October 2025. Bucharest. Romania. Yes ! It’s those forrin muck posts you love ! It’s Mrs RM’s fault. With the old folk heading downhill she’s taking every opportunity to kill the planet fly to Eastern Europe for £20 while we can. A fellow ticker, I expected her to be tackling the “Rest of World” badges… Continue reading Grand Café Van Gogh, Bucharest
Tag: food
SEPTEMBER ’25 STOCKTAKE + OCTOBER PREVIEW
A few hours early for the contractually obligated monthly highlights post, let’s hope it’s not tempting fate and something really significant happens this afternoon. September was a month of returns. Biggest of all, Russ returned to the comments page after a traumatic period out, and how we’d missed him (and not just to correct the… Continue reading SEPTEMBER ’25 STOCKTAKE + OCTOBER PREVIEW
MATCHING M & B MILD WITH DESI BAKRA IN SMETHWICK’S RED COW
August 2025. Smethwick. Our last day in Birmingham, though the new GBG is going to send me back there soon enough (NO SPOILERS) and a rare stop in Smethwick, famed for its Gurdwara. The fast train from Kiddy to Brum takes you past fields of pumpkins at Blakedown and drops you at Galton Bridge, handy… Continue reading MATCHING M & B MILD WITH DESI BAKRA IN SMETHWICK’S RED COW
DID I ENJOY THE GREAT BRITISH BEER FESTIVAL ?
August 2025. Birmingham (or is it Solihull ?) I’m not a beer festival fan. I always say this to folk who equate beer with pubs. Frankly, the venues are dull, the beer not as cool and crisp as in the pub next door and if I’m going solo I find it hard to start the… Continue reading DID I ENJOY THE GREAT BRITISH BEER FESTIVAL ?
A WISTFUL LOOK AT THE RIFLE DRUM
July 2025. Northampton. I’m drowning in blog material at present, but resisting the temptation to rush through some of our loveliest unsung towns. Like Northampton, on a first visit to the centre in seven years, an old codgers trip where we met the actual Mayor of that fine town. It seems to be a town… Continue reading A WISTFUL LOOK AT THE RIFLE DRUM
Could YOU walk past the Laurieston ?
July 2025. Glasgow. Back at Glasgow Central from edgy but exciting East Kilbride I had a couple of hours till my £66 return to Sheffield, sadly not long enough to attempt a visit to Carluke’s craft bars but time aplenty to walk across the Clyde for a curry. That area southside down to Hampden Park… Continue reading Could YOU walk past the Laurieston ?
STRANGEWAYS, STRANGE DAYS IN CHEETHAM HILL
June 2025. Manchester. Driving Matt home from Luton Airport yesterday I asked him to guess how many pubs I’d managed on my two (2) days in Manchester. “A dozen ?” says Matt, who obviously reads this blog. “None“. Yes, a couple of cultural days, and a £34.99 Travelodge next to the AO Arena, itself rather… Continue reading STRANGEWAYS, STRANGE DAYS IN CHEETHAM HILL
ROOSTERS AND CHICKEN WINGS
May 2025. Sheffield. And so we leave Georgia, the capital’s airport so comfortable we arrived there over 3 hours early and still nearly missed Last Call. Great name for a bar; but with Staropramen at a tenner I gave it a miss. Back home in Sheffield I lasted almost a day before sneaking out up… Continue reading ROOSTERS AND CHICKEN WINGS
A RAINY NIGHT IN GEORGIA. YOUR TBILISI CRAFT BEER GUIDE
May 2025. Tblisi. Georgia. Your final post of holiday snaps; I’ll skip over the Vardzia cave network, and return to good ol’ English BBB tomorrow. I had to squeeze Randy in here somewhere; she’s a big fan of the Caucasus craft scene, particularly tomato gose. Due to Independence Day our Uber into Tbilisi had to… Continue reading A RAINY NIGHT IN GEORGIA. YOUR TBILISI CRAFT BEER GUIDE
THE GOOD GRUB GUIDE TO GEORGIA
May 2025. Georgia. Yes, some themed blogging for you, as I struggle to cope with putting 466 photos into posts. Come back, oooh, June and you might be able to read about Bass and Derby instead of this foreign muck. Back in 2023 it was a final Lithuanian meal in Kaunas that added Georgia to… Continue reading THE GOOD GRUB GUIDE TO GEORGIA