First day aboard The Aurora and the outfit for the day is my bathing suit. As we’re leaving port, a massive cruise ship passes by and dwarfs our boat. We’re slowly making our way to Korcula, a small medieval town, with a swim stop along the way once Captain Toni finds a bay with calm waters. Everyone spends the morning on the top deck chatting, reading and napping in the sun. We anchor in a small bay and I choose the blow-up pink flamingo as my water accessory and jump in. The aquamarine-coloured water is 19 degrees but the initial shock after being in the hot sun all morning makes me gasp. I head for the rocky shore while the others try out the paddle boards and blow-up canoe.
A three-course lunch is prepared by Chef Ivan and his young assistant, David. If we’re going to be eating like this everyday, I’m not going to fit into my pants by the end of the trip! We arrive in Korcula in the late afternoon and it’s a quaint little town with a single church spire overlooking the orange-tiled roofs. It isn’t nearly as busy as Dubrovnik and I find some hidden alleyways that are empty. I locate an “art” installation in one of them that has random objects (ie tea cup, scissors) in frames that are hung in a collage on the stone wall. A promenade along the sea is lined with restaurants and Tony, Nikki and I find a little patio for dinner. As it’s their 25th wedding anniversary in a couple of days, I spring for a bottle of wine to celebrate.
A Croatian word I’ve learned, fjaka (pronounced fiaka), means a relaxed state of mind and a way of thinking I’m going to adopt for this trip.
