May 2023. My first venture back into the rich world of UK pubs came four days after touchdown at Luton Airport, and with four (4) new London ticks I almost felt I’d got this Guide ticking lark sussed again. In truth, only London really offers such an abundance of ticking joy so close together, and… Continue reading HI-VIS HACKNEY
Month: June 2023
GREEN STREET TICKING
May 2023. Well done West Ham. David Moyes is finally a football genius. Couldn’t happen to better fans. UEFA ought to introduce a returnable deposit on those plastic pint glasses, though. Four weeks ago I was in West Ham land, taking two (2) new ticks from what has been a bit of a beer desert,… Continue reading GREEN STREET TICKING
COME ON YOU HAMMERS !
Manchester City fans are rooting for West Ham in their European final against Fiorentina tonight. Hammers fans share with City a sense of humour rarely seen in Liverpool or Trafford, as a quick look at our relative forums will prove. Upton Park was one of my favourite away grounds; the crowd tight to the pitch… Continue reading COME ON YOU HAMMERS !
Bye Bye Kaunas.
May 2023. Right. Let’s finish these Baltic posts and get back to Blighty. But I can’t leave without urging you to visit Kaunas and drop in to the Kiemo Galerija. You begin to see why the city was a Capital of Culture last year. OK, it’s not quite Bristol, but it’s tasteful and uncommercialised and… Continue reading Bye Bye Kaunas.
BEETROOT JUICE
May 2023. Two more Baltic posts, I reckon. I want to get the West Ham one out before their big night tomorrow. On the last night in Kaunas I’d popped down to the confluence of the rivers Niemen and Neris. I’ve always wanted to use “confluence” in my blog. The Old Town and the parks… Continue reading BEETROOT JUICE
KAUNAS EUROVISION KOUNTDOWN
May 2023. Anyone sensible would have gone straight to bed after the 9.2% Baltic Porter but I’m afraid I’d already had a look at the top-rated Kaunas bars on Rate Beer (does anyone actually use Rate Beer anymore ?) and I felt obliged to pop in the Number 1 on the list. The policeman across… Continue reading KAUNAS EUROVISION KOUNTDOWN
RESIST THE 9.2% BALTIC PORTER ! RESIST !
May 2023. Back in Kaunas I kindly let Mrs RM catch the bus from the station back towards the Old Town, where we had a rather austere and old-fashioned tea in Kauno Bokštas near the Millers Turret. I presume that’s “Mothers Meatballs“, about £8, and like everything we had in the Baltics good quality and… Continue reading RESIST THE 9.2% BALTIC PORTER ! RESIST !
Ticking Užupis
May 2023. Towards the river, Vilnius gets seriously gorgeous, We didn’t tick off any pubs craft beer bars in Vilnius, but we did add a new country to our list. Uzupis, a land of 7,000 east of the Vilnia River is Lithuania’s capital, has a border control, an army (retired) and an anthem, possibly stolen… Continue reading Ticking Užupis
VITAL VILNIUS
May 2023. For a moment on Saturday morning I wondered if Mrs RM was going to attempt a new country tick in Belarus (Minsk 3:25 hours away); but sense and UK Government advice prevailed and we settled for a second Lithuanian city. This was the hectic scene at Kaunas’s station at 09:30. One train an… Continue reading VITAL VILNIUS
WHY PICK KAUNAS ?
May 2023. My most-read post of 2023* is the one about a Greene King Flaming Grill family pub in Sleaford, which rather confirms my view you’d rather read about provincial British like than Baltic craft bars. That’s a shame, as I was enjoying posting about weird Riga beers a day too late to be useful… Continue reading WHY PICK KAUNAS ?
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