Ston & Korčula Island
by Andrea Anastasakis, of Rear View Mirror
Korčula Island, one of the many breathtakingly beautiful islands off the coast of Croatia. Photo from Wikipedia.
Having lived and travelled in Europe for more than ten years it’s rare that I’m wowed by new destinations, but Croatia totally wowed me! I love it and can’t recommended it highly enough if you are looking for travel destinations in Europe.
On my travel site Rear View Mirror – The Road Trip Travel Blog you can read about my experiences in Dubrovnik, Split and other interesting sites in Croatia. Here are a few excerpts and photos from my trips to Ston and Korčula Island.
STON
Before heading to Korčula Island for the day, I stopped off in Ston, a little town known for its salt production, the longest fortifications in Europe, and its locally farmed oysters.
When salt traded like gold, Ston was a very wealthy town. Photo by Andrea Anastasakis.
After China, Ston boasts the 2nd largest “Great Wall” in the world. Photo by Andrea Anastasakis.
Back when salt was traded like gold, Ston was a very wealthy town, as can be seen in the quality of the stone buildings in the old town. Salt is still produced and sold for use to salt roads in winter. That and a little tourism is about all they have here. Most tourists stop on their way to Korčula or to walk the 5.5 kilometer wall which is the second longest in the world after the Great Wall of China.
I enjoyed my quick stop here as well as a brief visit to neighbouring Mali Ston for a tasting of local oysters.
Remnants of an ancient church. Photo by Andrea Anastasakis.
Delicious locally farmed oysters. Photo by Andrea Anastasakis.
Church and Monastery of Saint Nikola on Korčula Island. Photo from Wikipedia.
KORČULA ISLAND
Korčula Island is one of the many breathtakingly beautiful islands off the coast of Croatia. It’s easily accessible from both Dubrovnik and Split and makes a great, albeit rushed, day trip. If you had the time you could spend a few days here relaxing, swimming, and wandering around the old town where Marco Polo was (possibly) born.
I loved everything about this island. The old town is gorgeous. You can sit peacefully admiring the harbour, or swim on one of the rocky beaches. The only negative is the thousands of other tourists and the touristy restaurants in the old town, but that seems to be a common problem throughout Croatia. I guess there’s not much chance of having such a beautiful place to myself.
Andrea Anastaskis
Andrea Anastaskis: For as long as I remember I wanted to leave my hometown of Perth and travel the world and when I was 20 I did just that on a 6-month round the world trip. All that trip showed me was that there was so much more to see and in 1999 I moved to Paris to learn French and travel. On a weekend away in London I met Ferbent who thankfully shares my love of travel. We have travelled all over Europe and lived together in Perth, London, Montpellier and then Paris where we spent 6 years. We’re now without a home base and slowly making our way around Europe by road.
I write about our road trips and day trips as well as destination guides and where to enjoy the local cuisine. We’re travelling slowly to hopefully get a better understanding of the places we visit and the people who live there. In 2013 I’ll be focusing more on creative experiences while travelling like taking cooking classes or learning the local language.
