November 7, 2018 - Sweet Korčula, an island with a seemingly endless supply of fabulous traditional home-made cakes and desserts. We are very grateful to Franica Tasovac for allowing us to serialise her excellent books called Sweet Korcula, Sweeties of Korcula Grannies (in English). It is a collection of no less than 30 ancient recipes for Korcula cakes and desserts, lovingly put together into a book. A delightful souvenir or gift for gourmet friends. Franica has kindly allowed us to serialise the recipes on TCN, and we will be bringing you a recipe a week from the kitchens of Korcula's grandmothers throughout the year. You can read Claudia Tarle's lovely introduction here.
KROKANT
200 g sugar
30 g of butter
2 tablespoons of brandy of roses
100 g almonds
half a lemon
Put the almonds in a little water and boil (one minute only). Raise them from the heat, strain them and peel the skin. Use your thumb and forefinger to squeeze each almond and their skin will be separated.
Dry peeled almonds in the pan, but they should not darken. Slice cooled almonds into narrow sticks.
Put wax paper on a bigger wooden board and coat it with oil. Put sugar, butter and brandy in a wide, shallow pan and stir over low heat. When the mixture begins to darken, pour the almonds and continue to mix. When sugar takes ona dark brown and transparent colour, dump out the mixture to the prepared board. Press and dress krokant with the lemon pieces.
Cut krokant with a knife passing the knife through the lemon piece.
You can buy this booklet at:
Town library “ Ivan Vidali “
Flower shop “ Fiorino “
“ Manina “
“ Komo “
Tourist agency “ Kaleta “
Souvenir shop “ Suzy “
Bookshop “ Kutak knjiga “
To connect with Sweet Korcula, why not follow them on Facebook?
Once more, Best Stay 2018 Conference, one of the top conferences for tourism professionals from all over Europe takes place in Dubrovnik, on November 8 and 9.
The venue hosting this event aimed at exchanging experiences, sharing ideas and meeting new business partners will be held in Rixos Libertas Dubrovnik hotel, with the third-day additional networking workshop planned off-site. Over 70 speakers and panelists working in various aspects of the tourism and hospitality industry will contribute to the discussions, including general managers of major hotels in Croatia, United Kingdom and other countries, marketing managers, business consultants, HR managers etc.
Among the superstars presenting at the Best Stay 2018 conference is Ivana Pačić Unković, Marketing Director at Lešić Dimitri Palace, whose will present a case study of Lešić Dimitri Palace & Korčula town as an example of effective destination management. She also gave an interview to the event website, where she summarized what her talk will be focusing on:
"Reconstructing old bishops’ palace into an exclusive five-star property on an island not known as a luxury destination was quite challenging in terms of promoting Lešić Dimitri Palace. From the very beginning, we knew that on top of the high-end accommodation we had designed, we would have to create the offer that would, through a creative approach, highlight the best of Korčula to make it desirable to the luxury goods consumers. By developing successful partnerships with small local business and the local community we have influenced the quality of the local tourist offer. Through various events and projects – cultural, sport, culinary that we have either created or participated in, we have significantly contributed to the re-positioning of Korčula as a destination on the global tourist market. The creation of such a new offer of high-quality experiences thus opened doors to the desired affluent consumer segment."
We're sure that Ivana's talk at the Best Stay 2018 will be very well attended and that the participants will be paying attention, as anyone who's been to Korčula knows how much work on the destination management Lešić Dimitri team has done, and how much they've contributed to the image Korčula as a destination has today.
It's been just over 3 months since the one and only Oliver Dragojević left us. The iconic singer was remembered especially over the last few days, as family, friends, and local citizens visited his gravesite in his hometown of Vela Luka on Korčula, leaving flowers, candles, and prayers.
This week's beach of the week on Total Korčula is Rasohatica, another one of the gems located at the southern shores of the Korčula island.
At first glance, one might say that all beaches on the so-called defora (facing south) side of Korčula are the same: mostly quite narrow, difficult to get to from Žrnovo, steep approach, a lot of sun and usually not inhabited, or at least not heavily inhabited. Well, Rasohatica is somewhat different. Yes, it's on the south side and yes, there is a lot of sun on it during the day, because it's facing south.
But, there are houses in Rasohatica. There aren't many, just about a dozen, but you can rent an apartment there if you want, and people spend their summers there and it feels somehow bit less secluded than other neighboring beaches. Also, the road to Rasohatica is actually quite OK, and the parking is basically right next to the beach - there will be cars there during the summer, of course, and you might not be able to find one of the closest spots, but you will be able to leave your car somewhere quite close to the beach, in the shade of the dense woods that grow there. There are two sides of the pebble beach, the one to the east is smaller, with more people on it (usually), that's where you can rent the beach chairs and parasols.
The one to the west is a bit bigger and tends to be less populated, and in the afternoon it will be in the shade much sooner, which is important to those trying to stay out of the sun. In between those two are the rocks, where the people who are staying in some of the houses will be swimming, and you can also find a place for yourself on the rocks on the sides of the bay where the beaches are located (if you prefer rocks to the pebbles). There aren't any bars or restaurants in the Rasohatica bay, so make sure to bring some water with you if you're coming here for a day.
A strong jugo wind like this one doesn't happen often (luckily), so when it does it's worth mentioning.
Sometimes you really gotta trust the weather forecast, no matter how many times before you were angry with them for having missed this or that weather event. These days we see one of those occasions taking place.
Korčula island is quite close to the mainland, and it rarely happens that none of the boat, ferry of catamaran islands connecting it to Pelješac or Split are operational. But, a strong "jugo" wind that we've been experiencing in the last couple of days has succeeded at just that: not single one of the regular lines connecting Korčula to mainland Croatia is currently operating, and the weather forecast for the night and tomorrow early morning are not giving us much hope that things are going to get much better anytime soon.
This is a video taken today by Smiljana Matijaca of Cukarin fame, posted on her Facebook profile, showing you how it's possible for such a short ferry line, like Dominče - Orebić (or the Korčula - Orebić boat line) to be brought to a halt because of the strong wind:
Hopefully, jugo (the south-eastern wind, bringing humid and usually warm air, which usually means rain also) will subside tomorrow, and traffic to and from Korčula will be restored. And, once in a while when a situation like this happens, one can only hope that everyone will be safe on Korčula this night, and that no emergency medical services will be needed. And, unborn babies of Korčula, could you please wait for a day and not decide to be born tonight, please? Thanks.
Ferries in Dalmatia. Gliding through a millpond, a gentle breeze through your hair under perfect blue skies, gliding along the islands and mainland of Croatia's Adriatic coast.
That is the romantic summer version of taking ferries in Dalmatia (and much of rest of the year too).
But when the weather turns foul an a storm is brewing, it takes on an altogether different experience.
There is some very severe weather in Dalmatia at the moment, and the other side of ferries in Dalmatia was captured by Index.hr reader Andrej Pavicic, who captured yesterday's ferry from Vela Luka on Korcula to Split, with the Jadrolinija ferry Bartol Kasic having a very rough time of it as it passed the island of Hvar.
Check out the ferry and Index video by clicking on the image below.
Some of the newly announced Croatian Island Product label holders are, of course, coming from the island of Korčula, from Lumbarda, Korčula town, Žrnovo, Blato and Vela Luka.
The label has been present since 2007, with the idea to allow the promotion of the products created on the Croatian islands. More than 300 producers of the authentic products from 24 Croatian islands are currently allowed to put the label on more than a thousand products.
Even before 2018, many producers from Korčula were on the prestigious list, some ever since the beginning of this promotion, such as Cukarin, but several new producers and products from the island were added to the list this year, on a presentation held on the island of Hvar, as a part of the celebration of the Days of Croatian Tourism.
Sanja Protić from Blato - "Lumblija" cake to-go and extra grape jam
Škatula from Korčula (who we've already written about) - "Karat" Carob Spread and Lumbarajske korkande (fried pastry)
Žrnovski Makaruni association from Žrnovo - traditional pasta
Vlaho Komparak Family Farm - Heather honey
Cukarin - Korčulanska lojenica, a traditional and unique cake from Korčula
Ankica Bažika from Lumbarda - tangerine marmalade and dried fig jam
Vedranka Katić from Korčula - variants of the Smokvun fig deserts
Zlinje, a tavern from Blato - another Lumblija cake
Teo Grbin family farm from Vela Luka for strawberry tree and bitter orange jam, and St. John+s Wort oil
Franica Mandić from Vela luka for her line of nautical rope knot jewellery
Tonči Milišić from Korčula for a traditional hand-made fishing trap
So, now there's more than 20 producers from Korčula, whose dozens of products, including various wines, olive oils, traditional cakes and deserts, liqueurs, jams, vinegars, and other types of souvenirs are given the label of Croatian Island Product, which signifies the quality, innovation and authenticity of the producer and the product. You can see the full catalog of the products, this year's additions included, on this link: .pdf of the catalogue
What are the Croatia travel experiences Americans are looking for in Croatia? A new survey reveals all.
One of the highlights of this week's Days of Croatian Tourism on Hvar, which finished on October 25, 2018, was a presentation from Al Merschen of Myriad Marketing, on the results of a detailed survey of wealthy American tourists and their potential interest in visiting Croatia. Among the various results of the survey which were covered in Merschen's presentation (an overview of which you can read here), he revealed the top 11 things Americans want to experience when visiting Croatia. In descending order...
They say a fish in Dalmatia swims three times in its life - firstly in the sea, then in olive oil during preparation, and finally in excellent Dalmatian wine. It is one way to enjoy three of the main attractions of life in Dalmatia. Croatian olive oil is EXCELLENT, among the best in the world, and it is little surprise that it is on the list of American desired experiences in Croatia. The next step to aid that process would be to build an online resource to facilitate tourism interest in olive oil.
A lesson for all in tourism worldwide - how to create a new product in a successful tourism country, far away from its main attractions - the coast and in summer - and within just a few years become the 10th most sought-after experience. Advent in Zagreb has been voted the best Christmas marketplace for three years in a row. A wonderful time to visit Croatia. Here is the TCN guide to Advent in Zagreb 2017.
The birthplace of Marco Polo and also the 2018 Best Destination in Croatia, according to the annual Vecernji List Tourist Patrol. Thinking of visiting? Here are 25 things to know about Korcula.
And if you are looking to combine as many of these Croatia travel experiences as possible, you are in luck - the island of Hvar is just a short catamaran journey from Korcula. Hvar, which is celebrating 150 years of organised tourism in Europe this year, is also home to the most island sun in Europe, the oldest public theatre in Europe, and the most UNESCO heritage of any island in the world. Here are 25 things to know about Hvar.
Croatia is popular for so many reasons these days, but there has been a real surge of interest in recent years from the hit HBO series Games of Thrones, which was filmed in various locations in Croatia. Learn more about the top 5 Game of Thrones tours in Croatia.
Did you know that Zagreb has more museums per square kilometre than any city in the world? Allegedly, and many of which are art museums. Good news for our American guests, as Art Museums features high on the list of desired things to do.
What to say? Croatian wine is fantastic! With more than 130 indigenous varieties, including the original Zinfandel, Croatian wine is so good TCN built an entire website to celebrate it. Learn all about Croatian wine on the TCN Total Croatia Wine website.
The Blue Cave on Bisevo - one of the great natural tourist attractions in Croatia. Located close to the island of Vis, the Blue Cave tour has become insanely popular in recent years. Here are some things you need to know if you are planning a visit to the Blue Cave.
More than 10% of Croatia is covered by national parks and nature parks. Visit them, they are amazing. UNESCO World Heritage Site Plitvice Lakes, above, is magnificent in different ways all four seasons of the year.
With more than a million people a year now walking the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the old walls of Dubrovnik, the walls were popular enough. Then came Game of Thrones and Kings Landing - no wonder the walls of Dubrovnik are almost at the top of the list. There is plenty more to do in Dubrovnik once you have finished a stroll around the walls - 25 things to know about Dubrovnik.
(Photo credit Igor Tomjenlovic)
And, with such a high quality of places to visit and things to experience, what could possibly be the most desirable experience for American tourists in Croatia? Why, heaven of course - the Dalmatian coast.
To learn more about Al Menschen's presentation on American tourism interest in Croatia, click here.
More confirmation in the growing interest in the island of Korcula as a popular destination in Croatia on October 25, 2018.
It has been another good year for tourism on the island of Korcula. The birthplace of Marko Polo is slowly cementing its reputation as a destination of high-quality tourism, playing to its strengths of history, tradition, nature, adventure tourism, and food and wine. Korcula won the prestigious Vecernji LIst Tourism Patrol award this year, as the best destination in Croatia, and it seems that interest in the idyllic Dalmatian island is reaching all parts of the globe.
A new detailed survey on American tourism interest in Croatia was presented this week at Days of Croatian Tourism on Hvar by Al Merschen of Myriad Marketing, a fascinating overview of the potential of the American tourism market for Croatia. The top then areas of interest included destinations and activities, with the Dalmatian coast at number one, followed by Dubrovnik City Walls, National Parks, the Blue Cave, wineries and vineyards, art museums, Game of Thrones sites, Hvar Island, Korcula Island, Zagreb Christmas, and olive oil factories.
The survey was conducted among Americans with a household income in excess of $100,000 a year and those who had been on a foreign holiday further than Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean in the last 12 months. The results provided some very positive feedback about the level of interest in Croatia among Americans looking to travel abroad.
And in even better news for Korcula, the areas of interest for active travellers are almost a perfect fit for the island's tourism offer - walking tours, shopping, food tours, wine tastings, kayaking, sailing, wellness and cycling.
You can read a more comprehensive overview of the presentation of American tourism interest at the Arsenal in Hvar Town in a TCN article on trends in American interest in Croatia.
Interested in more information about the land of Marco Polo?
On Monday, 29th of October, Korčula Pharmacy will open their new pharmacy store.
The newly opened location for the pharmacy will be within the Tommy Shopping centre, which has become a central point for just about all shopping needs for people of Korčula and their visitors, just above the city centre.
As is customary with the openings, there will be a bit of a celebration on the opening day in the new pharmacy, there will be gifts and various samples given to first visitors and quite a lot of popular cosmetics products will be discounted 20% (one can really not expect actual medicines to be discounted, but La-roche, Vichy, Lerbolario, Avene, A-derma, Ducray, Klorane and Elancyl cosmetics will certainly get a lot of people interested enough).
The new pharmacy will be open Monday to Fridays from 7 am until 8 pm, on Saturdays it will work in the morning (7 am until noon) and in the afternoon (6 pm until 8 pm), and on Sundays it will just be open in the morning (9 am to 11 am).
The existing pharmacy, located at the centre of the Korčula town, right next to the main town entrance, will remain open and continue working, although the company says that it will from now on be a "specialised drug retail store Farmacija Korčula" (what exactly that phrase means remains to be seen), as they do not want to break the tradition of pharmacies in the centre of Korčula town. That tradition is not as historically important as is the history of pharmacies in, say, Dubrovnik, but still, it's worth preserving. The pharmacy in the town centre will be open Monday to Fridays 8 am until 3 pm, and Saturdays morning, 8 am until noon. On Sundays, it will be closed.