It was a welcome slow start to the morning, having gotten a good nights sleep (apartment was very comfortable and quiet). We sat on the terrace overlooking the small bay and drank coffee then had a long call with Allyson.
Once we were ready to head out, we walked 15 minutes to the nearby town center, passing grape vineyards and some of the older buildings in the Lumbarda area where we were staying.
In the town we found a nice shaded restaurant for a late breakfast and plotted our destinations for the day. Tammy had an iced coffee, which almost by default here includes ice cream and whipped cream. We had simple but delicious omelettes, which have been harder to find in the last several weeks, so we were happy to see them on the menu.
After eating we walked along the waterfront and soon found a rental shop , which was a surprise and saved us a taxi ride back to Old Town Korčula. We rented an automatic Mercedes this time , likely paying a bit of a premium for getting it in a smaller part of town, but it was convenient. It solved another obstacle too since they offered to let us drop the car in Old Town Korčula at the ferry port when we were finished, saving us from another taxi fare.
We drove out of town headed toward Vela Luka on the other end of the island, hoping to find some wine tastings along the way. After 20-30 minutes we passed through Čara and stopped at a small private olive oil and winery to try some of the Pošip white wine that is unique to only two towns on Korčula. The owner really spoke no English but offered us fresh figs from his trees, then gave us samples of two whites and a red that he makes. We also sample two styles of olive oil that he makes which we bought a bottle of one. There is something both pure and romantic about this Croatian man that grows, harvest, makes, bottles and sells products from his own property :-).
From Čara we followed back roads through other small towns, stopping in Brna to take a quick swim at a little beach in town. We had to smile that within a minute walk from this small inlet beach was the grocery store, a bar and a pizzeria - you could easily make a day at the beach there!
We continued on backroads all the way to Potirna looking for more beaches but came up empty, although saw lots of pretty rural settings.
We finally arrived in Vela Luka, the largest town on the island and had a late lunch in a quiet place on the water - Tammy had fresh shrimp fettuccine and Don had a lamb ragu, both delicious dishes! We talked to Grace while eating until her connection became too poor to continue the call. After lunch we explored the town a bit, driving out to the nearby coves then along the narrow bay front road.
Nearly all the island towns have a road around their bay like this which is very narrow and often is unclear whether it ends or continues through.
After several turnarounds we got back to the main road and headed East toward Korčula, taking a detour down a steep one-lane road on the North side of the island with panoramic views, descending to follow the small coast road.
We came across a couple beaches here, but it was getting late and the beaches were in the shade so we continued on the small coast road until we reached Old Town Korčula - what a view and incredible lighting in the old city.
We hoped to stop in the Old Town for a snack or drink but after several taxing loops through the narrow streets looking for parking we opted to go back early in the morning instead. We stopped in the small grocery store back near our apartment and bought some simple to prepare foods for our late dinner then headed in for the night.
When we pulled up to the apartment the host greeted us to ask about our day, then brought us a plate of fresh tomatoes from her garden - so kind and incredibly delicious!
We finished the night by having the rest of our call with Grace, eating our food from the store (a soup and an incredible pastry that we baked) with the fresh tomatoes and homemade wine from the host...a simple, local and fantastic meal to end our day on Korčula.
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