7/27/15
Mljet, Croatia → Kor ula, Croatia

I woke up with the worst case of the thump-thumps since Amsterdam. The combination of two liters of beer and three rolled cigarettes was too much for my head and stomach. I crept out of bed quietly so as not to wake Ash, tiptoed to the bathroom, and violently threw up—this woke up Ash instantly. Aww, baby, I knew those cigarettes were a bad idea. Are you okay? is what I wish she had said, but all I heard from the room was a groan and her roll over on the squeaky mattress.

As we prepped to leave our apartment, we realized there was a component we had failed to plan for: our massive backpacks. There was no way we and our backpacks could both fit on the small moped. These are the things you fail to plan for at 11:00 p.m. when drinking with your new best friends. It took me four trips to get the backpacks, Ash, and Withers to the port. I took Withers so he could rent his own moped for the rest of the week.

As we returned our moped and prepared to board the ferry that had just pulled into the bay to take us to Korčula, we had a heartfelt embrace with Withers and wished him and Laura great luck on the rest of their journey.

I took one last look at the beautiful, rugged coastline of Mljet, waved to Withers as he drove up the hill for the first time on his own rented moped, and walked across the footbridge onto the ferry to set sail for Korčula.

It felt like we had just walked into an oven. This ferry was different from the others in that there was no outside seating. We would have loved to sit outside and let the fresh air wash away our hangovers, but there we were, in the muggy cabin full of other people’s exhales. It was like basking in one giant room of bad morning breath.

I was coaching Ashley on breathing like she was in labor as the boat slowly moved around the island and reached the port in Polače. A large group of people left the ferry to visit the fishing village, and we found seats as close as we could to an open window. At this point I was nearly blacking out from heat, nausea, and lack of sleep.

An hour later we stepped off the torture tank, and the fresh air pleasantly filled my lungs. I didn’t realize how bad it truly was until we’d exited the ferry. I looked around and realized we were not in Kolocep or Mljet anymore. Korčula was a busy city with cars honking and businesses booming. It reminded me of a Mediterranean version of Key West. It had the aura of a pretty girl who knows she is pretty.

I checked my phone for instructions from our Airbnb host, Darinka, and scanned the pier area until we found her granddaughter. Croatian hosts usually send their younger kids because their English is better. She had a sign with our names on it.

The granddaughter drove us through the Old Town and the two and a half miles along the coast to our apartment, which sat on top of their house. It was perched high up on a hill overlooking a bay. This apartment was stunning, with a huge outdoor terrace that had couches and tables and overlooked the water, a king-sized bed, and freezing-cold AC. The best part: it was only seventy dollars a night, which left us eighty dollars a day to spend on fun. We unpacked excitedly, a nap at the end of the tunnel, and showered to get rid of the morning breath we had soaked in earlier.

I woke up around 4:00 p.m. and sighed with relief when I felt no pain in my head or stomach. I could barely remember the morning. It was as if I were waking up today for the first time. I looked around for Ash, and found her sitting outside on the couches, reading. We agreed to walk to the Old Town for dinner to explore and get some exercise.

The path along the water took us past docked boats in the gentle sea. When we reached a stretch of beach, we transitioned our walk to there, scanning the smooth rocks for sea glass. Sea glass always takes me back to when I was a kid in Lake Huron with my grandparents. My grandma loved collecting sea glass, and her house was always decorated with mason jars chock full of it. She kept water in the jars to let the old glass shine. Every chance we got to add to her collection, we eagerly accumulated pieces. I cherish those summers.

We approached a castle-like structure in the Old Town that resembled the inside of King’s Landing. I know the show is filmed in Dubrovnik, but I wouldn’t be surprised if scenes had been shot here as well. The city walls encompassed all the shops, restaurants, and vendors as if they were still protecting them from intruders. We strolled on the cobblestone walkway as music seemed to resonate from the rock walls. A sign for affordable seafood stopped us in our tracks.

We were ready to settle in and see what Korčula had to offer, as it was our last home in Croatia, an incredible country all around. We had a week in this land of castle-like structures, and we planned on taking this time to relax and gear up for Italy.