Church of Sprouts and Brotherhood of Korcula

See photo stream at end of second BLOG. See Maya's BLOG at http://mayaincroatia.blogspot.com/

Easter is really a BIG event in Croatia. It lasts from Palm Sunday to the Monday after Easter. There are decorated eggs in the market, dyed in onion skins to a deep red, with fine wax designs. Maya and my students tried dying eggs Croatian style, in our kitchen. We lost something in the translation (like when to hard boil them, before we dyed, or after?).  If I was in the U.S. I could go into a Target, and get a little kit with everything I need.  But in Croatia, everyone told me, get a stick from a tree, stick a needle in it, melt wax with a candle, and draw the designs on the egg. Throw the eggs in with the onion skins to dye. Much thanks to Bill for cleaning up the wax mess we all made. 

We went on a day field trip, up the winding coastal road, to a town called Korcula, that has a Stations of the Cross procession on Good Friday, that dates from the 9th century.  Another thing about Dubrovnik, there are NO highways. The only way out is winding coastal roads. To fit all the students we had a van (with driver) and a rental car.  I drove the rental car, and I am getting quite good on coastal roads with no guard rails and no passing lanes.

We stopped on the way up at the wine area of Peljesac.  They grow grapes along the Adriatic coast that makes 3 kinds of wine, depending on which side of the mountain the grapes grow.  We even went through the tunnel that was dug to the coastal side, so you don't have to carry the grapes over the mountain.  My students had lots of fun at the wine cellar tasting wine, while Maya discovered the most beautiful dog in Croatia, and she had PUPPIES!

Korcula (alleged home of Marco Polo) is a mini-walled city on an island. We took a short car ferry to the island.  All the churchs were open and decorated for Good Friday.  My favorite was a small chapel that had big bowls of bright green sprouts everywhere (along with Jesus on the cross).  After waiting hours, the procession finally started, all the Brotherhoods of Korcula marched around with big candles and crosses, many men carried their baby sons.  All wore white capes with red crosses on the back, and sang holy songs.  After rounding up the students, we made it to the last ferry off the island, and drove home the long and winding road.