retiredmartin

March 2025. Tiraspol. Transnistria/Moldova.

The highpoint of our tour to breakaway state Transinistria now,

as we reach the “capital” Tiraspol, home to the team that won in Real Madrid and more flags than you can possibly imagine.

And more Lenin.

And more tanks.

Our estimable guide Lily had a dilemma. The couple from Kazakhstan had just realised their tour didn’t include a wine tour. I was happy to spend less time looking at Lenin as long as I could have an Untappd check-in at Transnistria’s top (only ?) pub.

Lily, who has a shot at #PubManOfTheYear, scrapped the history and gave us a look at the gorgeous park by the Dniester river with coffee machine shaped like a teapot.

Nine (9) UK pence your espresso. Sadly, I had no coins.

Lily clearly has a couple of options for lunch stops, and “Снова в СССР“, named after the best track on the White Album, wasn’t her first choice.

But she knows a top UK pub blogger in need of a check-in at a Russian theme pub when she sees one,

and I’m delighted to say this was a little gem, far from the expected tourist trap. Your soundtrack from 1986, 3 years before the wall fell, is “La Isla Bonita”.

I had a minor panic when I looked the menu and confused the weights (500 etc) with the prices (43), suddenly wondering if that £30 in rubles was enough.

The arrival (after a stereotypically long wait) of the beer was greeted like that Carlsberg in Ice Cold in Alex. In truth, it tasted like Kozel. Perhaps it was Kozel.

Unfussy Borscht and kebabs on a spit, and the Colombian had the Chicken Kiev.

I have NO idea what it cost the five of us, but I suspect we left a huge tip that has sent the economy into hyper inflation.

I’d love to tell you there were another nine Russian dolls inside the one containing the bill, but there weren’t.