May 2026. Turda. Romania. I’ve enjoyed spending time seeing unsung Romania, away from Dracula and the bears and the brewery taps. The cities are colourful, spotless and efficient, though of course efficient isn’t always a good thing in itself. By far the biggest “tourist attraction” round here are the old salt mines of Turdu, half… Continue reading SALINA TURDA
CLUJ DAYS 2026
May 2026. Cluj. Transylvania. Another nervy wait for a mini-bus at Targu Mures bus station, regretting that morning craft beer/coffee combo before a 2 hour trip to Cluj to complete our Romanian road trip. It’s not so much that the buses don’t turn up (eventually); it’s not knowing when they’ll turn up, and where there’ll… Continue reading CLUJ DAYS 2026
TOTAL TARGU MURES
May 2026. Targu Mures. Transylvania. Targu Mures was the surprise of our Romanian week, as classy as anywhere we’ve been in Europe, and in the Palace of Culture (£5) you’ve one of Europe’s undiscovered gems. A startling collection of stained glass, three floors of modern art with obligatory pretentious narrative, and a concert hall with… Continue reading TOTAL TARGU MURES
MAY ’26 STOCKTAKE + JUNE PREVIEW
A month after the relief of selling Sunnyside, the joy of seeing Matt and Emma move to Stockport. I am so jealous. Forty-four pubs (plus whatever in Romania) in May, not a dud among them, though that heatwave was affecting cask quality this last week. Next week CAMRA scraps the centuries old beer scoring system,… Continue reading MAY ’26 STOCKTAKE + JUNE PREVIEW
A LAST KISS BEFORE THE TOWER
May 2026. Târgu Mureș. Central Romania. An early night in Medias, before a 6am start on Wednesday morning . Only (great) coffee and ice cream on sale at the kiosk at the Autogare before the early bus to Târgu Mureș, where we arrive with early check-in at Pensiunea Select Central (£40) for reasons I can’t… Continue reading A LAST KISS BEFORE THE TOWER
MEDIAS. TRANSYLVANIA WITHOUT AN UNTAPPD CHECK-IN
May 2026. Medias. Transylvania. Our 7 night, 5 city trip round the heart of Romania had taken in a few of the less obvious stops, a bit like adding nights in Mansfield and Rotherham to your big Yorkshire tour. “Most people who visit Medias, Romania, come there by accident. Located right in the center of… Continue reading MEDIAS. TRANSYLVANIA WITHOUT AN UNTAPPD CHECK-IN
A BEER IN BIERTAN
May 2026. Biertan. Transylvania. Due to Mrs RM’s immaculate travel planning (she could be a pub ticker) we’ve managed to avoid any transport disasters in eastern Europe so far, bar that two hours stuck on a gravel track in small-town Albania. But Biertan had no bus service at all, bar that UNESCO service that had… Continue reading A BEER IN BIERTAN
THE UNESCO MEDIEVAL TRANSYLVANIAN FORTIFIED CHURCH TRAIL
May 2026. Transylvania. Mrs RM had refreshed her knowledge on dealing with bear attacks (“Play dead. Oh, too late“) as we planned the next stage of our Transylvanian tour over an “autentic” Romanian buzz bar. No crumbs left for the amarous pigeons at our bus pick-up point to peck. Our transport was the official sounding… Continue reading THE UNESCO MEDIEVAL TRANSYLVANIAN FORTIFIED CHURCH TRAIL
OUR BIG SIBIU CRAFT DAY
May 2026. Sibiu. Central Romania. A couple of nights in one of Transylvania’s top tourist towns, which normally means you ensure you can visit all the best pubs. But in this case it meant we left the highly recommended St Andrews Scottish pub till the Monday, only to find it “closed !“, despite that wide… Continue reading OUR BIG SIBIU CRAFT DAY
THE BRIDGE OF LIES
May 2026. Sibiu. Central Romania. Sadly for my readers keen to read about Wetherspoons breakfasts and suburban Bass houses, the law of the diary-based blog requires I get to the end of this Romanian week, so come back, ooh, next Monday if you’re bored of nasty foreign bars. Sibiu doesn’t have any cask beer, so… Continue reading THE BRIDGE OF LIES
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