THE MYSTERIOUS PYRAMIDS OF BOSNIA - Bijeljina, Doboj and Visoko, Bosnia

 .........previously, we enjoyed travelling in southern Serbia and a bit of catching up with friends in Belgrade.......

Bosnian Pyramid, Visoko, Bosnia and Hercegovina

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

.......next up, our time in Mostar and Konjic........