Mljet to Korcula

In the morning, some of us headed into Mljet National Park, where we took a boat ride to a tiny island in the middle of a lake, the home of an old abandoned monastery. Apparently, the monastery was once converted into a hotel but, realising that it kind of ruined the cultural effect of the place, it was returned to its original condition (if you ignore the cafes that seem to come hand-in-hand with every historical landmark in Croatia!)

There was time for a swim in the lake - much warmer than the sea! - before heading back to the boat via an ice cream stall. It was the first of MANY MANY ice-creams consumed at all hours of the day and night throughout the trip (Beth's mantra became "let's eat ice cream"...we even found a hat at a market with those very words printed on it!).

Mljet monastery

Swimming in the lake

We set sail again for Korcula, described as a mini Dubrovnik, but we had to wait a frustrating hour or two before we were allowed to dock. We had to dock alongside other boats in size order, larger boats by the shore and smaller boats attached to each other, extending out into the water. So if you're the fourth, fifth or even sixth boat into port (which we sometimes were) our trip to shore involved passing through various other boats (trying to jump the gaps between boats is tricky enough when sober, let alone after a few drinks!)

Korcula from the boat

Our fleet

After finally docking, Charlie, Jess, Beth and I explored the old town in the short hour we had left before dinner. It's definitely a pretty place once you get within the old walls. We saw a sign for the famous Moreska, the traditional sword dance of Korcula, and the origins of Morris Dancing! We also spotted Marco Polo's supposed birthplace.

Moreska, Korcula's traditional dance

Cannons at Korcula

We started to suspect that our tour operator's reasons for choosing certain islands were based around the quality of the bars there, as we were taken to Massimo, a cocktail bar on the roof of a turret. The location was impressive, but we were packed into the tiny space like sardines and were expected to have one drink, then leave. I accidentally ordered a cocktail with a mound of cream on top...it was delicious, though. We were all proud of Jess who, despite being scared of heights, still managed to make it up and down the tower. After watching the sun set from our turret, we headed for pizza in a nice open square, followed by a night at Dos Locos, a pretty average bar and club.

Pizza in Korcula

Massimo cocktail bar, Korcula

Night in Korcula

Korcula, Croatia