Korcula and Lumbarda, Tuesday, June 16, 2026
We came on deck to our first clouds; it was actually rather cool, and we scuttled down to our cabins to get a jacket. Our schedule was a bit different today. Connie and Vladimir were taking a water taxi to meet old friends across the water on the Peljesac Peninsula; they would have lunch with them, so we lunch on the boat was replaced by a “light” dinner, about which more later.
Fueled by an especially delicious plateful of Mario’s French toast, six of us set out for a walk overland to Lumbarda, a wine village that is the birthplace of a wonderful white wine, Grk (yes, you read that right; a Russian once said that Croatian was Russian after you’d put it in a sieve and all the vowels fell out).
After a couple of false starts as we tried to find the right path out of the marina, we set out along the shore. It was immediately clear that it was much, much hotter on our largely unshaded walk than it had been on the boat! It probably wasn’t much above 80, but the sun here is merciless. The first third of the walk took us through the distant reaches of the town; we were then on a wide path bounded by stone walls. The wooded countryside rolled along beside us, but we were deprived of all sea views!
As we neared Lumbarda, the group split up; Gary and Cindy took a longer path on the shore around a point, while the remainder made a beeline for the village. We only saw about half of the village, houses spread around a gorgeous bay; there is a second bay around a point, with more houses and a bit of commerce.
A quick perusal of google suggested that the Artes winery was a good bet for good wine. We stuck our noses into a deserted terrace, and out popped a lady who, when queried, said they normally opened at 4, but the boss was around, so she’d see what he wanted to do for us. The boss was her son, who was also the winemaker, and he was delighted to accommodate us. He was a lovely man, eager to talk about the town and its wines.
He gave us tasting portions of his two white wines, Grk and Posip.
We voted, and the round, honeyed, off-dry Posip won. It was dangerously drinkable.
The family also rents apartments in what turns out to be a complex structure. 120 Euros a night for a lovely studio!
Our host was enormously informative about wine growing and his town. It turns out that Grk was originally vinified in Lumbarda but is now grown all over the island. He also pointed us to a restaurant called Gavin 50 meters down the road.
It is hard to imagine a more casual, less pretentious place…and the view is spectacular.
We had a fabulous lunch: fresh fish, anchovies, a wonderful seafood salad.
We all found this a magical place…and even looked into house rentals!
We had wanted to take a water taxi from here, but Ivo insisted that he would send the two young guys with the tender to pick us up. And sure enough, our buddies Philip and Matteo were soon steering right to the restaurant’s dock.
Our plan was to sail to the left around the island of Vrnik, visible to the left in the picture above. Gary had located a promising beach, and it turned out to be phenomenal. Situated between two abandoned houses,
We were soon in the water, which was considerably warmer than it had been yesterday. It was just the thing after a hot walk. We all noticed the salinity; we all thought that the Adriatic is noticeably saltier than the Atlantic or Pacific. We all became champion floaters. The water is extraordinary, changing color repeatedly as you swim.
After an hour or so we had had our fill and made our way back to the waiting boat.
On our way back to the Malena, we passed the island of Badija. It is famous for a well-preserved monastery on its shores.
The monastery was founded by Franciscans from Bosnia in 1394 and it remained a monastery until 1950 when it was expropriated by Tito’s government!
We were back at the boat by 5:30, and soon joined by the Bans, who had had a lovely day on the peninsula. Patti and I played backgammon until dinner. Mario’s “light” meal consisted of a shrimp fettuccine and a black (squid ink) risotto. The risotto was extraordinary. As was the early evening light.
Most of us followed dinner with a walk to the Old Town, retracing our steps to the bottom of the Main Street, but turning right rather than left. The path led by a long string of beautifully lighted restaurants right on the sea wall.
The football fans among us watched the first half of France vs. Senegal and had a herb-infused rakia. A great way to end a phenomenal day.