Saturday, December 12, 2015

SEASON IS OFF BUT GOOD THINGS AREN'T



KORČULA HAPPENS




Wow!!! Small group of friends is all it takes to turn a weekend into an extraordinary experience. Three of us went exploring roads on the east side of the island and we enjoyed it, of course. Saturday was reserved for the area between Korčula town and Lumbarda. Bire, our beloved Grk winemaker was away for a wine fair so we had to do without him this time but that didn't stop us to ride past his vineyards. Gornje Blato – vast field of fertile land that at the same time displays and hides wonders of nature and people's hands was our first stop and then we headed southeast to check the blue and seemingly endless Adriatic horizon.




Downhill took us with a view to Vela Pržina sandy beach that would perfectly fit in an end of a movie when the main characters, having overcome difficulties and made serious money, arrive and drink cocktails to enjoy next stages in their lives. We only stayed for half an hour though, almost alone gazing at the open sea in an meditation like state. Guess the sun broke just for us.




Lumbarda area is special, millenia ago the river of Neretva used to flow along the north side of it which is why it is nowadays sandy land growing vegetables of a rich taste such as zucchini or cherry tomatos that locals boast of, not to mention Grk wine possibly originating from the Greek era but that has never been proven. Or it was the Illyrians who had already inhabited the island when the latter came and who were winemakers themselves and so maybe the word Grk doesn't come from Greek but the word gorak meaning bitter in Croatian.




That evening we decided to treat ourselves with traditional meal, or better to say, a way of preparing food, called peka in Malta tavern. Iron baking dish under the cover of iron bell with charcoal on it bakes and cooks the food making it juicier than otherwise. The fireplace was on and that's really great way to experience „island life“ off the seasonal routes and ways.




Other upside of Korčula over other central Dalmatian places in the autumn and winter is that is simply few degrees warmer which makes the whole package more pleasant. The climate is almost subtropical compared to say, Split, which again is warmer than most other towns on the coast.




Sunday was really splendid – Žrnovo village waiting with Dijana making lovely late breakfast for us. Eko škoj is her brand meaning ecological island and she grows and produces olives, vegetables, grappas, jams and so on. We sat in the warmth of the sun at the terrace of 200 or so year old house to enjoy a welcome grappa followed by dried figs and fresh olive oil with Dijana's made bread, salted fish, cheese, dried cherry tomatoes, Pošip white wine  and finally, as the meal was already turning into lunch she took out of oven a cake-like bread with walnuts and dried figs.




Next we left Žrnovo and its countless stories from far and near history to cycle some, first up- and then slight downhill dirt road to Kočje or Koče as locals call it. Dolomite rocks of strange shape overgrown with ivy, moss, holm oak trees, secret trails and little caves, a source of water known as the „Fairies spring“; all of these make for incredibly intriguing and magical ambiance in a relatively small area.




As the trail is marked you don't get lost, but when you explore a bit further there's always some new shape, trace, plant or evidence of a temporary human presence in the past. Koče is one of those places you return to whenever possible. Unless it's rainy, because then it's muddy and slippery.
We biked on down to north coast and after two more nice stops got to Korčula town past sunset. That was nearly five hours of little sweat and pure joy.