The weather hadn’t been cooperating for me during my time in Croatia. Usually in the mid 70s and sunny, the Bura winds brought low 60s, rain, and lots of wind for the last week of my stay in Croatia. So when the forecast called for sunny skies, I made sure to take full advantage of it.
The boat ride to and from Korčula happened during those windy rainy days, so they were rough rides that I had to take the rest of the afternoon to recover from. Advice to those who might visit this area, take anti-nausea medication if you come upon similar weather. You’ll thank me later.
Anyway, I lucked out that my full day on Korčula was beautiful – sunny, windy, mid 60s. I took advantage of this and rented a bike to explore part of the island. Like mainland Croatia, the center of Korčula is very hilly with narrow winding roads, so it is not made for bikers. However, the coastal road from Korčula to Lumbarda is wider with less inclines and fewer curves. Since it’s only 8 km from the old town (where I was staying) to the furthest point in Lumbarda (my destination), I didn’t hesitate to add in some of the peninsulas along the way. Sometimes I had to walk my bike around the shore path, but I enjoyed the scenic walk/ride around the area.
At the end of the peninsula is Ražnjić, a small wooded area with trails and some access points to the water. I used one of the side trails to carefully make my way down to the beach marked on the map. The trail down to the water was narrow with difficult sections, but the turquoise waters were calling me. Even though it was only in the 60s, I had worked up enough of a sweat to warrant a swim. Just like the path to the “beach”, navigating my way over the rocks to the deep water wasn’t the easiest task either. However, the crystal clear, warm October water was all worth it. It wasn’t until I was in the water that I noticed the spray painted marking indicating that this was FFK (nudist) beach. While it didn’t matter since I had the area nearly to myself, if this is something that matters to you, this is just your FYI.
After drying off, I made my way back to my bike and back into the rolling vineyards of Lombarda. While my first two winery stops ended up being closed, I don’t know how they could top the views, wine and food at the Vitis Winery. The staff working that day was happy to tell me about the tradition and history of signature wine of the area: Grk. A glass of this with one of their boards made the perfect lunch for my day.
While I thought that Lumbarda would also have a shopping area to check out, I didn’t find one during my journey. Instead I just enjoyed the beautiful vistas of the area while making my way back to Korčula.
I spent the afternoon navigating up and down the small paths in Korčula’s old town, searching for clues for the scavenger hunt that the local tourist board has put together; walking along the coastline watching people fish and swim, taking in the views of Korčula from afar, and making friends with the local cats.
Before dinner, I headed up the hill to another local winery. This is Ðilas winery’s first year open to the public. Head vintner George and his family have been building up their vineyard and wine selection over the last 10 years and are continuing to grow year by year. The tasting room is a converted garage with only space for about 10 people, offering a selection of both white and red wines. Because of the small space and the owner’s welcoming presence, my visit here felt more like a gathering at someone’s house than a winery.
As I was walking back to my lodging after dinner, I heard music emanating from the St. Mark’s Cathedral. The beautiful sounds were of the tenor Vladimir Garić. I’ve never attended an opera, so this was the first time I have heard operatic singing, and I was impressed. The acoustics of the beautiful 15th century Gothic-Renaissance Cathedral perfectly accompanied his powerful voice. Not only was his voice mesmerizing, he also encouraged the audience to sing along with one of the songs he was singing – I seemed to be one of the only people in the crowd that didn’t know the words.
Mac On the Map 
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