Our final full day of the voyage began in the medieval walled city of Korčula, Croatia, on the Adriatic island of the same name. Steeped in Venetian history, this is the alleged birthplace of famed traveler Marco Polo, who spent several years in a Genoese prison after being captured in a naval battle off the coast of this very island in 1298. To our advantage, his cell mate, a writer, recorded Polo’s narrated tales of his 13th-century journey to the court of Kublai Kahn, providing us with a fascinating early account of travel to East Asia: The Travels of Marco Polo.
Throughout Korčula, the Venetian legacy lingers in the city’s elaborate stone architecture, not least of all in St. Mark’s Cathedral, which boasts a painting by Tintoretto, amongst other treasures. Our visit to the island was further enriched with an exhibition of the Moreška sword dance, a traditional display of choreography dating to the 17th century, perhaps even earlier. This dance, complete with elaborate costume and live musical accompaniment, is unique to the city of Korčula, and sparks do fly whensoldiers of the “White Army” (costumed in red) encounter those from the “Black Army.”
After departing Korčula, we relished one final afternoon of sailing in the Adriatic. Afternoon tea, featuring homemade ice cream, was the perfect remedy to the unseasonably warm weather. Later, after a formal farewell dinner in Sea Cloud’s stately dining room, guests spent one final evening with new friends on the lido deck as reflections of a waning, saffron-colored moon glittered upon the surface of the sea.
