As
we've mentioned before, train travel is usually great within Balkan
countries, but abysmal and near non-existent between Balkan nations. After
attempting to create a plan to enter Bosnia and Hercegovina from
Serbia by connecting trains (and failing), we settled for a
bus trip across the border to Bijeljina, a small town just inside Republika Srpska, a part of Bosnia.
Crossing
borders in the Balkan countries for us has mostly been stress-free
and simple, and leaving Serbia and entering Bosnia was no exception.
Our bus from Belgrade was straightforward with no issues. Bijeljina
was somewhat short on points of interest, but it was pleasant enough
for a stroll around and served well as a break for a couple of days
between towns. It was also a handy and quiet place to become used to
the new currency- BAM. The Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark (BAM) is abbreviated to KM and originally pegged to the German Deutsche Mark, until the latter changed over to the Euro. Confusing.
Bijeljina town square
Bijeljina park and church
Selection of unique street art, Bijeljina, Bosnia
We were keen
to arrive into the part of the country where the trains ran, and so
next got ourselves to the railway junction town of Doboj. The bus
ride was actually very beautiful, driving through some hills and
forests, and due to the drizzly and misty weather, we felt snug
inside the bus, although the temperature outside was still very warm.
As well as
being exactly next door to the bus station, our accommodation in
Doboj was a very new and fancy apartment directly across the road
from a large "Bingo" (a big chain of supermarkets here).
Our first job
in Doboj was to sort out our awkward onward transport at the tatty
and rundown bus and train stations. Looking on a railway map for
Bosnia and Hercegovina, there appeared to be a railway connection
from Doboj all the way down to Mostar. However, because of the
country's confusing dual personality (more about that later), there
are actually two completely separate rail networks (and two separate
websites), which do not link up for passenger travel. This wasn't a
great start to our Bosnian train adventures, but that's life, and we
found another way.
Having sorted
this problem out, we enjoyed a relaxing two days in small town Doboj,
with the highlight being the delightful and unexpected fortress close
to the town centre. It was surrounded by what was described as the
"old town", but most houses had obviously been replaced or
renovated in the last 20 years, and it wasn't particularly
atmospheric.
A restored section of Doboj fort
The old town of Doboj, Bosnia
Looking up to Doboj fort from the town
Local artist at work, Doboj, Bosnia
We'd
had a complicated time the previous day arranging for a taxi to pick
us up on the early morning of our departure, and luckily he turned up
in the cool and dark carpark of Bingo. After some time, he
dropped us off at the seemingly deserted Maglaj train station, and we
wondered what the story was. There was supposed to be a train leaving
for Visoko at 6am, but in the darkness of the dilapidated station we
couldn't see a soul anywhere. Then we noticed a light in an office,
and found the friendly, English-speaking train master who told us the
staff would show up shortly to sell us a ticket. Which they did,
thank goodness. We were the only folks there and waited in the office
in the warm until a relaxed uniformed conductor showed us the way to
the cute old train.
Inside
was a blast from the past. Although it looked much older, the train
had seemingly last been refurbished in the 1970s, and retained an old fashioned
lounge room vibe to it. We loved the wood panelling and plush
armchairs, and small touches such as a coat rack.
Early morning train, Bosnia and Hercegovina
As
we set off the sun was rising, but it was so misty climbing into the
hills that we couldn't see a thing outside. Gradually the Bosna River
appeared and wooded valleys with some farmhouses. We followed
along trying to peer through the fog before the view again
disappeared into the mist. We were surprised at the increasingly cold
temperature, and on arrival we were poorly prepared for the wintery
weather that greeted us. Heads down, we walked into Visoko town
centre and into an old fashioned café- the kind that are all over
the Balkans, mostly patronized by old men. After warming up with a
strong coffee from the friendly staff, we started up the hill towards
our accommodation. We were surprised by the direct friendliness of
locals saying hello- this is not typical for the Balkans.
Nice fella, Visoko café, Bosnia and Hercegovina
Interesting graveyard with carved balls on top of the usual Muslim headstones
We
had purposely booked accommodation out of town, considering most of what
we wanted to see around Visoko was actually out in the countryside.
We really should have gotten a taxi in hindsight, but instead we
slogged uphill through a messy gypsy village full of scary barking dogs.
Just
as we were wondering what we had got ourselves into, the town houses
petered out, and some beautiful views of rolling hills and forests
appeared. Further up the hill, we found a scattering of cottages in a
rural setting - one of which was ours. A lovely yellow house with
flower gardens in the front and crops out the back, it was adjoined
by our hostesses' tiny flat. Without English, Fatima greeted us
warmly, and sat us down for Bosnian coffee and some surprising cakes.
The Bosnian name is čupavci, and they are exactly the
same as the great Aussie cake lamingtons. After some back and forth
with phone calls to Fatima's various family members, her son arrived
to take us to the supermarket in his car. This was a huge help, as it
saved us another long walk with groceries for our week's stay. Once
sorted, we settled into our new little house consisting of two
bedrooms (!), a kitchen, bathroom and very comfy loungeroom.
A glimpse of our place through the trees, Visoko, Bosnia and Hercegovina
Bosnian coffee and cake
Being spoilt by Fatima, Visoko, Bosnia and Hercegovina
Our reason for coming to Visoko was to see the Bosnian Pyramids. About 20 years ago, an interesting character, Semir Osmanagić "discovered" that many of the natural hills around Visoko were actually the remains of stone pyramids. There is a lot of controversy surrounding his claims, and we thought it would be interesting to come and look in person.
Quite
an industry has sprung up in Visoko around the esoteric nature of the
pyramids, and the sorts of tourists that visit, with local businesses
named Namaste, Sunflower, Pharoah etc. Apparently the town attracts
many bus tours and groups of "spiritual" people looking for
something meaningful in the hills.
We
visited the Ravne Park area, that had been set up by Semir, some
financial backers and a team of volunteers. It was quite a place, and we
didn't quite know what to make of it. It was carefully designed and
maintained, and apparently a lot of work had been involved in turning
it from a rubbish tip into the lovely space it currently is.
It merged with the surrounding forest nicely, and many
stone paths, benches and picnic spots had been built to sit and
appreciate the site. It all seemed well intentioned (and free to
enter), but was a little like a New Age theme park. Instalments were
arranged here and there- things like hugging a tree, feeling the
vibes in the stone circles, meditating on a special symbol,
walking around a spiral of good energy rocks, or strolling (only clock
wise) through the magic forest. Rich thought it was a trifle "try
hard", but it was also sort of sweet and had a positive feel
overall.
Making sure we knew where to go, Ravne Park, Visoko
Stone Henge next to giant chess, Ravne Park, Visoko
We think this was supposed to be a sculpture of John's head, Ravne Park, Visoko
Many pretty trails, Ravne Park, Visoko
Can't help agreeing with that one
Most
interesting to us were the displays showing sites of other pyramids,
and other spiritual/mystical places around the world. We are less
interested in the New Age angle, and more in the tangible- ancient
civilisations and how they fit in with alternative history
narratives.
Semir Osmanagić interested us. The fact that he is so derided and ridiculed by mainstream archaeologists, geologists and other scientists is fascinating. They
really feel threatened when someone challenges the established narrative, and often tend to portray anyone who challenges conventional theories as deluded. As usual in these circumstances, much time and effort has gone into discrediting Semir (see his extraordinary Wikipedia page). Who knows the actual truth about the Bosnian Pyramids, but we prefer to be open minded and listen to all sides of an issue. We simply wanted to see the pyramids for ourselves- the best way to
judge something is to see it with one's own eyes.
The pyramidical view from our house, Visoko
The
actual Sun Pyramid was a steep hike to the top on rocks slippery from
the previous days rain. We were surprised to come across a fair amount of
people at the top amongst the stone remnants. We'd become used to having these old forts to ourselves lately in less touristy areas. Being Visoko, many of them were sitting and
soaking up the good energy (or whatever). We poked around the very
battered ruins, and sat with the view and ate some boiled eggs. After slowly
and carefully making our way down the stony path, we stopped at one
of the New Age stalls, manned by an actually very nice fellow, and
purchased some special stone necklaces from him.
Meditation on the pyramid, Visoko, Bosnia and Hercegovina
Glorious views from the top of the Sun Pyramid, Visoko
After
walking around Visoko on our side of the Bosnia River for a few days,
we still weren't sure what we thought about the pyramids. It was a
beautiful area to walk, but we didn't pick up any particularly extra good vibes,
apart from those we usually gleaned from simply being in nature in the Balkans.
Sun Pyramid seen from Visoko town
The
countryside around the area in which we were staying was simply
stunning. Walks took us though forests of oak, ash and birch,
changing to tunnels of hazel and clusters of beautiful beech. Small
quaint cottages off the beaten track appeared from time to time, some
with breath-taking views. Many of the paths were well signposted, and
although we did get lost now and again, usually we would come to one
of these sign posts and be well on our way again.
Tunnels of hazel, Visoko, Bosnia and Hercegovina
Rural cottages dotted the countryside, Visoko
We mostly avoided
the dreadful weather threatening during most of our stay, but we did
get caught in the cold and drizzle on one day. Coming back to our
warm and cosy house was delightful, especially when our hostess
turned on the wood heating. It was hard to believe for the last two
and a half months we had been sweltering in 35+ degrees!
Our cosy cottage, in the hills around Visoko
Beautiful walking around Visoko
Homes
had the usual Balkan glorious gardens growing many useful food items.
Most of the fruit trees had finished producing, apart from apple
trees dropping plies of apples in every corner. We picked up as many
as we could carry. Tomatoes and peppers were coming to an end, but
pumpkins were huge and prevalent in most gardens.
Apples galore, Visoko, Bosnia and Hercegovina
Productive gardens, Visoko, Bosnia and Hercegovina
We
spoke a little about Bosnia's tragic recent history in our only other
post about the country, during our time in Višegrad.
After
the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992, fighting broke out amongst the
Serbian, Croat and Bosnian populations, and continued throughout the
early 1990s. Ostensibly about land and borders, there was also deep
seeded tensions about the conflicting religions. In general and simplistic terms
Croats are Catholic, Serbs Orthodox Christian and Bosnians Muslim.
The heart-breaking war saw the deaths of more than 100,000 souls,
both military and civilians.
When
the Bosnian War was over, a peace agreement was signed, and although
Bosnia was proclaimed a single sovereign state, it was divided into
two parts - the mostly Croat-Bosnian populated Federation of Bosnia and
Hercegovina, and the mostly Serb populated Republika Srpska. There
is actually another, even smaller part called Brčko, a self
governing district in the far north-east of Bosnia.
Different parts of Bosnia
With the rain ceasing and the temperature rising back to normal summer highs, we left our little cottage. We said our sad goodbyes to Fatima, and set off down the hill to the railway station ready for further adventures in Bosnia. We loved our stay in the Visoko area....just not the weather!
Saying goodbye to our hostess, Visoko
Green and lovely, Visoko scenery, Bosnia and Hercegovina
We couldn't have imagined being welcomed back into Serbia in a more Serbian manner. The accommodation we had chosen in Pirot was owned by a sociable fellow in a pork pie hat by the name of Dragan (this seems to be one of the most common names in Serbia). Although his English skills were on par with our Serbian, he greeted us warmly and ushered us through a courtyard into his sunny backyard full of fruit trees, and sat us down. For the next few hours he made us strong Serbian coffee, gave us homemade rakia and beer, and called his friend who lived in Australia, but happened to be visiting to come over for a fantastic chat. It was a wonderful few hours. Once our room was ready, both men insisted on showing us the wee apartment, making sure we knew where the spare bin bags were, how the shower worked, which switches powered which lights, both talking over each other in Serbian and English- it was really funny, they were like a comedy duo. Finally they said cheerio and we ventured out to buy our immediately needed supplies- fruit and salad, eggs, bread, cereal, pavlaka (our favourite, a mix between sour cream and yogurt) and of course, rakia! This was another thing we had greatly missed being away from Serbia. The friendly booze seller at the market suggested the kajsija, or apricot, which we agreed with and were more than happy with the smooth taste.
Chilling out with Dragan in Pirot
Pirot was that kind of place, friendly, laid back and relaxing, and we immediately felt comfortable, and happy to go with the flow and chill out after our busy time in Bulgaria. We looked forward to having spare time for cooking, washing clothes and generally catching up on normal life tasks.
We enjoyed the absolutely fantastic market area around where we were staying. Pijaca, in Serbian, these bazars are the great highlight of travelling in Serbia, and we had sorely missed them in other countries. Amazing for simply wandering and looking, we loved the range of fresh and local produce- nothing imported or out of season. Only big, colourful, juicy looking fruit and veg, as well as the periphery outlets. These included bakeries, dairy shops, fish, butcher's and cured meats shops and BBQ meat sellers (bit of a theme going on here!). Add to that the cleaning supplies and electronics shops, cafes and ice creameries all in the adjoining market area, and there was hardly a need for the supermarket. After a few days, some sellers even recognized us and said hello.
Pirot central market
There weren't a huge amounts of tourist sites to visit around Pirot, but instead we slowly wandered around the town over our week's visit, getting a feel for the place. Many locals rode bicycles around, which gave a lovely old fashioned feeling to the place.
Old buildings along the canal, Pirot
The renovated fortress was quite beautiful, but brought more to mind someone's luxury house, and certainly not a defensive structure- especially considering it was on a flat piece of land directly at the base of the town's biggest hill! Waiting with some Serbian tourists for the late opening gates to be unlocked, Rich spied a man walking leisurely down the path towards us, and said "That's the caretaker". I asked how he knew, and he replied, "Because he looks as though he couldn't give a shit"! He was correct.
Pirot fortress entrance
Steep stairwell, Pirot fortress
Pirot fortress on a glorious day
Moat around Pirot fortress
The highlight of Pirot's wanderings had to be the delightful canal running through the centre of the town. Extremely (and rather strangely) well maintained, the clear water ran between lush mown grassy banks, and on either side quiet, shady cobblestoned paths lead to various parts of town. Locals used this space, enjoying fishing, walking, sunbathing and swimming. Some fair sized fish could be seen in the crystal clear water.
Beautiful walk along Pirot's canal
Well maintained and well used, Pirot canal
A dazzling sunny morning was spent at the local pool, a rather grand affair, complete with humungous swimming pool, sunbeds and umbrellas, restaurant, and best of all 80's music pumping out from speakers. Serbs really love 80's music. Being school holidays, the place was quite full for a week day, and the summery atmosphere was brilliant. Unfortunately after a couple of hours, threatening dark clouds started to appear and get closer. When the life guards cleared the pool, we knew it was time to take shelter under the bleachers, where we were caught for about an hour in an absolutely torrential thunder and lightning storm. The air was cool afterwards and we left having thoroughly enjoyed taking some sun on our bodies.
After a few days, we felt the need for a longer walk, and spied a lookout marked on our map. It turned out to be yet another beautiful walk up a hill through dense woodland. Serbia may not have as many forests as Bulgaria, but what they do have are just as appealing, although it has to be said, there is usually rubbish on the paths in Serbia. Ascending from the town, things became quiet and rural almost immediately, with only a few little houses on large blocks without electricity. A couple of landowners tried to speak with us and give us plums as we passed. Our lack of Serbian is so frustrating sometimes. At the top, we were rewarded with a magnificent view over Pirot and beyond. Losing the path on the way down, a large man and his dog walked with us for a short time to show us the tiny path leading steeply back down into Pirot.
Bees and haystacks, Pirot
Wonderful location for a new house, Pirot
Views from our Pirot forest walk
Loving the forest around Pirot
Old shack along the path, Pirot
Made it to the top, Pirot
Late afternoons/evenings were spent in Dragan's garden, sometimes just the two of us, sometimes with Dragan or a friend, agreeably relaxed and drinking some Slovenian beers. Dragan generously insisted on buying us dinner a few times, rather embarrassingly, but we couldn't refuse his hospitality. This consisted of huge pieces of juicy BBQ meat, which of course we loved.
Overall, Pirot was a good, slow first stop into Serbia.
With the train line in southern Serbia being defunct, we were forced to take a bus to our next destination- Niška Banya. It ended up being fantastic as the road followed the old train line through some stunning scenery. Almost straight away we entered a wide valley, with green wooded areas and tiny villages with red roofed cottages dotted high up on the hillsides. Later, the bus passed through a dramatic, deep gorge, following the river. It reminded us of journeys in the valleys of Tajikistan, but greener. Lastly was open rolling landscape with vineyards, before we were unceremoniously dumped by the side of the highway- we had expected to be dropped into the village centre. As we were standing around looking confused, a little local bus appeared out of nowhere, picked us up and took us the final few kilometres.
Niška Banya was a lovely surprise. All we knew of it was that it was one of a few Serbian spa centres, and not having visited any before we were keen to see what the village had to offer. As soon as we stepped off the bus we were enamoured with the pretty place. A huge park and treatment centre took place in the centre, surrounded by many massive ancient walnut and shade trees. Decrepit, once grand buildings surrounded the park, and little streets led off to charming areas of houses and gardens. One of which was our guesthouse, probably the best apartment we have ever had in Serbia. The family's welcome was warm and thorough, and the apartment had everything we could possibly have wanted, and more. Everything was perfect and the kitchen was amazing- even having a toaster, an extreme rarity in the Balkans!
Niška Baya was all about brisk walks around the parks and town. Various mineral streams with different properties sprung up around the place and flowed out through numerous fountains, taps, ponds and culvets, all with people lying around in them enjoying taking in the hot water, high in radioactive Radon. The village is famous for this water and it's healing properties, apparently especially therapeutic for recovery after operations. Many walking wounded with crutches or bandages could be seen limping about and the busy clinic building itself looked like it hadn't been changed in decades. Most popular was sitting in the central park with one's feet dangling in the water (Sal gave that a go). Kids also loved playing in the fountains in the pond and many older people simply lay submerged in a pool with the water swirling around them.
Funky old water fountain, Niska Banya, Serbia
Radon Hotel, named after the curative waters
Faded grandeur in NiškaBanya
Odd building in NiškaBanya, Serbia
Our big walk was up to the viewpoint at the top of the closest hill to see where the paragliders took off. The wind was particularly fierce that morning and it was terrifying to imagine launching oneself off the edge up there. We enjoyed the peaceful walk through the always pleasing combination of beech and oak forest. The colour and early morning sun shining through the trees was glorious. Coming down, our legs were aching from the steepness, but we felt good to start the day off with some exercise.
Huffing and puffing up the Niška Banya hill
Much needed rest on a rock, Niška Banya
Niška Banya was so small it only had a couple of little general shops, a tiny tourist market and a couple of ice-cream sellers, so in a way we were looking forward to moving on to a larger town with more facilities. On our departure, our hosts gave us a bottle of homemade rakia and a bag of plums. Could a gift be more wonderfully Serbian?!
Farwell present from kind apartment owners, NiškaBanya, Serbia
Just too comfy, NiškaBanya apartment
The third largest city in Serbia, Niš, was just down the road from Niška Banya, and having visited most of the sights of Niš on our 2020 visit, this time we simply hoped for a stopover few days of relaxing and catching up before heading to Belgrade. We fondly remembered the city from our first months of travelling around the Balkans when everything was new and exciting. It's still interesting now, but after spending so much time in small towns and nature for the last six weeks, the city and it's noise and overwhelming amount of shops wasn't exactly inspiring for us. If nothing else, it was a good warm up for Belgrade!
Modest memorial to those Niš residents who died during the NATO bombing
Niš fort
Scary things happening at that memorial! Niš
Lovely mansion turned into apartments, Niš
Our great accommodation find was a superb and old fashioned example of a retro Serbian flat, right in Niš centre. The décor looked as though it had been unchanged in style for a long time, although the upkeep and cleanliness were perfect. The kind hostess finished her fag in the kitchen and showed us around the huge space. It's very rare we have a separate bedroom, kitchen, balcony, bathroom and loungeroom!
Sal loved these retro taps, Niš apartment
Our time in Niš was spent visiting the fabulous fresh market, the weekend flea market, and hitting the many op shops (second hand shops to you non-Aussies). A few early morning walks along the river and around the fort area rounded out our excursions.
Trying to find the railway station, we became lost in an interesting estate full of factories and one random train engine. We couldn't decide whether the industrial buildings had been abandoned or were still in use, it was quite difficult to guess! Either way, they had a decrepit and funky feel, and we were waylaid there for quite some time.
Ruin of an industrial past, Niš
Random train engine dumped in Niš industrial area
Not sure if this factory was abandoned?
Thankfully, trains were running out of Niš- after our last few bus trips, we were happy to get back on the Serbian railway for the trip to Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Although the bus trip would have only taken us two and a half hours, our train obsession saw us more than happy to take in the scenery for six hours on the tracks.
Awesome, and smelly, Niš railway ticketing office
We spent the month of August at our favourite hostel, the Sun Hostel in Belgrade. As during past visits we enjoyed taking a break from our travels, and simply hanging out with old and new friends, chatting for hours at a time, drinking rakia, eating awesome Serbian food, and generally relishing in the intense socialising. We ventured out into the summer heat a few times to further afield suburbs in the city, but generally we were more than happy to focus on the company of our mates in the hostel environment. Some planning was also involved for the next part of our trip, to Serbia and Herzegovina.
Fantastic trip to the hairdressers with good friends, Belgrade
Cool New Belgrade apartment block with "TV" windows
Can't get enough of Balkan food! Belgrade
One of many fascinating displays of Tito related memorabilia, Yugo Museum, Belgrade
Young boy soldier, Yugoslavia Museum grounds, Belgrade
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