Korcula - Mljet

Thursday 3rd July

This morning we travel down the other side of Korcula to Lumbardia. 

The sea is like glass.

There are two excursion options today - kayaking or buggy rides through olive groves, vineyards and villages with a stop at the beach for a snorkel. We opt for the latter.  

We are transferred to a speed boat which takes us into the bay to pick up our trips. Our boat carries on to Mljet which is a National Park, a half hour away.

The buggies await us! Much to Sam's disappointment we have to stay in line, so no chance of giving it a bit of a blat. 

The road is pretty bumpy and dusty, but some lovely views on the way to Lumbardia Beach for a swim

Through the Vineyards

Lumbardia Beach - popular because it has sand - most beaches are pebbles or rocks.

Yes I did get to drive! Great fun, just couldn't go fast enough!

After the trip we were jet boated to our boat which was moored up at Mljet - about half an hour away.

Goodbye to Korcula!

We arrive at Mljet at about 12.30pm in time for lunch.

We are moored at Pomena

Part of Mljet is a National Park. It has lots of walking/hiking tracks and cycle tracks. There are lots of protected species with the park. There are two lakes one small and the other larger. Apparently there are mussels that are up to a metre long in the lake. The lakes were originally freshwater but centuries ago monks that lived there dug a channel to the Adriatic to improve transportation which then turned them into saltwater lakes.

After lunch and a bit of a snooze we hired bikes to cycle around the park. It's about 16 km around the track.

The waster is crystal clear and warm too!

This is the monastery that sits on an island in the middle of the larger lake.

There is a water taxi at the end of the lake to get to the other side, but just as we got there he decided to finish for the day so we had to ride all the way back.  Apparently according to others that caught the boat it is just an oversized dinghy holding about 8 bikes and the guy rows across!

This bridge crosses the two lakes. You can jump in the channel and float between the lakes with the current. This is the smaller lake.

Think we've done our exercise for the day today. Tonight is the Captain"s dinner on board. 

We're very flash - candelabras and all!

 

Dinner's pretty good too!

There are 5 of us on board that have celebrated our 50ths recently, so we have a cake specially made for us ! And that's our dessert!

A great night!

We discovered Sam and two others share the same birth date too. Pretty freaky out of 36 people on board!

A great night of celebration. Lots of dancing and drinking, which we had to continue onshore - no music after 12 on the boat. Think we were the last to bed about 2am. Heaps of fun with the locals.