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The war is still going on in Sarajevo, in Mostar, in Srebrenica, all across Bosnia & Herzegovina, in the minds of those who fought, and among the survivors.

And those who lost a father, brother, husband, son, mother, wife, sister, daughter.

For young Dzemal Hodzic, like many a son in Bosnia and around the world, his father was his hero (you listening, Champ?).

Fikret Godzic was a giant of a man who would protect him against any harm.

But who could not protect himself against the militia who came for him.

His family, his wife, his daughter and Dzemal did manage to escape their aggressors and made their way to Vienna.

Fikret may well have been looking out for them.

And it was there that their story came to the attention of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Who had competed in a bodybuilding competition with Fikret.

The gentle giant that he is, Arnie sent a heartfelt letter to Dzemal telling him of his memories of his father.

‘I am very much aware of your father and what a great bodybuilding champion he was,’ he wrote.

‘You can be proud of him.

‘We in the bodybuilding community all had great respect for him.

‘And I remember well when your father won third place at the 1981 Mr Universe contest in Cairo, Egypt.

‘He was in the best shape ever then.’

The Museum of Crimes against Humanity and Genocide is disturbing but vital and I would recommend anyone to visit…

Visit https://sarajevo.travel/en/things-to-do/museum-of-crimes-against-humanity-and-genocide-1992-1995/923.

There is also a Srebrenica Exhibition on in Sarajevo at the Gallerija… https://galerija110795.ba.

I am on pilgrimage with Marian Pilgrimages www.marian.ie to Medjugorje and Aer Lingus www.aerlingus.com.

Aer Lingus flies to Split in Croatia from where a coach is waiting to take you across the border to B&H.

The bus from Medge to Sarajevo is only €16 return and takes around four-five hours, usually the latter on the way back because of traffic.

You’ll travel before 6am in the morning and return on the 5.45pm bus.

Which will give you half a dozen hours or so.

Which, of course is definitely not long enough, but you certainly need to go.

I’ll bring you more on Sarajevo’s sporting history and mosque in future posts.

But for now here’s what happened on the Road to Dubrovnik with Globtour On the road to Dubrovnik.

With Globtour, €26 return. www.globtour.com.

Everybody has their favourite… Fawlty Tower programmes, that is.

Heck, they’re all good but among the best is when a deaf old crone complains to Basil that she ordered a ‘room with a view’.

And Basil asks ‘what do you expect from a Torquay hotel window, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?’

Before telling her that his wife deals with requests for reductions.

Time mellows us all and while John Cleese is still as caustic as ever his sparring partner Prunella Scales is someone you’d love to have high tea with.

Prunella and her husband, fellow thesp Timothy West, both now in their 80s, have been on their own Great Canal Journey.

And they have been employing, among others, the services of Le Boat.

The programme returns to our screens for a one-off special at 8pm on Sunday 27 October 2019.

And it will show our intrepid and far from decrepit duo on the inland waterways of Europe, the Americas and beyond.

For myself and the Scary One it has to be Ansterdam… Pictures of Amsterdam. And George Clooney and Amal’s Amsterdam hotel.

During Sunday’s episode, Scales and West will share some of their favourite memories from all ten seasons.

They will revisit amazing scenery and transformative experiences from all over the world.

The self-drive boating operator, Le Boat, partnered with the show when the cast and crew took to a Le Boat craft to film an episode in Alsace in France, and then later on the Rideau Canal in Ontario, Canada.

Viewers wishing to create their own Great Canal Journey, can book a Le Boat adventure in 2020, with a choice on 17 destinations in nine countries. 

A seven-night self-catered cruise, departing 16 May 2020, starting and ending at Le Boat’s base at Smiths Falls on the Rideau Canal in Canada, on board the Horizon 1 sleeping five, costs from £1,949 / 390 pp. 

Travel to and from the base extra. Direct return flights on those dates to Ottawa from London Heathrow, are priced from £588 pp. Le Boat (02392800347, www.leboat.co.uk)

There are small ships and big ships but there are no ships like friendships. Only there are, and they’re called cruise ships.

Of course we first fall in love with cruise ships when we see them out on the water.

Sometimes you’ve even been on that very water in something smaller.

Like we were, the Scary One and I, in Portugal Centro www.visitportugal.com and Secret Portugal.

All our worries just drifted away and we wanted to drift away too on our small boat.

Uniworld Boutique River Collection will help you drift away on their 11-day river cruise, departing Lisbon to Porto, April 9.

You’ll be on their newest Super Ship, the SS Sao Gabriel wending your way through Portugal, Spain and the Douro Valley.

You’ll save 10% if you book by October 31 which means that this offer is now from €3599pps, down from €3999pps.

With three nights in Lisbon. Flights are not included.

Visit www.uniworld.com. And for more on Portugal Centro… Secret Portugal.

Listen up Muppets

I’m not in the habit of calling my followers names, in fact I’m more of a muppet than anybody.

And anyway how come it came to be a bad thing?

The reason I’m raising all of this is that Princess Cruises www.princess.com has a new Jim Henson show.

Inspired Silliness recreates the earlier works of Henson, including several reimagined characters.

Each 30-minute performance will feature singers and dancers.

Princess Cruises is offering a 7-day western Caribbean voyage on Sky Princess, departing February 29.

Sailing roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale, ports of call are Cozumel, Belize City, Roatan and Costa Maya (Mahahual).

Special offer currently available with prices from €1099 per person for a mini-suite.

And you know what a big fan I am of Princess.

MEET YOU ON THE SEAS

As every schoolboy knows Gavrilo Princip assassinated the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. and his wife Sofia in 1914.

And that triggered the First World War.

What I didn’t know though was that Sofia should have survived.

In fact she shouldn’t have been riding alongside FF at all.

Sophia, you see seemed a bit cursed from the start… in fact if it hadn’t been for bad luck she’d have no luck at all.

Sophia was lesser rank than Franz Ferdinand but they fell in love anyway in the Dark of the Matinee.

OK, I probably made that last bit up.

But the old king Franz Jozef was furious and didn’t even turn up for the wedding.

It took the other royal courts of Europe to persuade Franz Jozef to eventually take her into the family.

Not that the other kings were the romantic types, it’s just they thought it would bolster up the unstable Hapsburgs.

And even then there were conditions.

She wasn’t allowed to use the titles she deserved and her children were ruled out of succeeding to the throne.

But of most relevance she wasn’t allowed to ride in an official carriage with her husband.

Quite why she was allowed to on that fateful day in Sarajevo I can’t tell you.

But she would live to regret it if only she lived, copping Princip’s second shot.

All this and more you can learn at the Franz Ferdinand Museum by the river and near the Old Town.

If memory serves me right it’s about €4, or maybe €6, and it comes with artefacts from the time including his gun…

And some background to the politics of the day… Christians v Muslims (nothing much changes) and nationalistic fervour.

There is also a short film of the recreation of the day.

Sarajevo is beautiful, in the apron of the Dinaric Alps and dissected by the Miljacka River where Princip tried to escape, only injuring himself in the process.

It would seem to be that the spot where he shot the Archduke was a must visit too for future VIPs.

A German soldier who was to go on and have his own World War named after him paid a wee visit too.

I’ll revisit the Siege of Sarajevo and the Balkans War in a future post.

And the engrossing Old Town with its Beg’s Mosque.

But for now this beer back in the Irish Centre in Medjugorje won’t drink itself.

I’m here with Marian Pilgrimages www.marian.ie and Aer Lingus www.aerlingus.com.

And here’s been some musings… Give us this day – Confessions and Medjugorje.

The First World War is a story I’ve spent my life researching and even found my Great Uncles in Flanders fields… In Flanders fields.

Let’s never forget.

Now God willing (and we’re on speaking terms now, or at least I am with his Mum) I’ll be off to Sarajevo tomorrow, or Tuesday.

The Communist Eastern and Southern Europe have always fascinated me probably because when I was growing up you couldn’t go there.

Albania was even more intriguing as even if you could get in you’d have to shave off your moustache.

And I was making a poor attempt at growing one then.

And then there was Sarajevo and the Causes of the Outbreak of the First World War which I studied at school.

And studied again at University and which developed into a life passion for history.

All of which this travel lark allows me to explore.

With the help of some friends such as RegioJet Czech Republic whom I met in Dublin recently.

Fact is half the conversation was on their product, coach services in Central, Eastern Europe and some in The West and Scandinavia.

And half on how Australia were going to beat England in the Rugby World Cup… sorry Graham.

Now for a full map of where they go, here’s a website… www.regiojet.com/our-lines/map/index.html.

And some info on reservations… www.regiojet.com.

Now it’s just a matter of choice where you go but I’ll give you a couple of recommendations… Dresden and Salzburg… Dresden’s renaissance and Soll Mates.

I’ve been a signed-up member of coach travel since two famed booze bus trips to the Oktoberfest in Munich.

As a young buck.. I’ve passed through a couple of times without really getting off the autobahn or out of the airport…

Hungry and Thursday: The Munich Beerfest. But you should.

And here’s some cultural nonsense too on the Czechs It’s The Czech Republic… wish you were ear.

I’ll tell you more about Sarajevo after I get there which kind of makes sense.

And more Medjugorje with Marian Pilgrimages www.marian.ie and Aer Lingus www.aerlingus.com.

Bless me Lord for I have sinned.

St Leopold would hear confessions for 10 to 12 hours a day back in the day which would be just enough time to listen to mine.

Alas St Leopold is not here any more.

Or at least in person. His statue is… in the grounds of the St James’ Church in Medjugorje in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Obviously not to scale, apart from the fact that it is… his peers would joke that they could fit him in a drawer.

Though small in stature, at just 4ft 4ins, Leopold Mandic, a Capuchin priest was a giant among men.

And probably absolved more people than there are grains of sand on the beach.

Of course Leopold’s great faith did not go unnoticed.

And when it came time for Pope Francis to pick out two saints for the Divine Year of Mercy in 2016 he plumped for Leopold and Padre Pio.

Leopold, who spent most of his ministry in Italy and is buried in Padua, led a big life.

Near to St Anthony. And I have a review of Padua on this site.

Back to Leopold.

A proud Croatian, though born in Montenegro, he refused to denounce his Croatian nationality.

And was jailed for one year during the First World War.

His monastery was also bombed and all that was left was his bedroom and confessional box.

But what makes Leopold’s story all the more remarkable is that he suffered all his life with a range of physical ailments, and walked with a limp.

Which perhaps gave him such empathy.

He was also a champion of the children, and not just because he was their height!

And he founded a number of orphanages.

St Leopold was criticised by his fellow Brothers at the time for being too lenient in confession.

It has rubbed off.

And the priest at my confession in Medjugorje (there’s a whole row outside the church hearing your sins in your own language) also cut me some slack.

I won’t, of course, divulge what goes on between a Bandanaman and his priest but suffice to say I love my wife!

St Leopold would understand – he would refer to Our Lady as ‘my holy boss’.

Now just as I seek out churches and sports events wherever I go (where people pray and play is where you’ll find the locals), I am specific too.

I like to go to confession too… and have been in Santiago A pilgrim’s prayer, Rome Small roads lead to Rome and most recently Tenerife A walk through the ages… Tenerife.

All of them are different, whether it’s your own language or not. And you do feel lighter afterwards.

I’ll keep you up to date with my Medge pilgrimage and the Stations of the Cross up to Cross Mountain.

To where Our Lady is said to have appeared.

In the meantime now that my sins are cleansed I need to commit more.

The Manchester United v Liverpool match is on the telly at the Irish Centre and my tongue gets looser with beer, particularly at €2.50 a pint.

Now maybe I’ll have a chat with the St James doppelgänger at church and ask him along.

After all his prayerful intercession got the telly working for the rugby yesterday.

Although some things are beyond God and Man and Ireland lost to the New Zealand All Blacks.

I’m here in Medge with Marian Pulgrimages www.marian.ie and Aer Lingus www.aerlingus.com who fly to Split which is just two hours’ coach drive away.

MEET YOU IN THE PEWS

Brother Columba roused the troops as the television froze for the umpteenth time in the Irish Centre in Medjugorje.

Just as an Irish rugby player was about to break through.

‘Let’s say a payer for an intercession to get the television working again,’ the good monk said.

Before he sashayed out of the bar in his brown robe his naval length beard being the last we saw of him.

Wish to God he hadn’t.

Brother Malachy had also asked Our Lady for Ireland to send the New Zealand All Blacks packing.

Maybe that too got lost in the transmission or Our Lady just isn’t that into her rugby (world peace and rosaries are more her thing).

But Ireland took a hiding.

Thankfully we could escape up to Vicka Visionary’s house and Apparition Hill rather than pick over the bones of the humiliation.

We’ve got confessions and an invocation tonight as the Holy Show rolls on.

Oh, yes, I was to bring you news on Ivan Visionary’s chat with Mary last night on a rocky outpost near Medge.

Well, I was jostled to the point of stumbling and falling as I tried to catch a glimpse.

And there were lots of rosaries, Ave Marias and charismatic guitars and singing.

Before what I took for Ivan Visionary appeared with an interpreter who relayed to us that Our Lady had been among us.

It seemed she had enjoyed it too and wants ‘world peace’ and for us to say more rosaries.

I’ll be looking out for Br Columba tomorrow at St James’s Church.

He stands in front of the statue of St James the Apostle on the altar, and I can’t tell the difference.

And should he serve me communion I’ll maybe ask if he can come down to the Irish Centre and fix the telly.

The Liverpool v Manchester Utd game is on.

But please Brother no predictions.

For more info on Marian Pilgrimages marian.ie and flying with Aer Lingus Dublin-Split in Croatia with a two-hour coach drive to Medge www.aerlingus.ie.

And here’s some more Medge… Bosnia & HerzegoJimmy and Medjugorje, what’s your story?.

You like your Marian sites. Our Lady asked me to recommend these… Fatima, Lourdes, the Camino and the Via Francigena.

Secret Portugal, The Lourdes prayer, A pilgrim’s prayer and Small roads lead to Rome.

Bunk beds were an adventure for children… a chance to lean over the top and chatter to your pal below through the night.

To lower it to a whisper when your Mum or, even worse, your Dad would yell through the door for you to go to sleep.

The top bed was always the one you’d grab. If it was your house you got it.

So too in Auschwitz… it was always better to be on the top bunk because malnutrition loosens your bowels.

And you wouldn’t want to be on the bottom bunk when that happens.

Now this blog is unapologetically light-hearted and irreverent but equally it is obsessive about history.

And some of it has rubbed off on The Son And Heir.

Who has visited one of the two places in the world I have longed to go… the other is Jerusalem for similar and also other reasons.

And who regaled this story to a hushed family gathering.

Auschwitz is the natural companion destination to Krakow, itself replete with history,

And the home of one of the Greatest Men of the 20th Century, Pope John Paul II.

All of which brings me onto this Click&Go offer www.clickandgo.com to Krakow.

5* Krakow from €219pp in November.

Nostravia!

And because we should always mark it… lest we forget.

Here are my memories of the World War 1 battlefields… In Flanders fields. And www.gtitravel.ie, GTI, the Group Travel Specislists.

Like my flight out to Croatia I’m running a little bit late… which is good news because it gives me more time in the Aer Lingus Business Lounge.

Don’t hate me.

Our national airline carrier is offering double Avios points with Holidays with Aer Lingus if booked before October 31.

It is the gift that keeps on giving… www.holidayswithaerlingus.com.

And talking of gifts they’re all over Christmas markets too. Check the website.

Although I confess that with it hitting 25C on my balcony in Medjugorje I’m not thinking winter right now.

Iceland, Niceland

For those of us of a certain age the only living, breathing Icelander we’d ever heard of was Magnus Magnusson.

I’ve started so I’ll finish. No, really, I will.

It helped too that the Mastermind host (ask your parents) went on to make Glasgow his home.

Which eventually brings me back to Icelandair’s offer of the Land of Fire and Ice.

And also onto the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

For this winter and next spring you can get Economy from Dublin from €135 and its business equivalent Saga Premium Class from €499 round trip.

And here’s a couple from its range of fly-on deals to the States.

And destinations I love, Denver snd Orlando… Go West and Aaawlando… Orlando, the rollercoaster capital and Why I love The Donald.

Denver from €319 for Economy and €1399 for Saga Class.

Orlando from €339 for Economy and €1499 Saga Class.

Travel period November 1-May 20. Excluding some Christmas and Easter periods.

Based on return trip.

Check www.icelandair.com/en.ie/flights/special-offer

MEET YOU IN THE SKIES