Poland
Wild continent: the best national parks in Europe
The best national parks in Europe are home to vast tracts of wilderness, often overlooked by those who flock to its cities When we think of wild continents, Europe is probably last in line. Asia’s fearsome mountains, South America’s lush rainforest and Africa’s vast savannah are surely more impressive. Europe in comparison is famous for its cities: London, Paris, Rome and their ilk. But venture further and you’ll find gigantic glaciers, primeval forests and untouched tracts of wilderness. These areas are quite rightly protected in national parks. To help you explore the wild side of the continent, we share below the best national parks in Europe. Jostedalsbreen National Park Location: NorwayMore info: Official site Jostedalsbreen National Park is home to the largest glacier on contin...
Kraków Old Town: a DIY walking tour
Kraków Old Town is best explored on a DIY walking tour. Here we share our tried-and-tested route for exploring Poland’s glorious former capital Kraków was Poland’s only major city to escape World War II virtually undamaged. Since then, the assembly of monuments and architecture that makes up its Old Town was quite rightly celebrated by UNESCO as one of the 12 original World Heritage sites first listed in 1978. The Old Town effortlessly fuses European architectural styles – including Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, baroque and art nouveau – with a jumble of narrow cobbled streets, elaborate churches and palaces, and grand medieval sights. Add in delicious food, heavenly gelato and endless cocktails in Europe’s largest medieval town square and the result is simply exquisite. We spent three ...
Visiting Auschwitz from Kraków: a sobering journey
Kia reflects on a visit to Auschwitz from Kraków and defends what some dismiss as problematic tourism The famous gates of Auschwitz are startling, not because they’re sinister or imposing but the very opposite. Usually depicted in black and white, these gates have featured in myriad Holocaust films and documentaries. Today, however, they’re not in menacing monochrome or veiled in evocative fog. Rather, they’re bathed in sunlight with a blazing blue sky behind. Inside, there is a symmetry of pretty trees. By the time I arrive at the neat brick buildings, I am thoroughly disoriented. This is not the picture I expected. Instead of squat grey concrete, this could pass for a retirement home – a fact I note uneasily. Atlas & Boots Trees flank the red brick buildings of Auschwitz The te...
Best travel books 2022: our top 10 picks
From a grumpy hiker’s outing in the mountains to the isolated shores of North Sentinel Island, we list the best travel books 2022 Travel memoirs are tricky beasts. In theory, 400 pages about someone else’s trip isn’t exactly appealing – like a protracted version of Jenny from Accounting’s week-long trip to Tuscany. In reality, travel memoirs can be entertaining, illuminating, funny and heartbreaking. Our best travel books 2022 include one man’s look at slavery and racism in the oldest city on the Mississippi River; a mother’s attempt to escape poverty by tracing whales to Alaska; and a historian’s portrait of the most isolated tribe in the world. These books not only reveal new and strange places, they expose curiosities closer to home. Most importantly, they encourage us all t...
Monday’s 11/1 FIFA WCQ BTTS Tips + Bet £10 Get £30 at Betfred
With home nations England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland set to wrap up their respective World Cup Qualifying campaigns tonight, our expert has a five-fold set of 11/1 WCQ BTTS tips to share. Plus, find out how you can Bet £10 Get £30 at Betfred. Click here to join Betfred and Bet £10 Get £30 + 30 free spins today Poland vs Hungary Both Teams To Score: Yes Scotland vs Denmark Both Teams To Score: Yes Northern Ireland vs Italy Both Teams To Score: No Israel vs Faroe Islands Both Teams To Score: No Austria vs Moldova Both Teams To Score: No Bet on the above selection of BTTS tips at Betfred to get odds of approx 11/1 – and a return of £118.73 on a £10 stake. Click to bet our 11/1 BTTS Acca at Betfred Monday’s FIFA World Cup Qualifier BTTS Tips For a more detailed analysis of this Monday’s F...
Poland vs San Marino preview, team news, betting tips & prediction
Poland will look to pick up a comfortable home win over San Marino in the World Cup qualifiers this week. The two sides meet on Saturday at 19:45 pm BST. Poland are coming into this game on the back of two wins and a draw against England. They will be confident of picking up all three points. San Marino have failed to pick up a single point in the qualifiers so far. Poland vs San Marino team news Poland will be without Maciej Rybus, Arkadiusz Reca, Nicola Zalewski and Bartlomiej Dragowski. Poland possible starting line-up: Majecki; Dawidowicz, Bednarek, Helik; Bereszynski, Szymanski, Moder, Kozlowski, Frankowski; Piatek, Buksa San Marino possible starting line-up: Benedettini; Battistini, Brolli, Simoncini, Fabbri, Grandoni; Zafferani, Mularoni, E. Golinu...
Messi miles ahead of Bayern and Chelsea stars in Ballon D’Or race
The 2020/21 season has officially come to a close, and it’s around this time when we start to speculate about our award winners. The Ballon d’Or is the most high profile individual award in the game, recognising the world’s best player from the past 12 months. With the season over, we’re now looking at our potential winners. Two months ago, we compiled a list of the leading candidates for the prize. Since then, we’ve had a Champions League final and a summer of international football. Some of the list has aged well. Other parts….not so much (whose idea was it to give Antoine Griezmann an honourable mention?). Anyway, two months on, and we now have a clearer picture of who our 2021 Ballon d’Or winner could be. Lionel Messi The Copa America has tipped the balance in Messi’s favour As things ...
Lithuania begins building barrier on border with Belarus to block migrants
Lithuania began building a barrier along its border with Belarus on Friday after accusing Belarusian authorities of flying in migrants from abroad to send illegally into the European Union. The first stretch of barrier will run 500 metres (1,640 feet) in length, measure 1.8 metres (six feet) in height and consist of concertina and razor wire, the army defence chief’s spokeswoman Ruta Montvile told Reuters. Belarus in May decided to allow migrants to enter EU member Lithuania in retaliation for sanctions imposed by the bloc after Minsk forced a Ryanair flight to land on its soil and arrested a dissident blogger who was on board. “If someone thinks we will close our border with Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine and will become a holding site for those running from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq...
Romelu Lukaku backed to succeed Robert Lewandowski at Bayern Munich
Former Belgium striker Emile Mpenza has tipped Romelu Lukaku to succeed Robert Lewandowski at Bayern Munich. The 28-year-old has excelled at Inter, scoring 64 goals in just 95 matches since joining the Serie A side from Manchester United in 2019. The forward has a similar record for the national team, having struck 63 times in 96 caps for the Rode Duivels, including three at Euro 2020. Mpenza has been amazed by the ex-Chelsea and Anderlecht player’s development and believes Bayern would be smart to look at him if they need to replace Poland sensation Lewandowski following his 48-goal campaign in Germany. “Romelu’s strength in a duel and his speed are outstanding. That makes it so difficult for the defenders against him,” Mpenza told Sport Bild. “If they go into a duel with him, he uses his...
Manchester United man leads Euro 2020 Best XI while Ronaldo leads from the front
The Euro 2020 group stages have come to a close, and it’s just a short wait before the knockout rounds begin. The opening two weeks of action have been nothing short of enthralling. We’ve seen some incredible goals, great drama, and an inexplicable amount of own goals. What’s not to love? Here is our best XI from the group stage. Lukas Hradecky (GK) – Hradecky can count himself unlucky to be going home early, having put in some excellent performances in the last three games. He kicked off his tournament with a crucial penalty save in the 1-0 win over Denmark and followed this up with another good performance in the 1-0 defeat against Russia. His final game was impressive but ended in heartbreak. He made several brilliant stops to keep Belgium at bay but scored an unlucky own goal to s...
1 from Portugal, 1 from France, 2 from Netherlands – Euro 2020 Best XI of Round 3
The group stage has come to an end, and now we have to endure two whole days without Euro 2020 action. How will we cope? At least the groups ended on a cracker, with several exceptional performances from the final round of fixtures. Here is our best XI from round three of Euro 2020. Lukas Hradecky (GK) – It feels a bit bizarre to include someone who scored an own goal, but here we are. Hradecky kept Finland in the game for as long as possible, producing several excellent stops to keep Belgium out before being cruelly robbed of his clean sheet. Nelson Semedo (RB) – The selection of right-backs from the latest round of fixtures was somewhat slim, but Nelson Semedo gets in for a solid performance. He got a lot of criticism for his performance against Germany, and many feared that it...
Bundesliga duo star in enthralling game – Sweden 3-2 Poland Player Ratings
Sweden secured top spot in Group B with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Poland at the European Championships on Wednesday. Poland went into the game needing a win or they’d be eliminated, and they made the worst possible start. Alexander Isak bundled the ball through to Emil Forsberg, who finished into the far corner with his weaker left foot via a small deflection. But they responded well to going behind and really should have been level in the 18th minute. Robert Lewandowski saw his header crash back off the crossbar, but the rebound fell perfectly for the Bayern Munich forward. With everyone expecting to see him nod home from close range, he somehow hit the crossbar again before it was cleared to safety. Shortly before half time, Paulo Sousa’s men had another opportunity to equalise. Piotr...
