Croatian Language And Culture Course 2026: Korčula Revealed!
After a great time was had by all at yesterday evening’s welcome party, our happy band of students and teachers head off to explore Korčula island and get their bearings. Thanks again to Julia Molden for continuing to crack out the blogs, now in between Croatian language lessons and a particularly heavy dose today of equally fascinating Croatian culture.
From Tip To Toe Of The Island
This morning we walked down to the port with our guide Marin, climbed into our minibus driven by Peter, and off we set. Our first stop was Blato, which in English means mud, and once upon a time it had been a lake but is now a sizeable settlement, in a fertile region with its two seaports on either side of the island. Marin told us that, in the past, settlements usually grew up inland as people believed this location to be safer than the seaboard, where they were afraid of being attacked by pirates and invaders.
One of Blato’s main claims to fame is its lovely avenue of linden trees which extends through the whole town and is supposedly second only, to the famous Unter den Linden in Berlin, in the lime tree stakes. We visited the main church, where as it was Sunday a service was taking place and we sheltered from the sun under a large covered open-air gathering place (feature photo), where civic meetings and such like used to take place. Then it was back in the minibus for a drive along the picturesque coastal road and onwards to Smokvica, where famous Korčulan wines such as Pošip and Grk are produced.
And finally we arrived at Korčula town and, after being guided round the streets by Marin and then left to wander for about an hour, we all met up again for lunch at the Planjak restaurant and tucked into meat and fish dishes washed down with local white wine. Then it was time to climb back into the minibus, once more, for the homeward journey along the main road we had taken yesterday on our arrival on Korčula. With all the climbing up and down steps and the heat from the sun, I was exhausted on my return and I don’t believe I was the only one, as, as I sit here writing this blog, not a sound is coming from anywhere in the house and I guess everybody has fallen asleep and it is only six o’clock!
For more on Blato and Korcula, try these links:
