The FIG TREE - Medugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina Trip
There's the bowl of fresh figs on the table!
In 1989, when Monica and I visited the town of Medugorje in the former Yugoslavia, we had fresh figs on our breakfast table every day! The fig tree grew right outside our door! I can never again eat a dried fig, for I know how sweet and juicy fresh ones are.
The church of St. Jacov (St. James)
...the house where we stayed could be seen at the foot of Krezevac (Cross Mountain) from the churchyard.
The Dugandic guest house is the light colored house at the end of the drive.
This is the home of our hosts, The Dugandic Family.
This is where we stayed in Medugorje.
...the door to our guest house...
the hallway inside the front door... The only electrical outlet that would accept our adapter was just inside to the left (right about where this photo was taken). I can still see Monica standing there in the hall drying her hair!
See the bathroom straight ahead? I would wake up earlier than anyone else, go stand on the toilet and watch out the window there. Since this house was higher up and on the edge of town, I could watch the sun rise and the village "wake up." One rosy dawn, I watched and old lady with a huge pack of sticks tied to her back, as she walked a cow from one side of the town to the other. It's etched in my brain for all time, but it would be nice if I had a photo to show you!
Monica and a couple of the other girls napping in one room.
The door to our dining area in the back of the Dugandic family home. In the morning, fresh milk from the cow was run through a coffeemaker for our use. I think I was the only one of us who really liked the flavor of the fresh warm milk! Europeans have a hard time understanding that Americans prefer milk COLD!
We were gathering to make the climb up Krezevak.
Jessica, Monica, Jaime, Julie waiting to climb...
Fr. Joe waiting to climb...
...the rocky path...
...nearing the top of Krezevak (Cross Mountain).
Monica, Emily, Julie & Jessica on top.
...the cement cross erected on top in 1933...
...a view from the top of Krezevak...
This is the rock Fr. Joe used as an altar for our Mass on Krezevak.
Fr. Joe Losh in vestments for the Mass.
Here I am descending Krezevak (cross Mountain) ahead of Jean, Fr. Joe, & Mary Jo.
Ivan (on the right) was the first of the Visionaries I saw.
We saw Vicka (Vich-ka) here at her house, and again on another day when we set out to find Ivanka. That second time I saw her, I found my way into a queue waiting for her to come out of a house where we had prayed. All those around me were Italian. I could tell they were not happy I was in their midst, but I remained nonetheless. When Vicka got to me, I got kissed twice (both cheeks) and said "Ciao!" back to her, just as all the Italians had done! She was none the wiser!
We hitched a ride on this lorry when the driver said he could take us to see Ivanka. It was a capitalist endeavor on his part! He made a few US dollars hauling us down the road! These are my friends, Mary Jo and Jean.
Julie (Mary Jo's daughter) and Monica with Ivanka. She took time from her housework to pray one decade of the rosary with us on her front porch.
Our tour guide Alexandra. She was very pleased to find that I had learned some Serbo-Croation before I got there. Knowing only a few words and phrases came in handy more than a couple of times, including translating what to order on a retaurant menu. It also proved worthwhile to have changed my US dollars into dinars. The other women in my group paid a dollar apiece for a taxi, while I paid about a quarter in however many dinars were required!
Here we are having dinner at the tourist center.
...the other part of our group.
Confession in the churchyard.
One day when the temperature reached 107°F, this is where we went swimming...
...Kravika Falls.
Side trip to Germany on the way home...
sign on German street
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