We started the day by sailing west of the island of Korcula. After breakfast our expedition leader Tom O´Brien delighted us with a sailing explanation while Captain Nermerzhitskiy sent his crew to set the sails. Today’s sail was full of sunshine and wind that didn’t disappoint. After the sails were set we had the pleasure of listening to the Croatian cultural specialist Petra Nosetic’s presentation “History of Croatia,” taking us through the breakup of Yugoslavia. With a little shopping in the Sea Cloud’s ships boutique and a delightful lunch that was the morning and we tendered ashore to Korcula.
Once ashore, we listened to our guides tell the history of this medieval town under the spectacular limestone mountains. Walking through the herringbone streets we saw the St. Mark’s Cathedral, a perfect example of the stonemasonry and the Dalmatian stone that has since been used all over the world. Then, a visit to Bishops Palace to see some sketches and drawing by some of the great Italian artists. After the tour we had the chance to walk the streets and browse the shops selling beautiful jewelry made from red coral that is specific to this region.
We met at the old town steps for a short walk to an outdoor amphitheater where we watched the Moreska Sword Dance. Moreska is a dynamic combat dance with swords made from real iron and incredibly heavy, as some of us found out as they passed a few around before the show. We watched as the men heaved swords at each other and the local band, made up of musicians from ages 12 to 75, play new and old songs alike. The threating wind and rain only made for a more dramatic show.
For those of us who did not eat ashore, we were greeted with a traditional Croatian buffet on the lido deck made by our Chef de Cuisine, Maik Albrecht. We all regaled at the day we just had and look forward to our next day in Dubrovnik.
