Leaving the Czech Republic behind, we crossed the border into Poland, heading for Katowice. Once again there was no border to speak of, but all of a sudden the motorways were visually very different. For long stretches there were high barriers on each side presumably to cut out the wind or noise or both, but they definitely restricted our view and made us feel quite penned in. Where we could see out, the landscape of this part of southern Poland is very green and is dotted with the features of the heavy industry and coal mining that have dominated the economy of this region for centuries: mine heads, slag heaps,…