Category European Cities
Euro 2020 Rest Day 6 – Non Qualifiers Serbia & Montenegro
Serbia & Montenegro used to be one country following the post war break up of Yugoslavia. In 2006 Montenegro gained its independence and adopted the Euro as its currency, despite not belonging to the EU or being a Euro member. Montenegro I visited in 2007, taking a train from Bar on the Albanian border to […]
Euro 2020 Rest Day 6 – Non Qualifiers – Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo
So now we know the Euro 2020 final will be between Italy and England. Phew! Two former Yugoslav nations are the subject of nations that did not qualify for the finals. Bosnia & Herzegovina Mostar is a wonderful city to visit. Synonymous with the Yugoslavia War when the iconic Ottoman Bridge was blown up, it […]
Euro 2020 Semi Final 2 – England v Denmark
So who will make the final? I naturally hope it’s England, but having been disappointed at this stage of the competition before, I am not counting any chickens! The Danes won Euro 1992 without even qualifying! They were called up at the last minute to replace the warring Yugoslavs and shocked Germany in the final. […]
Euro 2020 Semi-Final 1 – Spain v Italy
The two giants of European football do battle at Wembley tonight with a place in Sunday’s final at stake. Spain Segovia is a fabulous destination in Spain. It is an easy train ride from Madrid and you can easily spend 3-days here without getting in the slightest bit bored. The cathedral is a masterpiece and […]
Euro 2020 Quarter Final 4 – Ukraine v England
The big one for this Englishman takes place in Rome tonight. Ukraine Lviv is a very agreeable small city in the west of Ukraine, close to the Polish border. We travelled there on a marathon 27-hour train journey from Sevastopol via Simferopol in the Crimea in 2011. It was actually to be a venue city […]
Euro 2020 Quarter Final 3 – Czech Republic v Denmark
The second set of QFs start all the way east in Baku. Czech Republic I have been to Prague nine times, on my own, with friends, with my parents, with a touring jazz band, for business meetings (mixed with leisure) and of course with Mrs Wilbur. I have arrived by train (from Budapest), by coach […]
Euro 2020 Quarter Final 2 – Belgium v Italy
The second match of the day sees two of the favourites locking horns in Munich. Belgium Antwerp is the diamond capital of Belgium. The diamond trade in the port started nearly 500 years ago when the first rough stones were brought over from India. Gradually, local diamond traders rose to prominence with their attention to […]
Euro 2020 Quarter Final 1 – Spain v Switzerland
Now it starts to get serious. Three wins away from becoming European champions. Both these nations needed extra time to go through, with Switzerland also needing penalties to defeat favourites France. The match takes place in St Petersburg. Spain Many Basques do not consider themselves as Spanish. The language & culture are certainly much removed […]
Euro 2020 Rest Day 4 – Non Qualifiers, Armenia, Belarus & Georgia
The three ex-Soviets all make intriguing destinations. Armenia I have been to Armenia once and had a wonderful time. I arrived by overnight train from Georgia, at one point sharing our compartment with a blind cat! We actually arrived on Armenia’s Independence Day so we’re able to gatecrash a great party. As well as the […]
Euro 2020 Rest Day 3 – Non Qualifiers – The Baltic States
Now we know all the quarter-finalists with Italy v Belgium the first one to be played Friday. Continuing my non-qualifiers with the Baltic States. Latvia Riga is one of my favourite cities in Europe. It has a lovely old town, a magnificent Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) District and a fine river (Daugava) with impressive bridges. I […]
