Korcula: My New Home

6-11 June 2009

I am now in Dubrovnik, but wishing I was still in Korcula. Korcula is definitely my favorite destination on this trip. The water was nice, the old town was picturesque, and everything except the fruit market was relaxing.

(The sellers spotted us as fresh meat and were almost chasing us around the small circular market area. Rather than suffer through an elderly woman telling us that we should taste her cherries one more time, we left and went to the grocery store to buy produce. If only they realized that their tactics are intimidating and overwhelming...)

Two minutes walk to the bus station. One to old town or the port. It couldn't get much better. I absolutely have to return to Korcula. Korcula is the first place on this trip where I felt like I could seriously live. I can totally see myself renting a room for a month or two and just relaxing.

The place where we were staying even had bats! We watched them climb out of the wall one night and crawl back in a different night.

While in Korcula, we watched the Moreska, a traditional sword dance peformed in Korcula for 400 years. Korcula is the only place where you can see this dance performed with real swords. We were warned not to sit in the front row because it was dangerous - that a woman had been hit in the head by a piece of a broken sword and had to have stitches. Undaunted, we sat in the third row and enjoyed the show, sparks flying (literally). Once I noticed one of the performers throwing his sword to the side and picking up a new one. Another man (in charge of the swords) picked it up. It was bent!

The Moreska tells the story of a beautiful maiden, Bula who loves the white king but is imprisoned by the black king (who says he loves her). The white king comes to defend her honor and rescue her from the black king. Battle between white and black armies ensues and in the end, the white king triumphs and Bula is set free.