Day 4., 5. National Park Mljet and Captain’s dinner on island Korčula | My experience on the Adriatic cruise

Day 4. Mljet, canoeing and swimming in the lake of alternating current

On our way to Mljet, we stopped in one of the bays for a swim and around 14:00h we arrived to Pomena on island Mljet. One part of this island is a national park. The entrance to national park is very near the port where you can buy the ticket for the park and rent bicycles to see the whole park in one day. We recommend renting bikes in front of the park entrance, since the price is a lot cheaper than renting the bike in the port.

The park has a lot of trees and it is characterized by two lakes: Veliko and Malo. The park is dominated by small island called St. Mary, which can be seen in Veliko lake.  There you can find Benedictine monastery and St. Mary’s church. There is an excursion boat every hour which will lead you to the monastery.

We rented a canoe and decided to cruise around the lake. I must admit that canoeing is not at all that simple as it seems at first hand. Children enjoyed the ride. It was a tremendous fun for them. We even stopped at one part on the other side of the lake in order to take a short swim.

On our way back the children were keen to try the stream of water through a small channel. The Malo lake and Veliko lake are connected by a narrow and shallow channel through which you can feel the sea current which is under the influence of tides. It is indeed a strange feeling to let the stream carry you through the channel, and what is more unusual is that the current changed its direction after 6 p.m. Take a look at the video.

Video:

A special dinner was organized on the ship so we hurried back around 19:00h. The dinner was great: octopus salad as an appetizer (RECIPE >> Croatian Style Octopus Salad), mussels with noodles for the main course and tiramisu cake for the dessert.

We spent the rest of the night with our fellow travelers on the ship. It’s one of the wonderful intangible values of this trip. An ideal opportunity to meet new people from all over the world, learn a little about their customs, culture, and make new friends.

Day 5. Captain’s dinner and great entertainment with traditional Dalmatian group “klapa”

Our next stop was island Korcula as well, but this time the destination was Lumbarda, according to the captain’s recommendation. We stopped for a swim near the beach Bilin Zal before the lunch and around 16:00 we came to Lumbarda. Right next to the peer was a beach where we spent the rest of our day till dinner time. Other guests also spent their time on this beach of in cafes, while the bravest even tried jet-ski ride.

It was Wednesday and according to the program it was time for “Captain’s dinner” which was planned at 19:00h. We gathered in front of the saloon and the doors of the salon were closed. We were surprised since that wasn’t usual, but we waited patiently. After some time, we heard bells ringing, which was usually a sign for dinner. Then we heard music and the captain opened the saloon doors.

Smiling and cheerful he asked every woman on ship to dance with him, which was very cute. After all women danced with him, we sat in the lounge and had a toast with him. The dinner was served: Fish pate for appetizer, grouper fish for the main course and cake for a dessert.

By the end of the dinner, the musician came: 4 of them. This was one of the best moments of our trip since I haven’t seen anything like this before. Their performance was truly something special. After the short introduction, the music started and each song had its own interesting and cute story.

These teams, in addition to being excellent musicians, are also top performers; they have successfully entertained us and made us laugh. We enjoyed the superb musical event and it was great, as you can see if you look at the video.

After the traditional Dalmatian music, the party continued in the salon. The captain took over the role of DJ and crew danced until dawn. It was a memorable experience and my girl and I danced without stopping. She danced all over the place and entertained everyone around her. 🙂

by Ana