Day 4: Hike Kojce Nature Preserve
After a restful night of sleep, we enjoyed breakfast at Hotel Liburna. Once again, we were treated to a huge buffet.
We met our group in the lobby, then hopped in the van for a short ride to the Kocje Nature Preserve. The scheduled activity – hiking.
Darija led the hike. Along the way she pointed out some of the native plants and talked about their medicinal uses. She also shared the legends of the area. She told us about the folktales of fairies that once frolicked in the forest and took us to the spot where legend says the fairies once danced.
The hike was mostly mellow, starting out in farm fields, then heading into a forested area, and through a rock canyon. The hike included some opportunities to scramble around – and even scale – the large rock formations. It was nice change of pace to explore by foot. The scenery was beautiful as it always seemed to be during our week in Croatia.
Then we headed out of the forest back into town for lunch. We arrived at Eko Skoj, a delicious farm-to-table restaurant. We were greeted with a round of housemade liqueurs. Some tasted sweet, others tasted like medicine. Regardless, it was fun to sample them all.
Our meal arrived in courses. First a giant loaf of fresh bread. Then appetizers and salads, followed by fish and pasta, and finally dessert. The restaurant is surrounded by farm fields, sunflowers, and lavender. Several cats roamed about which kept the kids entertained between courses.
Like all of our Croatia meals, we dined slowly enjoying each other’s company, as you should do on any vacation. We walked back to the trailhead where our vans awaited. From there, it was a short ride back to the hotel.
The rest of the day was ours. This was the only night without a planned group dinner. We were responsible for feeding ourselves. Imagine that! We’d almost forgotten how.
The Austin Adventures team arranged use of stand-up paddle boards at the rental shop next to our hotel. Some people spent their afternoon on boards, but we headed to the pool instead. The kids spent the afternoon splashing and playing. Some of the other families in our group joined us at the pool.
Marko provided a list of suggested restaurants in Korcula. It included a pizza place. After a week of seafood, our 10-year-old was eager for a familiar meal. So we headed to Servantes. The individual pizzas were large, yet we had no trouble cleaning our plates. Especially my son, who beamed throughout dinner.
We used our evening to look around Korcula. Many shops stayed open late and the atmosphere around town was festive. We purchased some souvenirs, and, of course, got some gelato. We ran into some of the other families from our group while we wandered around the old town.
It felt a little strange to be on our own, but it was also a nice break. We’d had an active week that included lots of socializing with new people, so spending time together as a family unit was a welcome respite.
Day 5 was fun and fast paced. Our activity was on wheels, but not bikes this time. Click 5 to see how we spent our last full day together.
