Half-day at Medjugorje (16 March)

It seems hotter than before, maybe because the route to Podbrdo 'Apparition Hill' weaves through baked fields cultivated with furrows and black-root vines along a dusty, red-dirt track. Along the way people peddle wares gently inviting you to browse homemade cloths, crosses and rosaries. The rural path gives way to a few white buildings, selling religious ephemera and tack. At the foot of the hill, a rocky path ascends lined by shrubs and dotted with small needly trees. Stations of the Cross are erected along the way leading round to the statue of Mary atop of a six-point star representing the six teenagers who witnessed the vision. It's quiet, people sitting around on rocks in contemplation, occasionally venturing to genuflect before the statue, and in the distance small columns of smoke rise from the hills where people are burning deadwood.

On the way down I notice how my shoes squeak , and the signs of the volume of traffic over the past decades become apparent as the pathway stones are orange-stained and smooth, whereas either side you can see the original untrodden jagged gray rocks. Trees amid the way have polished bark where hands reach for stability and support, running your hand down you can test the rougher surface towards the roots. Caressing the branches I either looked very spiritualist or a bit barmy to the superfluity of nuns (thanks Wikipedia) passing by.