The Pilgrimage, Days 9-13 (The Final Chapter – Thank God)

There’s that old saying, “there’s more in the telling”, but c’mon, these last two posts have gotten out of hand. I plead the temporary insanity that daily masses and repeated Hail Mary’s may have had on my barely Catholic personae. I think I’ve finally conquered the jet lag from the trip so I didn’t wake up for good until 7 this morning, a good two hours later than I’d been experiencing. There was a very funny, late-night moment on Monday night though. As aa certified senior citizen I feel it is my obligation to wake up several times at night to use the facilities. I found myself int eat situation Monday, groggily wandering around the bedroom. I did this long enough that I woke up my Favorite Panamanian who asked me what the hell I was doing. I told her I was looking for the bathroom. In my sleep befuddled state, I thought we were still in the hotel room in Bosnia and the bathroom wasn’t where it was supposed to be. The story has a good ending though as she very politely reminded me I was home and knew where the bathroom was. Anyways, back to the trip; hang in there, we’re almost done. Promise.

On To Bosnia!!

Day 9 – Travel Day

We had an early morning wakeup in Rome to escape the city before the traffic jammed up to bad. It was kind of sad to be leaving because I had truly enjoyed our stay in the imperial city of so much history. We returned to the chaotic Rome Airport which hadn’t acquired any more of a big city vibe since our arrival. We said a fond farewell to Flavia and after some searching found the counter to check in for our flights to Zurich and then on to Split, Croatia. I’ve flown through Zurich a few times and it did not disappoint. It was clean, huge, and well run. In a major shocker I saw a couple Swiss guys smile. A first, for me. Our stopover was all too short, which was a sad because they had a restaurant called Burger and Beer, which, after my week of pasta and wine looked so good.

So Sad

Klis Fortress Above Split

Croatian Border

Our Hotel

Our short flight to Split allowed some great views of the Dalmatian Coast which was beautiful but kind of stark. The airport was ultra-modern but almost deserted when we arrived and had to walk in from the tarmac as they hadn’t broken in the gateways yet. We met out new tour guide, Anna, yet another blonde, blue eyed lady hailing from Bosnia. She claimed to really like Americans, but this could have been a tip ploy. We had a three-hour bus ride ahead of us to reach Medjugorje. I think at this point I should explain why we were headed to the wilds of Bosnia. All I knew about Bosnia I learned from reading maps and some other classified materials in preparation for a short jaunt planned to that locale while I was still in the Army. I had no idea what Medjugorje was and why we were going there. As soon as I told my Favorite Panamanian about our destination, she freaked out (in a good way). She knew all about it. It has become a popular site of Catholic pilgrimage. In 1981 Our Lady of Medjugorje, a series of apparitions of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, to six local children on a hillside above the town. Some people believe is still appearing almost daily to this day. We all know how much Catholics revere the Virgin Mary, so this had become a very important pilgrimage site.

Views of Dalmatian Coast as we Flew In

Our trip from Split took us through some beautiful countryside dotted with hilltop towns, including the famous Klis Fortress, before we got off the highway to follow some winding roads to the border between Croatia and Bosnia. It was easy to see the difference between the two as Croatia is in the EU while Bosnia is not. The Corat side of the border was very modern while the Bosnian side was a small shack. The Bosnian border guards were a lot friendlier though. The sun had set at this point so there wasn’t much to see for the remainder of the trip to Medjugorje. We pulled into town which was a cute little village dominated by a well-lit church and a main street lined with souvenir shops. My wallet may have cringed at this sight while my Favorite Panamanian was clearly enthused.

Split Airport

We pulled into our hotel and were warmly greeted by the owner himself, who ushered us inside. It was a family run place, and it looked like his son and daughters were manning the lobby. We were overdue for dinner at this point, and they sat us down as soon as we checked into our rooms. This was one of the things I really liked about our stay there, the breakfasts and dinners. They served our group family style. We had designated tables and they would then place the entrees in large plates in the middle of the table for us to distribute. This was a lot more laid back than our time in Rome. Wine was always part of dinner fare so my education in that arena continued.

Day 10 – Catholicism Sets In

While our trip was billed as a pilgrimage, this was the day when it became really Catholic. We made the short walk into town in the morning following breakfast where Anna gave us a tour of the church grounds which were a lot more extensive than I thought. We celebrated an English language mass in the main church led by a Canadian Archbishop and at least 20 priests, including Father Bob.  It was an awesome experience because the church was packed and these were serious Catholics (except for me) who really through themselves into the service.

Walking to Church

The Main Church

The Shops Across the Street

Very Happy Wife

After mass we were scheduled for a presentation in a nearby building by the resident English-speaking priest assigned to Medjugorje. I was girding my loins because this didn’t sound like a whole lot of fun. I kept reminding myself that this was for my Favorite Panamanian and I should grin and bear it. I was wrong. It turned out to be one of the highlights of the whole trip. Father Leon was an Indian priest, born in Singapore, trained as a doctor who lived in England. He delivered the best oral presentation on faith that I’ve ever heard. He was poignant, personal, and very funny. I loved it. No one was more surprised at that than I was.

First Mass

Father Leon

We were on our own for lunch after that and wandered across the main street to a café (lot less pressure than in Rome). Since our Spanish wasn’t as much a help with Serb-Croat as it had been with Italian, I just pointed to the picture on the menus for some veal cutlets. I was excited as this marked the first non-pasta involved meal since I left the US. I was more than pleasantly surprised when the meal showed up and was at least twice the size of the picture I’d pointed at. It turned out the waiter spoke English also, so win-win.

No More Pasta!

After lunch we bused to the Cenacolo Community on the other side of town. This was a community founded by an Italian nun aimed at helping young addicts. We listened to a very moving presentation and testimony from two of the residents. One of the benefits they offered was writing down your prayers on a piece of paper which they bring to the Marian Apparition site to read and then burn. My wife spent a lot of time writing which made me nervous, but I guess I have that going for me.

At the Cenacolo Community

Lots of Prayers Sent Downrange

We returned to the church grounds for more tours. Anna showed us a statue depicting the risen Christ. It has quite a story. After it was erected, people noticed a clear liquid seeping out of the right knee of the figure. Pilgrims now embrace the statue and wipe cloth on the right leg to collect the moisture which is said to have healing properties. I thought it was poignant in a town dedicated to the Virgin Mary to have pilgrims gripping the legs of Jesus much in the same way the real Mary might have done on Cavalry Hill. We’re bringing a pack of the clothes back with us after wiping them on the statue.

Church Grounds

Amphitheater Behind Church

Wife at the Risen Christ Statue

After the tour we were released and my Favorite Panamanian, big surprise, wanted to do some souvenir shopping. I voted to return to the hotel but, again, I only get 49% of the vote. She said I should walk back to the hotel and she would find her own way back. We looked at each other and both started laughing. She is not possessed even the smallest modicum of a sense of direction and probably would have ended up in Slovenia. We returned to the church grounds after dinner for an adoration and I was astounded to see thousands of people quietly sitting in the outdoor amphitheater praying. It was very moving.

Day 11 – Castles and Rocks

This day started off with a jolt. After a couple weeks traveling in sedate buses, albeit through some fairly gruesome traffic (I’m looking at you Rome), Anna loaded us in a series of taxis for our next destination. Our guy must have just watched a Mad Max movie because we were flying through the one lane, two way streets that wound through the village. We had to contend with very large Italian tour buses which he hoped would get out of the way. I think he just like terrorizing Americans. I was very excited to hear we would be visiting a castle as this didn’t sound very pilgrim-like. I envisioned an ancient structure bult to hold off whatever barbarian horde needed holding off. I was wrong. The castle sits below Apparition Hill and was built in the last thirty years by a Canadian auto dealer, named Patrick. An explanation is probably called for here.

The Castle

Patrick was a very successful auto dealer in western Canada, owning several high-end dealerships. He wasn’t religious at all and on this third wife with a fractured relationship with his kids. That third wife, Nancy, was a Croatian lawyer living in Canada (it happens). She insisted on getting married in a church and, as part of their preparation of that, she gave hm a book with quotes from the Medjugorje visionaries. One of those quotes, “For the last time, I am calling you to conversion” which struck him. He found his faith. He sold all his businesses and homes, while Nancy closed her legal practice, and they set out for Medjugorje. After arriving he met a Hungarian architect who designed the castle and a Romanian builder who built it. It’s still being built and when they pass on it will be donated to the church. It now serves as a destination for pilgrims because the Virgin Mary has also appeared there many times and one of the visionaries lives next door.

Patrick Telling his Story

Wife weas Impressed

Father Bob was especially excited about the visit because he had been there several times. It was a high holy day so they weren’t supposed to be open for visitors but Anna talked her way in. We were greeted enthusiastically by Nancy who escorted us to one of the small chapels that adorn the castle. Patrick then joined us and told us his story which was truly fascinating and entertaining. After this we were free to wander the grounds and I was in seventh heaven charging around the battlements even though they lacked any horde history. I was very impressed with both Nancy and Patrick and their simple, yet very expensive/dedicated expression of faith.

More Views from Inside the Castle

We headed back to the village with the same crazed driver for the mass in English followed by a hurried lunch. Our post lunch destination was Apparition Hill, the most famous location in Medjugorje. It was on this hillside that Mary appeared to the young visionaries and a must-visit for pilgrims. The only problem being it is up a steep sharp, loose, rock-strewn hill. When I say rock-strewn, I’m being very serious and some of the pilgrims made the climb up and down barefoot (insanity!). The footing was incredibly dangerous, and my Favorite Panamanian was still in recovery mode from knee surgery. She was not going to be denied though and shot up the hill as soon as we arrived, leaving the group behind. She was a true champ. While the trail had not been improved, at all, there were granite slabs carved with the stations of the cross on the way up.

At the Foot of the Trail

We Can Do This!

Stations of the Cross Marking on the Trail

Tough Walk

Mid-Way Point

We Made It!

As I said, we went up quickly, dodging the omnipresent Italian pilgrims and arrived at the apparition site which is marked with a cross and a statue of the Virgin. While my wife prayed at the statue, I wandered around the hilltop which offered some stunning views into the valley. I was also touched by how quiet and reverent the large group was, especially considering there were a lot of Italians involved. We were fortunate during our stay because as we were heading down, we ran into a massive group of Italians heading up. That included a large metal chair that six guys were carrying to get the chair’s occupant, a disabled lady, up the hill. I was impressed. Our group was just arriving as we started down.

Statue at the Top

Wife Praying

We had a long wait at the bottom of the hill waiting for the rest of our group to return but that offered an opportunity to watch the comings and goings at the start of the trail which was fascinating. There were some people that were overcome with emotion just being there. The guys carrying the chair returned while we were there and my Favorite Panamanian started applauded which was soon picked up by a large group of people waiting with us. It was a cool moment. As was the entire day, a rare, very spiritual day for me.

Back to Risen Christ Statue That Night

Day 12 – Final Full European Day

I had another very Catholic day in store for me on the final full day in Bosnia. We started out with the daily English-speaking mass with Father Leon. This was followed by a special blessing of all the different religious items we’d acquired during our travel. I had a full backpack which my Favorite Panamanian took into the scrum so they could all be blessed. So, if you get something from us, it’s been anointed with holy water. Aren’t you special (yep). Our next stop was the Blue Cross, or I should say, the Blue Crosses. Why blue you ask? When they placed the crosses that was the only color paint the guy putting them up had and they've carried on the tradition ever since. 

Street Sign Near our Hotel

Our Hotel Room had a Balcony

Wife in the Middle of this Group Getting her Purchases Blessed

Anna Briefing us on the Blue Crosses

They’re down the hill from the big shrine we visited the day before. The story goes that Mary appeared to the youngest visionary as we was about to guide a group of pilgrims up the hill. She warned him that the police were waiting to ambush the group a short distance ahead. When the visions first occurred Medjugorje was part of Yugoslavia. The communist government didn’t approve of organized religion and weren’t allowing anyone to visit the site. The parish priest was imprisoned for protecting the visionaries. It was all very Balkan. Anyways, the blue crosses were placed where Mary appeared to deliver her timely warning.

Wife at the Blue Cross

A Happy Catholic

Just a short walk away was the house of one of the visionaries which was open to visitors. Anna provided us some more background on the visionaries. Three of the visionaries still see the Holy Mother daily while the other ones only see her once a year. Mary apparently has a very special bond with the area around Medjugorje and these visionaries.

Street Outside the Blue Crosses

Visionary's House

View from Visionary's House

Our final stop of the day was at Mother’s Village (you can guess who the mother is). This was an orphanage founded by that same priest, Father Slavko Barbaric, in 1995 to house the many orphans the war had produced. He, allied with the Franciscan sisters, devised a superb, non-institutional way of going about it. They, assisted by donations from Medjugorje’s pilgrims, constructed seven houses. Each house was manned by two of the sisters who then provided as close to a normal home life for the orphans as possible. We received an inspirational talk from the head of the village which left me with tears in my eyes. I donated all the remaining Euros I had left before we departed.

Entrance to Mother's Village

Father Slavko Barbaric

We then had to attend yet another mass, the daily international mass, delivered in Croation. Yes, you heard right, I attended two masses on the same day. Apparently if you attend mass on Saturday, for it to count for Sunday it has to be after 4pm. We could have gotten out of it because there is also a dispensation if you are traveling, which we would certainly be doing on Sunday. It’s all very Catholica. I blame Father Bob who said we should attend, since we could. Could doesn’t necessarily mean should, but, again, 49% of the vote. We sat inside the church but there were no priests since they were delivering the mass outside in the amphitheater which we could hear on the speakers. If I understood Serbo-Croat it would have made more sense to me. The line for communion was epic.

Our Last European Sunset

Final Walk down Main Street

After this exercise we returned to the hotel for our final dinner together as a group. It was a lot of fun as we lingered at the table far after the last food was eaten. I’d bonded with a former merchant marine over the past weeks and we had a lot of fun trading war stories and laughing. He’s in his mid-80’s but has lost nothing off his fast ball. He’s a deacon but was flirting almost non-stop with both Flavia and Anna, a real character. We stole the wine and desserts from the other table (which they were going to leave) so we could keep our conversation going. A great final gathering.

The Final Dinner

My Buddy and I

Day 13 – Traveling Home

Wait a minute! We were traveling on the 13^th day! I guess it’s okay because we made it home. I described the travel in yesterday’s blog post so I won’t belabor it here. Other than to say it was a fitting final bus ride as the surrounding views were wonderful. I’ll let you see what I’m talking about by posting these photos of our trip from Bosnia through Croatia to Dubrovnik. I’ll mention that one of the highlights was seeing the fortress in Dubrovnik that served as the external view of King’s Landing in the Game of Thrones. Supremely cool. This ends my laborious retelling of our latest European adventure which I enjoyed so much more than I thought I would, but, again, I was blessed with great company.

King's Landing!!!!

That is All!

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother-in-law (whom I miss more than I can ever explain); Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course