Mjlet National Park and Korcula Old Town

Today we set sail at 6 am for the Island Mjlet of which one-third is a National Park. We arrived around 8 am and were ready to cycle out to the park by 9. It was a short cycle today - around 12 km to the park itself. Once there we were on our own to explore the park on bikes or just swim in the salt water lake (or both). You could cycle a path on either side of the lake. The park is beautifully maintained and spotlessly clean and appears to be well used by the local Croatians as well as tourists. The lake water is so much warmer than the ocean but still crystal clear and blue. It was an idyllic day cycling the lakeside path, listening to the constant chirping of the cicadas in the pine trees with the warm sun shining on our faces. There was also a small island in the lake which houses a monastery. There is a ferry going back and forth every hour but we didn’t opt to go there. We just saw it from the bike path and took some photos from there. It would have taken most of our cycle time to cross there on the ferry at any rate. At lunch time we were treated to a picnic lakeside hosted by our biking guides. After lunch we cycled back to the boat and left the Island at 2 pm sailing back to Korcula Island and docking in Korcula Town. We arrived around 3:30 pm so we had time to explore the town on our own before a 6 pm guided tour of the Old Town. It is said that Marco Polo was born in Korcula and we saw the house where he lived. If you ask the Venetians, they too will claim this native son -- we’ll just let them duke it out with the Croatians!! The Old Town of Korcula is a uniquely rational urban plan and one of the best preserved examples of the planning of medieval towns in general. The main street divides the city into western and an eastern half and broadens out at its head forming a square in front of the cathedral. On both sides small streets lead to the outer ring of the city walls forming a fish-bone layout which protects against strong sunlight at noon but allows sun in morning and evening. Also interesting was the fact that in most homes the kitchens were always located at the top floor--for three reasons: light for longer periods of day (early morning sun and late evening sun always on the rooftops), kept the smells of the kitchen from the rest of the house and provided a spectacular view to the sea from every kitchen as the houses were staggered down to the sea. The streets in the town were curved so that the prevailing winds would come in and out carrying the smells of the street with them as well as naturally cooling the town -- the first “air conditioning” units! Dinner tonight -- more hearty food - penne carbonara, salad, pork chops, potatoes and a parsley sauce. Gelatto for dessert. Our travelling plans have changed for tomorrow as there is a heavy wind coming in for Thursday. Captain doesn’t want us to get stranded out on the smaller islands so we are moving on to Hvar and will spend two nights docked in Stari Grad. Looking forward to that as it is an artists mecca and there should be great things to explore, see and do there. We will still cycle until the forecasted rains arrive. Dinner table discussion has been most are looking forward to a down day to relax, explore, visit and reflect on our great adventure thus far!