the main town of Hvar for Split left at 2pm so we quickly grabbed our bags and made our way onto the ferry for the ride back to main land.
One of the little alleyways in the old town of Korcula. These streets were pretty common in all of the old towns in Croatia that we had visited.
Looking back across a small bay at the old town of Korcula which stands out into the sea.
A tree growing over the path and in front of a small gate on the climb up to the Venetian fortress on Hvar.
Lianne standing in front of a small church that we encountered on our way up to the Venetian fortress.
A view back across the bay near the Church of St Marko looking at the heart of the old town of Hvar.
No comments:
Post a Comment