Croatia was never on my bucket list. I mean, I knew it existed, and I probably would have gotten around to visiting someday, but it would not have been someday soon. Luckily for me, Xia, my Partner in Wonder, had other ideas. She had seen some posts and videos from people who had visited Croatia and loved it. She was inspired to add it to our summer trip to Europe and discovered a cruise that included a port day in Korcula and booked it as part of our European adventure.
I was not expecting much. Most port cities frequented by cruise ships are victims of their own popularity. The ships disgorge thousands of tourists onto the streets on any given day. This boon to the local economy comes with a cost. The natural beauty and local flavor of these ancient cities is diminished by shoulder-to-shoulder tourists bustling from one “must see” site to the next and searching for something to commemorate their visit. This gives rise to fleets of taxis and tour companies waiting at the terminal vying for the chance to provide the incoming throngs with an “authentic” experience. The streets near the port are filled with shops selling refrigerator magnets, trinkets, and other overpriced local goods, and restaurants supposedly offering genuine local cuisine, but tailoring their menus to the palates of tourists, and particularly the American tourists.
This does not mean that you should avoid these famous places and just stay on the ship. These sites are famous for a reason, and you would not want to go to Egypt and skip the pyramids or pass up the chance to see the Colosseum when in Rome, or miss seeing Gaudi’s masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia, during a stop in Barcelona. Xia and I have done all of these, plus many more, and every time I open my refrigerator the magnetic reminders of those visits bring a smile of happy memories to my face. Each of them will be covered in future episodes of this podcast. For most of us, these are once in a lifetime experiences well worth suffering through the long waiting lines, aggressive taxi drivers and tour promoters, inevitable crowds, expensive entry fees, and pickpockets attempting to relieve you of your phones, wallets and other valuables. They are each marvelous in their own way and should not be missed.
However, years of travel have taught us that the most memorable parts of any trip are often encountered when discovering the wonders to be found in unexpected places. For example, we stumbled upon the Idaho Potato Museum during a road trip to Yellowstone National Park, shared freshly made crepes with honey and goat cheese from a street vendor in Avignon, France, visited a penguin colony in the Falkland Islands during a cruise to Antarctica, had the most delicious empanadas ever at a local restaurant in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and, wait for it… we discovered the fascinating history and incredible natural beauty of Croatia.
Our Croation revelation began in the port city of Korcula. We arrived on the Holland America cruise ship Oosterdam on a beautiful sunny day in late August. Korcula is a relatively small port and can only accommodate smaller ships, so the Oosterdam anchored offshore and we were transported into the port via several small tender crafts. As we disembarked, the first thing we noticed was the cleanliness of Korcula. Most port cities are dirty, either due to their dual function as a commercial port as well as a cruise port, or due to the hordes of tourists swarming the streets daily and leaving their trash behind, or the criminal elements drawn to the port cities to take advantage of the new-found tourist popularity. As a result, many port cities succumb to the same downward spiral we are seeing in major cities in the United States, with trash-lined streets and walls covered in graffiti providing stark contrast to the wonders to be found in these special places.
Korcula is different. The streets are clean and uncrowded even with a large cruise ship like the Oosterdam in town. There was no graffiti. Young children were playing football (soccer for our American readers) in the central plaza with no supervision. Clearly their parents did not feel that there were sexual predators or pedophiles lurking in the shadows or on every street corner waiting to abduct and abuse their sons and daughters. We felt like we had stepped back in time to the United States as it was in the 1950s. Xia summed up what we were both thinking. While watching the children’s carefree football game, she said, “This is how the world is supposed to be.”
Amen.
The central plaza also offers a glimpse into the way Korcula sees itself. The park is not dedicated to some long dead ruler or military leader. The plaza is dedicated to the common people, the workers and artisans who built the city. They are featured in bas reliefs that adorn all four entrances to the plaza, and feature images of stonemasons, carpenters and laborers plying their trade.
Like most port cities, Korcula’s main street has numerous shops and restaurants dedicated to the tourist trade, but they have not allowed the competition for tourist dollars to destroy their humanity. The streets are not filled with hucksters hounding the tourists for every last penny. Instead, friendly shopkeepers allow you to browse, politely answer any questions you may have, and provide good service at reasonable prices. We did not try the local restaurants, as we had eaten far too much on the ship, but we did stop at a streetside gelato bar in the afternoon. The service was excellent, the gelato delicious, and the ambience was amazing. We sat outside in a row of tables that lined a narrow cobblestone street in old town that angled down to a stunning view of the Adriatic Sea.
Korcula’s history is fascinating. The city prides itself on being the birthplace of famed explorer Marco Polo, although there is disagreement on that fact. Some scholars believe he was more likely born in Venice, but there is little doubt that Marco Polo spent significant time in Korcula, as the wealthy Polo family-owned land and had business interests in both Venice and Korcula during Marco’s lifetime. The island also played a significant role in the writing of Polo’s famous book of his travels to China and the court of Kublai Khan.
When Polo returned from the far east, the Republic of Venice was at war with the Republic of Genoa. Korcula was part of the Republic of Venice at the time. Marco wanted to join the fight on Venice’s side and financed an expedition from Korcula to join the battle. During the battle of Curzola, off the coast of Korcula, Marco was captured and imprisoned by the Genoans. There is some question regarding which specific battle the young Marco Polo was captured, but written records of that time are far from complete.
It was during his captivity that Marco Polo dictated the book of his travels to fellow prisoner Rustichello da Pisa. The book was the first of its kind, providing detailed accounts of the journey to the eastern empire of Kublai Khan. Europeans were fascinated, and the book circulated throughout Europe in manuscript form. Remember, Marco Polo lived and traveled 150 years before Gutenberg invented the printing press, so the far-reaching popularity of the manuscript was an amazing accomplishment for the period.
Despite the competing claims regarding his origin, Korcula has enthusiastically adopted Marco Polo as their native son. There are restaurants, shops, and hotels named after the famous explorer all over the city, and the Marco Polo Center is a must-see destination when you visit Korcula. The center is housed in the reputed birthplace and home of Marco Polo. It includes a gift shop where you can purchase Marco Polo themed merchandise, as well as a museum that chronicles Polo’s journey. The museum houses several ancient manuscripts, including some of the oldest surviving copies of Polo’s book about his travels, as well as a copy of the Polo family bible, found in a home in China, where it had sat since the thirteenth century. There is also a scale model of a galley ship of the type that Polo would have traveled on for the seafaring portion of his famous journeys. It is a fascinating glimpse into the history of Polo’s life and times.
When visiting the center, don’t miss the climb up the building’s tower. An unbelievably narrow winding staircase brings you to the top, where you are rewarded with a panoramic view of the town that is simply breathtaking. It was one of the highlights of our visit.