You’ve had the pub awards, now it’s time for Retired Martin’s highlights in travel, food and music. And possibly fashion. Though possibly not.
Two maps for you, domestic,
and international, with a heavy emphasis on countries nervously looking over the Ukraine and Russian borders.
Talking of Soviets, Tirasapol in Transnistria was the higlight of 2025. Lunch in “Back in the USSR“, weird coffee machines and an extraordinary supermarket.
We opted not to take him across the Moldovan border. Back home, Mrs RM stuck her penultimate pins in her (Ukraine made) European map. Only Belarus to go, Mrs RM.
Chisinau was great, and the 13 hour rail trip to Bucharest on an old rattler with a change of wheels on the border was an “experience”.
Bucharest became our base a second time in October as we did the full Romanian experience. Pork knuckle,
and bijou B & B.
Sighisoara was the travel highlight of 2025, despite a lack of tomato gose.
Just across the Black Sea, Tbilisi impressed with its dumplings, craft bars and wobbly clocks,
though Georgia also provided the culinary horror show of the decade,
though frankly everywhere else in eastern Europe these last few years the food has been great, and travel remarkably easy (bar Albanian buses). As Mrs RM will tell you.
Back home, 2025 often felt like a weekly slog between ever improving Sheffield,
unchanging Waterbeach, and the south coast, checking on parents and properties.
Goodness know how many times I’ve changed trains here,
Having driven (nearly) the whole of the UK once (“ticking YOUR bloomin’ pubs”) we’re a bit constrained in doing the longer revisits we’d want to, so there’s been more short overnighters of late.
Curry in Corbridge (with Karen and Jane) in Summer,
a re-evaluation of the merits of Norwich,
and lovely Leicester.
But you know all that, and it’s the unsung places, like Enfield (top) and Burgess Hill you really come for, isn’t it ?
OK, perhaps not Burgess Hill.
retiredmartin 
Martin, You had to go a long way to find those shriveled mushrooms for your most horrific picture of the year.
They reminded me of three shriveled bits of chicken in a “sandwich” seven years and two days ago at the Angel as the fifth of twelve Manchester pubs. I had though, thankfully, had a hearty breakfast in the Lost Dene as my second pub of that Wednesday.
The next day, Thursday 3rd, the Petersgate Tap hadn’t reopened from its Christmas closure but I subsequently learnt that that was no great loss.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy New Year, Martin.
I always thought that Darlington was in County Durham, but it turns out it’s in, er, Darlington. Like New York, so good they named it twice! ☺️
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s one of those places, like nearby Middlesbrough, I always have to check on. The GBG has it in County Durham which is good enough for me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Definitely not Burgess Hill! Apart from that, hearty congratulations on a year well travelled, despite the obvious constraints you refer to.
BTW, forget the mushrooms, that raw, uncooked, pork knuckle doesn’t look particularly appetising.
LikeLiked by 1 person
None of it was cooked, Paul, and as for the coffee !
And in a gorgeous old restaurant in Georgia, where the other food was fantastic.
LikeLike