If you plan on visiting Warsaw, Poland on June 11th, you should know that the annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Equality parade is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. Authorities expect marchers from all over Poland to attend. Law enforcement will close some streets along the parade route and will increase the number of officers to prevent any violence. Polish police anticipate counter-demonstrations and possible clashes as other groups may attempt to disrupt the march, possibly through violent means. The police are prepared to respond quickly with tear gas and arrests.

The parade route will begin in front of the Polish Parliament (Sejm), go across ulica Matejki and ulica Piękna, up ulica Krucza, across Aleje Jerozolimskie, and up ulica Marszałkowska to finish at Plac Bankowy. Many streets along this route will be closed to accommodate the movement of the participants and will reopen once the parade has passed. Here is a map showing the planned parade route.

If you will be visiting Warsaw on the June 11 and are not interested in attending the parade, we suggest avoiding areas associated with the planned parade route.

Central Europe has been feeling the brunt of summer storms and savage flash-flooding. Deaths due to flash floods have occurred this month western Poland, eastern Germany, the Czech Republic and Lithuania. Read about the severe weather in this article from the BBC. You may remember that this same area suffered from flooding earlier this summer.

Avoid holiday travel in the area over the next few weeks, as more rain is expected and rescue operations are ongoing.

Poland and Germany (Brandenburg State) have been battling flooding over the past week and more trouble seems on the way. If you are planning travel for either area in the immediate future, be sure to read the following news stories from DW-World for more information on the flooding in Poland
and Brandenburg State (the German state surrounding but not including Berlin). The article on flooding in Germany includes a map that will help you to visualize the areas and river basins impacted by the flooding.