Trying to do Nothing by the Sea
Korcula and Hvar, Croatia
Korcula was the next stop after Dubrovnik along my coastal journey making my way steadily northward. Like Dubrovnik, Korcula is a walled city, but it is much smaller. The old city is a small peninsula that juts out from the coast like a sore thumb. The walls only protect part of the coast now and surround a single spine with flanking alleys on either side. Walking around the peninsula is no more than five minutes.
My days in Korcula were scripted as trips to the local bakery for some lunch pastries and then a walk along the coast to a quiet place where I could sit and spend the afternoon reading. T made a joke about Eat, Pray, Love and so I decided it was time to read it. Gilbert writes, “traveling is the great true love of my life… Because I adore it. Because it’s mine. Because it looks exactly like me.” I can’t say that it’s my true love, that’s reserved for someone I have yet to meet, but I do enjoy the freedom and the privilege of waking up every day and doing whatever I want. I’m not looking forward to returning to a 9–5 job and the monotony of doing the same thing every singe day.
I tried to find a sense of calm. Reading with the gentle sound of waves splashing on the rocks was a great way to spend every afternoon because I could seclude myself to a small corner of the island and immerse myself in someone else’s story. This was suppose to be my do nothing place but despite my best attempts I could not unwind.
My photography has taken on a new dimension. I’ve decided to pursue portrait oriented compositions in the hope that I can come to terms with this wide angle lens. I’m struggling to find compositions that stitch together a fore-middle-background but it’s given me a somewhat new perspective to experiment through.
There are so many yachts in Korcula that they don’t have enough docks so the ships are tie up side by side like floating piers. This seems to be a preferred stop for the 60+ retirees that board luxury cruises to travel the coast. I felt suddenly very young and out of place. I’m not sure I saw anyone younger than 30 so when I arrived on Hvar I was surprised by the youth.
Where Korcula is a quiet island, Hvar is the party. It has more coves along the shore that create pockets of warm swimming water and due to its larger population there are a number of exotic resort hotels. It’s also close to Split and a number of day trips come for an hour or two. During the day the main square seems to be filled with girls in sundresses and when the sun goes they change to cocktail dresses. The frat boys are ever present but so are families with young children.
The most interesting attraction in Hvar was the Tvrdava fortress up on the hill behind the town. Dating back to the 16th century, the fort is built on a settlement from the first half othe 1st millennium BC. Like all things in this part of the world, it was added on to, destroyed, taken over, and replaced many times. In its current state, it has an commanding view of the Hvar harbour towards the outlying islands.
I spent half the time in Hvar that I did in Korcula and I probably should have done it the other way around. Even as a party island Hvar had better swimming spots and rocks. Though it was busier, I felt that I overstayed Korcula and could have read on the rocks equally as well in Hvar. It wasn’t until the next town, Split, that I finally found a day to feel comfortable doing nothing and that was because I slept in and stayed in the airBnB all day — but more on that in the next post!
