Illustration: Raphael Achache
So, you’re trekking to Croatia. What’s inspired you do that?
Papa passed away last year after suffering with Alzheimer’s for some time. He was an amazing man with a great story - there was no better way to remember him than retracing his steps. Plus, Chris has always been going on about going back. I think he’s convinced we have some birthrights to some land.
The website is called Papa’s Journey. What was his story, his journey?
Aged just fourteen, he was forced to flee his homeland, leaving his mother and sisters, having just seen his father – who was part of the Yugoslav Partisans, the resistance movement during World War II – executed in the village square by invading Nazis. What followed was a four-year journey that took him through forests, across borders and POW camps before arriving in the UK where work had been promised. While it is an amazing story, the heartbreaking part is that he never returned to his village and never knew what happened to his family. My cousin and I plan to honour him by retracing his steps in a similarly arduous way, albeit a modern day equivalent. We have decided against the machine gun-filled departure, however.
Did he talk about it much to you?
No, not really. Whenever we started to ask Papa about it, you could tell it wasn’t something he was comfortable talking about. It was talking to our own parents that filled in some gaps in the story.
Was anyone else in the family interested? Ogrizovic is a famous surname in these parts. Wasn't ex-CCFC keeper Uncle Steve, up for it?
Yep, other members of the family were up for it, but we thought there wouldn’t be much leg room left if we brought them along. Also, there was a hoax a few years ago where somebody claimed he’d been kidnapped in Kazakhstan, so I would hate to tempt fate. Who knows? The Kazakhstanis might have a hatred of nineties English footballers. Joking aside, getting two of us from start to finish on the 1,500 mile journey will be hard enough, imagine if there were four more of us...
What about the journey itself: is there any planning or will it be entirely off-the-cuff?
The only planning we are doing is in regards to the charity, the press and donations. A few people suggested contacting travel companies in advance, but that was hardly part of Papa’s script, so it will be entirely off-the-cuff. Having said that, the Alzheimer’s Society are putting letters together in five or six different languages, explaining what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, verifying that it’s 100% legitimate. So, yeah, we’ll just have to rely on the generosity of strangers and our own wits, as Papa had to.
Do you have an optimal route in mind – maybe for sentimental reasons, taking in places Papa passed through – or would you get in a truck in, say, Calais and if the truckie was going to Munich you'd take those slightly-out-of-the-way miles?
There’s no ideal route as such, and if we get dragged slightly out of our way but it’s taking us nearer to our destination, we will jump at the chance. Going a bit out of the way is all part of the adventure.
How long have you given yourself to complete it? Any wiggle room?
We will have about nine days to complete the trip and get back to the airport. No wiggle room as flights are booked.
Sam and his Papa
What's the significance of having £20 each for the journey? Is that an absolute rule or might you, if starving or cold, whip out a credit card?
No, that’s a rule. There is nothing overly significant about that sum, other than the fact that it would be the modern day equivalent of what he would have had. In an ideal world, we won’t spend anything other than maybe a celebratory drink when we arrive. Although, looking on Google Earth, Brlog isn’t exactly the Vegas of Croatia.
Do you know much about Brlog?
Next to nothing. But, as I say, Papa left sisters there so we might end up meeting relatives. Who knows? Again, that’s all part of the adventure.
Will you have mobile phones? Or is that too much of a luxury?
Mobile phones are a must. We’ll be recording a video blog and doing regular check-in calls with local radio stations. Although the videos will rely on us getting good Wi-Fi coverage as I’m certainly not paying roaming charges. We’ll also be tweeting from @papasjourney. Part of my blagging strategy is the offer of tweets to companies or individuals that help us along the way - not that Papa had that. He was more of a MySpace man.
What do you think will be the most significant obstacles and dangers?
There may be some. The final stretch in Croatia will see us retrace his steps through the forest that saw him escape advancing soldiers. Another risk is land mines left from the various wars. I keep winding my wife up about the film Hostel, but I’m sure there are easier targets than us two.
Are your loved ones 100% happy with this?
Yes on the charity front, but I know my wife is somewhat concerned about it.
Which charity is it for and what are your funding targets?
It is for the Alzheimer’s Society, who have been great in supporting us. We aim to raise £5k, which is steep but, with your kind readers, that should be a doddle.
Is there anyone to meet you at the other end in Croatia? Is there any awareness of what you're doing over there?
Not yet, but that isn’t a bad idea. Although I’d hate some local farmer to come back and claim compensation for an apple Papa stole on his way out a few years ago, so we might have to slip under the radar.
What will you do when you get there?
The plan is to plant a tree in memory of Papa and the family. We’ll take a few photos and I think Chris has organised a translator to meet us there and we’ll hopefully speak to some of the locals. It would be great to fill in more gaps in the family history. Given the wars over there, the break-up of Yugoslavia, the ethnic cleansing and everything, there are a lot of question marks. After that, we’ll try to get back to the airport in Dubrovnik.
What do you think Papa's advice to you for the journey would be?
“Avoid the M25 at rush hour.” Seriously, I think he would be very humbled and would advise us to stick together, stay out of trouble and have a beer on him when we get there.
To donate, text ‘OGGY66’ followed by £5/£10/£20 to 70070 or go to the Papa’s Journey website.
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