retiredmartin

May 2024. ??? Back in Sheffield from Albania one (1) day and I hear a whoop of joy from Mrs RM downstairs. Surely she hasn’t found the secret stash of Star Bars ? No, she’s found a bargain itinerary for a new and epic journey, leaving Sheffield tomorrow. On her own. “Don’t you mind me… Continue reading So, where is Mrs RM going NOW ?

May 2024. Kelham. Sheffield. I’ve got my Tidal playing via my Sonos into my SBLs again, none of which makes sense to me but it does mean I get to hear angsty twenty-three year old American women berating boyfriends, so life is good. But nothing beats live music, and a £40 Get Together ticket bought… Continue reading STFU

May 2024. Sheffield. Back home from the Balkans I felt the need for British culture. Cask beer and Morris dancing at the New Barrack, one of Sheffield’s longest running Guide entries but perhaps a bit unsung of late. A pleasant evening over the park, down towards Hillsborough’s industrial estates, where the early arrivals were making… Continue reading MORRIS DANCING AT THE NEW BARRACK TAVERN

May 2024. Tirana. Albania. The last of four days in Albania, all great apart from the ever-present fear of being at the wrong bus stop, and time to tick the (few) big tourist attractions. But first, local food at EOS Mezze bar, a classy place behind Pan’s Tap with a brunch offer. Mrs RM got… Continue reading TIRANA COMPLETE – COCKTAILS, CATHEDRALS AND CONCRETE BUNKERS. AND A CREME ECLAIR.

May 2024. Tirana. Albania. Coming towards the end of the Albanian four-dayer now. A joy of a trip, though lacking a bit on the Chinese takeaway and cask ale fronts. I had to explain to Mrs RM that Untappd has two categories of bar; the “approved venues” in yellow, the ones where you might find… Continue reading PAN’S TAP, TIRANA

May 2024. Tirana. Albania. Mrs RM’s mood noticeably picked up after eating 60% of that apple strudel, and despite her insistence we weren’t visiting lots of bars on our day in Tirana she immediately asked me “Where’s your pub then ?” as we headed into Blokku, the posher bit of the city where the communist… Continue reading RADIO, RADIO

May 2024. Tirana. Albania. We had the best part of a whole day in Tirana before our evening flight back to Luton’s Long Stay car park, and I was thrilled, thrilled I tell you, to be exploring one of Europe’s least known capitals. Largely dismissed as not worthy of an overnight stop on the way… Continue reading WELL, IS TIRANA WORTH A VISIT THEN ?

May 2024. Tirana. Albania. The homeward leg, now; back from “gorgeous Gjirokaster” (the TIC can have that for a 100 lek) to Tirana, which I had as yet no opinion on at all. It wasn’t without incident. Mrs RM had booked seats on giirafa for 3pm, and now all we had to do was get… Continue reading TRYING THE “LOCAL BEER” IN TIRANA

May 2024. Gjirokastër. Albania. These blog posts don’t get half the views that a post on a Marston boozer in Wrexham gets. In fact, this post on a CLOSED pub in North Wales from 2017 is still getting more attention than anything I write on Albania. But it’s a diary not a beer blog, and… Continue reading Gjirokastër Castle