Medjugorje ✝️ Bosnia’s Biggest Pilgrimage + Secret River Island Camp | Balkan Bike Tour

Day 207. 33km (90,797kms 8yrs)

It wasn’t until I was ready to leave that the sun finally crested the valley’s opposite side. Apart from some very prickly seed pods it had been a very nice riverside camp.

I had thought I would go to Kravica waterfalls today but decided at the last minute – partly because I needed a route that l passed a supermarket – to go to Međugorje, Europe’s third most important apparition site, where more than a million people have visited yearly since 1981 when the first apparition of the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared. The climb out of the valley was – according to the sign – 3kms at 8% but it felt absolutely fine! Perhaps my mountain fitness is returning.

Međugorje hillside was an incredibly peaceful place; only crickets could be heard as the pious gathered in silent prayer around the stature of the Virgin Mary. It was quite touching if you ignored all the souvenir stalls selling every kind of merch embossed with the blue-eyed, porcelain-white skinned face of this Middle Eastern woman. Today was the first day in Bosnia that I did not see a Palestinian flag.

Continuing now towards the waterfalls I descended back down into another valley where a little island in the river complete with out-of-season restaurant, and natural swimming pool was too good a camp to pass up. A couple of fishermen came and went, and though I’d rather be hidden I decided to risk it. Comments on IOverlander indicate it’s a common unofficial camping spot so maybe I’d be joined by other campers, I reasoned. In fact I had the place to myself, a couple of black labrador puppies barking a warning on the one occasion a vehicle pulled into the carpark.

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Morning. Lovely Riverside camp. I don’t know if you can see the water through my laundry there. Um, I’ve been working out which way I’m going to go today. I thought I was going to go straight to Kravitza waterfall, but actually there’s a sort of place of Christian pilgrimage uh on the way, so I might go and see what people are up to there. Nice campsite. And the sun is just peeking over the other side of the valley. Feel well rested. Let’s go. 8% the sign said, but it feels absolutely fine comparatively speaking. Obviously gained a lot of fitness back. [Music] Don’t eat. back in the swing of things now. Feeling like a pro with my solar panel in the sun, bike in the shade. Um, I’m uploading my vlog on this cafe’s open Wi-Fi. Found a nice place to sit and I bought some kac, which is like clotted cream. I remember having that in Turkey with my bucket of jam. Some squishy bread. Happy days. This kak is different from the Turkish one. This one’s more like salty butter than clotted cream. moment. Thank you. Confession booths in different languages. Evening masses outside in the summer which must be quite something to see. So you don’t This hillside is where the vision of the Virgin Mary apparently appeared in 1981 and what the town’s whole tourism industry is now based around. Temple of Amen. Listen. out of season bar. The power’s off, but there’s a couple of resident puppies. Are you going to be my guard dogs? It’s even a natural pool. I just saw a family grab most of the low ones. Yes. First Bosnian pig. Oh, very nice. I as well give my clothes a rinse. I was going to eat at the table, but it’s got a bit chilly. Time to try a new wine. Cab better. We’re moving in the right direction.