Summer 2023 southward Eastern Europe road trip

• • • • •

§   day 1

to Suwalki, Poland     687 km

We set off at 9am with the skies and nearly a month open before us. The start of the trip encapsulated much of what was to come: warm weather (though only 28° at this point) interspersed with spots of rain (ushered in in Latvia), road-works (in Pärnu), country-to-country comparison of petrol-station sausages and mustards, and planning that balanced structure and flexibility well (e.g., for collecting a distributor cap at a garage further along the route through Estonia).

When we arrived at our first night's stop, another pattern appeared: not-so-straightforward check-in for accommodation. Today, this involved a phone call in which we were told to send a text message, which the staff would then Google Translate into the Polish version of 'how do we get into the hostel?'. Behind each door, however, would lie a perfectly serviceable place to lay our heads, though on this occasion the steps looked particularly accident-inviting.

But now it was time for something a bit different.

In pleasant evening-stroll temperatures, we walked all the way around to the correct (back) door of the rock bar / live music venue Komín, where we were provided with a good vibe from the fun live folk rock within, venerable posters, and a gingery Vilniaus beer (plus a 'tick' that there's no need to dwell on).

Then it was time to wend our way 'homeward'.

We would wind down with a mocne, a gusher, and - for that extra-crafty touch - our hosts' almond peach soap/lotion.


- - - - -

§   day 2

to Lublin, Poland     448 km

Morning brought awareness of the one-hour difference in time zones that had crept up on us, alongside another motif: worryingly bitty Polish/Czech instant coffee.

Having braved snarled-up petrol-station traffic, we welcomed clear roads to our next way-point (in parallel with another lovely-looking decidedly non-open roadway...). These took us all the way to Lublin.

•  from the eastern (lower) path into the Old Town (the Grodzka end)
and spiralling down to the start of our wanderings proper




•  taking us to Świa Michał:

We were welcomed with Świa Michał's imposing sampler of various grilled fare, with three types of sausage standing out most strongly. Here, we took advantage of another sampler offer also - a choice of four beers from their 31 taps - twice.

•  the environs:



•  and a closer look at them:



•  before the street led us onward...

This was the brewpub Grodzki, where we installed ourselves around the back, with seating that provided a picturesque view of the castle sitting in the background and, foregrounded on our table, our desitka tray with tastes of the amber beer, pils, IPA, and wheat beer.

•  some church views etc.

Then on to U Fotografa, where King Charles ESB and Putin Ch** stood out in the venue's half-crafty and half-Zakladowa selection. The toasts we raised rendered our sentiments on the latter character especially clear.


•  next, the 14th-century Krakowska Gate area, with nearby nifty façades

•  Browar Lublin, an ultraviolet and brick venue with sport:
Kraków volleytablefootietennis...

Then, we joined the locals who ♥ Lublin for some spectatorship.

I'd never experienced a fountain laser water show before.

While we were supping on a four-beer sampler here,
the staff enhanced the positive impression by sharing their 'we're tasting...' with us.

Alas, the evening had to end. It did so back at our driving-school(?!) hotel with two noxious radlers and a night-time tea enabled by the previous hotel.

For an average bedding experience, we engaged with weirdly thick pillows, quite a contrast against the previous accommodation's weird roll-em-up flat things.

- - - - -

§   day 3

to Rzeszów, Poland     178 km

The next morning gave us another radler, in a lovely/worrying shade of pink. For starting the day properly, the hotel restaurant lady downstairs offered to make us whatever we wanted and provided translations. We ended up with twice as much omelette as we needed, plus coffee.

This did fortify us for the church group's revelatin' and for contending with the underground parking that awaited in Rzeszów. Navigation there was made special by a single entrance serving the entire sprawling complex.

Once settled, we walked down Aleja Pod Kasztanami (the chestnut avenue justifiably recommended as suited well to a visit on foot), past local jazz and local people alongside stretches of more classically flavoured buildings a stone's throw from rather modern architecture.

Photos captured catapult statues, ugly towers. and more.

•  Browar Manufaktura, a dark, cavernous multi-level venue with enthusiastic staff offering explanations and a four-mug taster

At Lord Jack (named after Mr Daniels), we ordered the three beers we hadn't had before, while managing to circumvent a 'so 3 of each = 9 beers' outcome.

Thanks to additional taps tucked away upstairs, a new-to-us brewery, an imperial stout, and more appeared on the horizon.

We didn't eat here, however tempting the steaks were.

•  style - from James Webb mirrored ceiling panels to a map of beer styles



•  the other entrance, onto the main square:



•  a fitting look for a town square, complete with well etc.

•  Staro Browar, just across the square
- with marrow, another version of zurek (the yolk worked especially nicely), and a four-beer set

It had grown considerably darker by the time we left - the sun sets quickly this far south, and we knew we'd be heading considerably further in that direction before the end of our travels.

We'd have to move quickly tonight to catch a few more views before night's curtains could close completely.

•  among the iconic views, sunset at the Revolutionary Act Monument
- for which the Internet had supplied various names, converging on 'the vagina monument'

•  returning to our digs as the light faded further...

Back in the room, we capped the day with a nightcap: the weizenbock-feel rye beer from Mentzen, which had to be imbibed fresh...

- - - - -

§   day 4

to Katowice, Poland     246 km

Raising our heads from even more insane 'pillows' and casting off polka-dot bedding, we adjusted the cleverly designed blinds to bring the sun into phase. Leftover omelette (yum) and instant cappuccino (bleh) prepared our bellies for the day. After Marduk's morning meeting, it was time to wave farewell to the pudendal architecture.

Making our way toward the capital of Silesia entailed plying our way further into the corner of the country and coming quite near Auschwitz, which didn't fit our timetable. On the way, we would encounter rolling terrain, numerous lorries, some lovely churches, signs of the nuclear zone near Kraków, and a charming castle on a hill in its vicinity.

•  awaiting us: spaced-out architecture, prominent stomatology clinics (a theme of many towns in today's Poland), and a new place to stay

Perhaps under the influence of the nearby Spodek arena's space rays, our accommodation's 1st floor was on the 4th floor. But we would soon be used to both its early There I Fixed It interior design and the designerly mis-stacked block architecture on our doorstep. We were ready to explore.

It was not far at all far to Upojeni, a 'multitap' (including wine...) where a DIPA was the star attraction for us. From the food menu, kimchi pastrami proved to be the perfect choice while the baba ganoush was somewhat less inspiring.

•  failed browsing of the street scene for the alley Mariacka Tylna's street art
before moving on...


•  the pub Browariat, with its upstairs beer garden and its offerings both of such new-for-us breweries as Moon Lark and of beverages from Estonia's Lehe

•  appropriate light-shades, planters utilising beer crates, and blasts from the past

We had barely set foot outside Browariat before CyberTap called to us from across the street.

If you pre-load the dispensing card with care, home in on the glass-rinsing facilities, and be wary of excessive foam, and you can get something useful from a visit here.

•  the hotel-feel Mariacki brewery outlet next
- which sold 'multivitamin' beer but also some less scary fare

After passing the local dickery, we worried that we might be dicked about at the final stop on the evening's itinerary, a Mexican-themed venue with no staff at first. But said place (Biała Małpa, or the White Monkey) did deliver after all, even if their real ales didn't really work out. On the upstairs deck after dark, we polished off a fair few drinkies through the magic of sampler trays, with that barrel-aged imperial stout being the straw that broke the monkey's back, ultimately telling us to return to the hotel.

- - - - -

§   day 5

to Ostrava, Czechia     97 km

After catching up on the news etc. in the morning, we bade farewell to this architecture too.
Though headed for Ostrava, we had an intermediate goal before leaving Poland.



•  a venue in Strzelce Opolskie that Marduk'd had his eyes on
- the imposing-edifaced church-side Browar Centrum





...which was due to open in an hour,
leaving sufficient time to admire the building



...and time to walk around this sleepy town
while Marduk dealt with a teleconference in the car



•  among the highlights: the shop Merlot, which boasted a healthy range of meads, Oloroso-aged Komes tickage, and mocnes, and the square with its solar bench


...plus a cute table with flowers and chessboard






•  all before returning past the lovely buildings to furnish a parched Marduk with a Lech mango radler


...and to take a look at the backlit grotto alongside the church beside the hostelry


...until the brewpub opened its doors

It turned out not to be a brewpub at all, but it was lovely on all scores apart from the beer one (that said, we still managed to find radlers and non-alcoholic beers that were new to us on their list).

The hall was huge but not sterile, and the kitchen supplied a well-served duck fillet with cognac-marinated apples, berries, and not-overly-dense potato dumplings, along with a lightly chilified asparagus soup where the above-mentioned dumplings worked well.

Time to hit the road once more.
Shortly before we reached the border, the rock radio that Poland had lacked reasserted itself. Also appearing at this point were storks on nearly every pole, sometimes doubling up.

In Ostrava, we'd feel at home with the warm wood of Hotel Maria, the most inviting accommodation thus far. But we didn't sit still for long. There was exploring to do.




 
•  past a park, churches, and more
...then to Tankovna Ostravar


...a diner-feel outlet that provided several beers from the Ostravar brewery,
all with a lovely soft palate matched by lovely soft pricing


 


•  across the square, the HoppyDog pub Psi Kusy waiting for us to lap up their liquids



...with all going well until Marduk polluted the black-and-white diner ambience


...by ordering a Venusian-poop-coloured energy-drink beer

•  holy holey: a rather suggestive statue
and a chapel reminiscent of the quaint spot near Hell Hunt back in Tallinn




•  last on our official(ish) itinerary, the Hobit metal pub,
replete with festival posters, some Accept playing over the speakers, and locals' personal drinking vessels

We became aware of them starting to close up around us, despite the opening hours listed on the Internet. It was almost eerily quiet once the music stopped. Then, lights flicked off one by one. Still, we were able to drink up in peace and were not made to feel rushed.

Once the staff unlocked the door to let us out, we made a beeline for the gyros kiosk offering the local speciality fried hermaline cheese on bread (i.e., a brie 'cheese-burger').

- - - - -

§   day 6

to the Zlin district     123ish km

I was able to dispatch some juridical verbiage in the morning in parallel with Marduk's meeting, and then Cafe Pasta, just opposite Hotel Maria, provided a healthy-feeling avocado egg toast with both hot and less-hot radish and a little light tasty strudel.

We could not leave the hotel for good without grabbing their various meads to pack into the back of the car - flavoured with walnut, cherry, almond, etc.

Leaving this spread-out multi-centre town behind, we made our way toward Uherské Hradiště, whose name means 'Hungarian city'. This would be our final night in Czechia.

The drive along partly zig-zagging roadways took us past hop fields, past a school-bus-themed 'Coolbus', and - as we approached our target - through the region's bicycle-friendly Staré Město (an excellent site for church and tower photos).





Hotel Penzion - which I wanted to call 'Upstairs, Downstairs' after the staff led us around - made it clear from the outset that Uherské Hradiště operates on cash.

This factor might have been accentuated by the two-day Cyril and Methodius public holiday period. In any case, it left us unwilling to risk the train (or nicking a bike from the bicycle-hire place sharing this building) to the brewery apparently only one train stop away. And it ensured that Hotel Maria didn't yet have any competition for ease of check-in.

The special occasion offered some positive elements too, with the town laying on a Cyril and Methodius festival on the central square.

Buying anything there would still be cash-only, and we were soon sensitised to the issue of dodgy-commission ATMs that 'may charge' etc.

Let's return to the square and fest area later.

For now, we'll move on, capturing the lay of the land along the way.

We quenched our thirst with Rotor beers at the restaurant U Hejtmana Šarovce. No small pours here!
So it's a good thing that the tmave in the pair - Blackbird - tasted darkly divine.






Next up was another top spot: the shop Pivo Dom, the home of beer.

The proprietor was a lovely helpful lady whom I happily characterise as the Czech Kairi. She met our gift beer with a bottle of her husband's beer, advised us on other pubs (including her former one), and permitted us to pay in the end.

When we left, the weather required us to cool our heels and our throats under a nearby tree before checking out the next place on our list (suggested by not-Kairi).



 




That would be Koruna.
Cash-only again..., but we'll return here after scoping things out to ascertain how much money we'll need.

Minipivovar Orlovna is a hotel restaurant, so surely they will cope with cards.
Nope. Well, we can return here too later.


Ah, here we go - Beer Bar Brothers is next. Our debit cards suffice. There are six beers for us here, in all.
And the food looks tasty too. We've found our place, at least for now.


•  to eat, a meat-and-cheese plate (string cheese, ham, two types of sausages, chili cheese, and cheddar - all good) and a small but hearty goulash with added onion; to drink, lovely Hakka, something with cherries in, something with 'Booze' in the name, and others




 


•  close encounters with an annoying ATM interface and, rather more fun, with the holiday concert:
pleasing guitar pop on the square, accompanied by a beer there (see Marduk pose with his plastic handle)




•  on the move again, past spires, and


...back to Koruna, where we tucked ourselves into a barrel to relax

We drank in the environment, which included swallows flying around, the bottle-shop woman hanging around, and drinking of UK-feel bitterness (is .cz hoppier on this trip than last time?).


 

It's getting darker, but we can still see the local colour just fine.



Finally, let's finish our 'return to....' list with the Orlovna bar.



•  a lovely hoppy+malty bitter estery beer here but a slightly sterile interior

...so let's sit outdoors, under the non-fig tree


•  light filtering through the tree as sunset prepares itself elsewhere

Uherské Hradiště is burning!

The sun started to set as the main concert began in the background.



•  bags dropped off at the hotel, before a return for the headline band

•  to Beef & Beer (which was closed and against which Czech Kairi had warned us) and to the cheese shop by the square, where we grabbed Topolsky 10 and 12 in full awareness that they'd not hold a candle to Hakka or Blackbird

•  the music at nightfall, including contributions from the dude of four saxophones



One question remained unanswered at the end of the day:
why did we have to have that mint mate at the hotel?




- - - - -

§   day 7

to Bratislava, Slovakia     under 184 km

This post-rain morning brought a bit of work and the news that, as suspected, the Rotor brewery is closed over the two-day public holiday.

At 10am, we were off, on roads leading through sunflowers, past a church or two enlivening the higher spots along the way, and toward the border.

•  the bridge and looking back at the area near the border (sculpture not quite within the frame)

Arrival: Architecture swiftly began asserting itself in this urban area too. We'd get a good view of it, thanks to our perspective from all the way up on the 18th floor. As ever, we would have to negotiate parking etc. first, though the property-owner's assistance and presence rendered this process far more convenient than it could have been.

•  the room's balcony etc., offering a sense of perspective







•  our panoramic view from the balcony
(shared with you behind the image at left just below)

This building development provided the modern restaurant Obedové, which served me up a quality roast-beef salad including such items as beet strips, an oil-based dressing, and sweeter tones from almonds and blueberries. Also obligatory was the daily special of chicken wings with chili sauce, accompanied by skin-on chips.

That girded us for making our way to the pub Kollarko; however, the journey ended up straightforward: Bratislava's public transport, while liberally plastered with QR codes, employs clear stamp-based validation, lists one's transfer options, and offers maps of the various transport modes' connecting routes.

On our map were Stupavar beers.


•  the curtains' curves beckoning, although we ended up enjoying the fresh air outside as we met up with RB's Cuso




•  pushed onward by the 'cash-only' factor, before finding Alžbeta closed 'for technical reasons'
and on the move once more, with a refreshing ginger beer and a bit of 'session-beer' sharing




•  some sightseeing



•  a few of the many graduating students' names in chalk



...as we neared one of my targets, the distinctive Slovak Radio building
representing the classic inverted-pyramid structure of journalism

We set out next for a look at a prominent government building, with a walk through the gardens and a beer for follow-up.

The plan was to have a look at the Presidential Palace after that. Things don't always go to plan, but we'd be in town for several days. No worries.

•  the Fabrika brewpub, which Cuso introduced as the tiniest brewpub in Slovakia






•  shared photos and stories, washed down with shared beers
where the best of this brilliant local-ingredient-focused set of five was a tmave with Moravian floor-malted barley and Saaz hops (was it the 8° one that caused us to forget about the Presidential Palace?)



 


•  passing the theatre...



•  Mešuge next, where we went through to the outside and perused the food and beer menus





•  traditional dumplings with sheep cheese to share - recommended


•  sunset over the Presidential Palace, on our way






...to Mestianske Pivovary




From the brewery downstairs came four beers to drink up here, one of them a nice zingy 'summer ale'.



Cuso had to rush since his transport options turn into a pumpkin at 2300.
But we would see him again.


 

The number-24 bus took us into town, and the number-42 bus would return us home.
On the balcony there, Venus awaited as part of the unfolding nightscape.

•  some twinkling lights
for download behind this night-skyline image:


- - - - -

§   day 8

based in Bratislava

Marduk remained nestled in these swanky digs for a few work tele-meetings.
But there were places to see before the sun stretched out its claws.

•  near those digs and near the stop for the 72 bus

•  presaging today's itinerary, church spires along the way


•  some nuns trying to guide us to the straight and narrow







•  reaching one target, St Michael's Gate
but without obvious passage up to its Dragon Tower, at least today

We explored Holy Saviour Church, now Jesuit-owned but originally established in the 17th century as a place of worship (though not a 'church' in architecture-based legal terms) for German Protestants. The visit to Franciscan Square showed us both one- and two-bar crosses, a vestment exhibition, internal courtyard views, and more. We would then resume the circuit we'd chosen (from a map showing a prefab tour).

•  before that, though, a display of arms






•  beside Franciscan Square, crosses along our way

...as our circuit led us toward the central square




•  the town square, with its bench statue
- only one member of the clan of intriguing statues known for populating the heart of town






•  Apimed meads inviting us to lick our lips before we meet more of the Bratislava statues


...and then curve back round toward St Michael's Gate





•  among the many unique characters in the historic centre, two mutually head-biting newts




•  a stop at St Martin's Church just before Mass
(don't forget to take off your hat!)




Make your donation electronically at the unit in the vestibule.

Then you can head for the city walls.
Be warned that it's quite a hill they've fortified.
And we'd face rather forbidding temperatures to match.

We have reached the castle gates.

According to the Internet, within the castle complex we would find the Treasury and 'a mysterious flight of stairs [that] will take you through a secret tunnel that leads you to the Crown Tower [...] where you can find the best views of the entire city!'

Instead, we encountered closed premises and a hefty batch of thorough-seeming cops. Whatever the official event might be, however, the environment still provided memorable bastions, trees with valuable shade, and an opportunity to rest our legs.

•  a pair of mini-videos:
        looking out over the river (left to right)          and another view from the castle, right to left
(linked to via the image at left)       (link from the right-hand one)

•  soon choosing a path following the steps back to the Old Town

•  looking down through the trees and musing on the looping necessitated by a dead end


•  but resting for now while awaiting a ping from Marduk








•  the decision: back around to Trinity Church
- with an array of black helicopters, drones, and special police (stationed at bridge and other locations) along the way




...including the helicopter in the rightmost image above

...and this chopper on the right

Aha! The reason is now quite clear: Zelensky is in town.

The Presidential Palace and people gathered there were showing their colours.






Having withdrawn some cash, we were prepared to return to Kollarko, who displayed exemplary timing in that they were just opening as we reached their door.

There was enough here to amuse us during the wait for Marduk. This included utopenec - a jarful of pickled sausage with onions and chilis. We would see this pleasantly sausy convenient offering at a few other places too.

Only a couple ticks after Marduk joined us, it was time for a bus ride across the river (with a kilometre-long bridge), where we would meet up with Cuso again, at Hops.

Now at Hops Pivovar (no, not at the G spot), with its neighbourhood-pub feel. We had a 4 × 100 ml taster of their beers, with the IPA proving gorgeous. We were here long enough for the owner to appear and request Cuso's opinion of the raspberry brew.

It wasn't difficult to capture more helicopter photos - those critters were flying around everywhere (which served also to remind us that we hadn't yet encountered any mosquitoes).

We then headed to Clock Block, I believe, a deli (with beef tripe, pickled cheese, etc.) cum Czech-focused pub where the six taps poured out access to four new-to-us breweries.

•  more flying objects, some being of a winged sort this time




•  justification for the above-mentioned name
- tick-tocking as a backdrop for ticking and talking

Next, via bridge and UFO, we headed toward the ship brewery. Its rather touristy mien and pretty-boy staff notwithstanding, it did provide a pleasant enough spot for us, on the Danube.

We engaged in some boat-spotting here, and Marduk drank his milk as any good little boy should.










•  ideal conditions for playing the tourist




...and drinking mliko (the foam version of their beers)
while figuring out the mixing ratio for their polotmave preparation




• traffic conditions on the water

It seemed a good idea to visit the restaurant Mýtny Domček, which was squatting in our path.

Sometimes a new beer brand isn't worth a stop. Let's not mention this again. Our tram awaits!

•  Beer Dock, also on the river, at sunset












•  our final venue of the evening: Za Rohom
- a tiny place with a mostly Funky Fluid menu and a fun, albeit fake-mechanism, clock on the wall




Back home, television programming with horrible cinematography awaited us, alongside horrible Desperados Strawberry.

- - - - -

§   day 9

based in Bratislava

Good afternoon! It's time to shoehorn our way into the day. Marduk had wrangled flying laundry yesterday, and various other chores were safely behind us. So it was time to move.

We walked past various structures familiar from yesterday, the nuns among them, though different shadows cast them in an alternative light today.

Those nuns guided us to the cloister that was our first stop proper.













That was Kláštorný Pivovar with their dark and light beer.

What these folks lacked in quantity of beers they made up for amply in quality: soft, creamy, and tasty, with a lovely wheaty mouthfeel.

This promised to be a safe place to eat too - the food looked superb.

Indeed the 'cauldron soup' (a multi-meat goulash) and Marduk's crispy schnitzel did the business. Riskier but still obligatory, tripe soup provided a lovely spicy broth, though the texture of tripe isn't something I need to experience again.

However warm, the broth etc. helped shed the heat from outside.

It was soon time to face that overhead grill again, though.

Off to Výčap u Ernóho, or maybe Verim, or Shenk... The relations between the new/old names etc. weren't abundantly obvious.

We were provided with six beers plus a gorgeous cider. In addition, the environment included fun loo signs, a basin where beers were kept cold, and well-chosen music - we didn't mind the volume because Ritchie Blackmore et al. were on tap.

Our path took us to the old market-hall building, past a highly familiar gate once again, and through lovely melancholy street music. Even with a compass of sorts, retreading some earlier steps seemed less easy, though, as the temperatures swept above the 30° mark in the sun.



•  the honey and mead shop Cera Mel
- happy to offer samples of the exquisite wildflower mead and perfectly fine acacia mead they had on tap from a five(?)-litre container
    (don't worry - we did pick up some bottles)



•  more of the characters of Bratislava, some grumpy and some not
- coming up: the unicorn statue and a side passage with steplets toward the city walls



•  continued stretching of those legs





...Past Liszt


...and to Zil Verne

Suitably Verne-themed walls provided diversion here, as did several regional (Czech and Croatian) breweries, whose brews were available in batches of either 8 or 12. Not all of them were moreish, but it was still worth checking out the take-away fare also.

In any case, the environment was a bright spot that couldn't be diminished.







 


 
Then 100 Pív brought a cosy café feel. This was a fairly lively small yet not crowded spot boasting oodles of beers in its fridges - respectable ones no less, from Baltic Porter Day to Orval - and six taps.

We and many locals were welcomed here. Especially worthy of note perhaps was the woman seated outside with her four-month-old baby.





•  the decorations


•  a few photos of now-familiar & puzzling sights alike:

As darkness extended its wings over us, we grew all the more aware that this country shows some evidence of a 'make do and mend' culture (e.g., binding together a broken railing beside the road with tape correcting for the ends not lining up) and quite wheelchair-etc.-unfriendly cobbles, crumbly kerbs, and hardly-set-in-stone paving stones. At the same time, we showed mounting appreciation for the city's convenient and popular-seeming public transport, and were were obtaining significant value from our three-day ticket.

We caught our final bus in this town and made our final stop. It was a worthy one, Damian, roughly 500 metres from our beds.

Yes, they had plenty of uninspiring-looking Gardens and Permons, but all of that was offset sufficiently by the Vinohradsky on tap and in the fridges but, far more importantly, by the lovely smiling staff.

Them being open until midnight didn't hurt either. This left us time to avail ourselves of a Varvar/Garden collaboration stout, among other things, without much fear.


•  a fridge dive and some divine wild-game pate
(the latter a wise choice indeed, however tempting that utopenec was)
before a stride through this sketchy neighbourhood toward our beauty sleep







- - - - -

§   day 10

to Budapest, Hungary     200 km

As we pass wind turbines and reflect on petrol prices, we muse on energy-mix politics. Plenty of other questions about infrastructure enter our heads too, prompted by some scary drivers and scary road surfaces - we're a-jingling.

We had answers to other questions sooner, about the stifling weather forecast and the nature of the ketchup at that automated McDonald's.






Blink and you'll miss it!


With these elevation alterations, are we approaching San Francisco?


Nope, just passing through Budapest on a pilgrimage to the Hungaroring motor-racing circuit.








The size and quality of the roads on the way there were slightly surprising.







Though we did see some of the stands and water-slides familiar from televised Grand Prix coverage, a private (karting?) event prevented us from properly approaching the track.

•  a panorama, linked to at left
making visible, well, what was visible to us:




•  fancy buildings aplenty in Budapest, though some are 'just' hotels etc.







With five minutes remaining before our hotel's 4pm opening of check-in, let's stop checking for e-mail from them.

It makes sense to attempt finding a parking space in the vicinity and hence also near the terrace space of a shared-use area reminiscent of Vilnius's Prohibicija complex. Expansive fan service and unexpected characters beckoned from this covered expanse.

We would return to the bar Élesztó multiple times, attempting to exhaust its 20-beer tap list. The opposite wall belonged to Spirit Bar, with its own 10-beer list to deal with.


We focused on the former this time.


It was incumbent on us to judge the veracity of the claim on the left.




Let's have a set of three beers (or three sets of three perhaps) while waiting for those check-in instructions.

The sticker below says 'I will exchange my election [bribe] potatoes for beer'.



A few symptoms of No, the Other Left Syndrome notwithstanding, the directions to our accommodation functioned well enough, and we soon found a place to lay our heads.

This offered multi-level sleeping options, a kitchen area where one could tap away at computer-based work in the mornings without disturbing others, and a consternation-enabled mechanical toilet.

•  the inviting Yu Grill
- with a shared two-person grilled-stuff spread providing pleasant sustenance in quantities that left us nearly balking (sorry): you go, grill!



...past that 'Yee-haw!' statue

It was just a few steps to Tripla Hofmann, though that was enough to keep us from immediately falling asleep from our feast (with alertness necessitated not least by the dangers of weird kerbs). This meagre distance sufficed also to alert us to the ubiquitous presence of Corvin / King Mattias I (and other) statues and to convey a lingering sense that this town smells regrettably of toilets.

The pub, on the other hand, did not. My notes mention that the staff were solicitous, a fully Hungarian-populated fridge verified the cute naming convention employed by the Hübris brewery, and we spotted a cucumber beer that we knew we'd have to try - continuing a trend begun at the day's first pub.







•  confirmation that higher prices for service outside are the done thing here, not a venue-specific trick, and of the statue- and kerb-related notes above





...then to One Beer
(or, as its entry rug says, 'Just One Beer Baby')


•  a sports-bar feel, a young men's place, and auto-tune



We were nearing home as we hit Crafty, where we sat outside with the other beer foxes on a fairly busy Sunday night.

Among our thoughts as we supped lime-and-ginger tipples and other entries from the five-beer flight were 'but what's on tap 6?' and 'are sweet beers a Hungarian thing?'. We left with two cans for later: a radler and some aliens.

On the two-block walk back, the air bathed us in a continuation of the Mediterranean-evening feel established at Crafty. A welcome breeze helped us along our way.

Though we were under a flight path, the night's sleep ended up reasonably solid.

- - - - -

§   day 11

based in Budapest

FIRST Craft Beer & BBQ, 200 m away, offered more of a laid-back pub vibe. As for their beers, tasty lagers caused us to take notice (a pils, a cross-culture collab, etc.). Even the fruit ones, while silly in some respects, were not horrid by any means, and they showed strong shandification potential.

•  now past the 'ostrich' sculpture

•  some heavier and lighter culture
(even if sometimes propagated by a venue's spin(oza) doctor)



•  next on the horizon: Hops

They might not do sampler sets here but do offer you a taste for judging what you'll enjoy.
Along with a fun vibe that we'd judged that we would enjoy.

•  picking a tap beer or grabbing a Podge from the fridge (this is one of several Põhjala Ambassado' venues we would visit on the trip), and picking a seat



Don't forget to pick your hop-troll face too.

Without (see left) poking your eye out.

•  Krimo next
- 'but which Feher Nyul beer is it?'





•  Hetedik Lépesó, next up



...a laid-back local place with a slightly sparse feel and a big plush mole




•  then light refreshing rain for the walk to Beer Brothers



There, a few Hübris beers awaited us.

But so did toilets with such features as a fist hole, wire doing its best to hold a door closed, wonky fixtures on the walls, a loose toilet seat, and at least one patron maintaining an open-door policy. Maybe it's best not to stay here long enough to need these facilities.



Not many new beers here anyway, so let's head onward as the light starts to fade.

Spires and John Calvin presided over this bar- and entertainment-heavy district.

And here is the Monyo taproom. I should avoid making puns about swinging by for a drink.

In addition to a swing beside the bar, this pink-walled craft-beer venue provided a quiet spot for some final sips in dark-wood environs before we called it a night.

When we left, we had a couple of fancier-looking items in our clutches for take-away, to carry back to Tallinn with us.

We added to our load: soon, we were carrying gyros kebabs from across the street.

Thanks partly to their delicate multi-layer chilis, sesame hints, and onions, these were memorably gorgeous. And particularly hard to save in leftover form for the next day.

- - - - -

§   day 12

based in Budapest

Once we had to reunite with the heat wave, liquid approached us, at least in relative terms:
Beerselection...

Now look up from your drink.

Shop downstairs, pub up (mezzanine). There were 600 cans+bottles here and plenty of yellow shelf tags.



On the heels of this, the Rizmajer brewery outlet gave us a mix of styles - a rum--plum beer, a Simcoe pils, a porter, etc. - and conversation with that train driver at the next table over.

Though these came in 0.3-litre 'small' portions after we'd asked about sampler sets (not on offer), I was able to procure some of their smaller 'small' portions (0.2s) for lower-fuss tasting. The one-litre bottles in the fridge remained a step too far.

Our next stop was Beer Point, a corner spot presenting new brewery Balkezes. It was just a bit stuffy and sports-barry for our tastes, so we moved on after investigating the craft fare on tap and eschewing the macro-brew bottles.



However, perhaps we were too picky. A short while later, it was growing clear that not everywhere cited online as worth visiting in Budapest is actually open for business (though Vienna would win the Opening in December crown).

We resolved to do the best we could. And we don't always need legendary; we can settle for open.

Green means go, at least in the case of our next stop: Hopaholic.

This was a rock-groove, Gollem-vibe, highly green spot stuffed with lively decorations, strong indicators of good taste (e.g., a St Sixtus crate presence), and memories roused by fixtures such as those dusty old Nøgne bottles on the shelves above the bar.

We finished our visit on Beersalis BA Reserva.

•  stepping away now


...to Kandalló


•  an almost industrial venue, rather the opposite of cosy, where 'we're drinking trash beer!'
(cf. Paskar Kolgats) before waiting yonks in order to pay

•  Csak a jó sör (Only Good Beer)
- a lovely place still, a full decade after giving a stellar introduction to Hungary's beers when I persuaded John to stop here - with hefty small sets of shelves and little rooms (and, it turns out, the same owners as Hopaholic)

Six tram stops in the homeward direction later, we were at Crafty again, for a couple of weaker beers to start winding the evening to a close.

As the outdoor temperatures dropped slightly outside, we cooled down with that cucumber beer (finally).


•  our final stop for the night: revisiting Élesztó
- four more things that we 'need' to try, plus a free mistaken pour, as the food places start to close


- - - - -

§   day 13

based in Budapest

It made sense to head out before the heat could hit us in full force. Marduk remained behind to get some work done, while we strode past the paper-aeroplane sculpture near that fancy museum, yellow LEGO heads, and the structures leading us toward the central market.

At this cathedral to shopping - performed both by old ladies collecting groceries and by tourists ogling exquisite decidedly non-daily-use-style linens - we primarily perused the paprika packets.

We picked up some for ourselves and some to fill Marduk's order. To eat now, some duck scratchings were on the cards. We avoided ingesting the inedible fungi on display.

•  a final glance at the market building and then heading for the metro hub

Changing metro line for a key cluster of monuments should be straightforward.

Invitingly open, well-lit metro stations with white pillars and good sign-posting provided a promising start.

•  the park near monumentville
with the building before the domes of the zoo enter view




•  a path taking us past those domes, a wooden roller-coaster, and thermal baths

•  balloooon!













•  a heat-prompted Cecei lager at the pavilion
before we fill our eyes again











•  nearly time to reverse the earlier journey
and head for a Marduk rendezvous via Beerselection - friends back home need Picadura EXTRA HOT inflicted on them

That rendezvous involved the metro station named for Calvin and a beeline for KEG.

While the QR codes worried us initially, the smile-sporting warm staff here were happy to print a list of their drinks, let us pay later, and contributed in several other respects to the positive vibe of this lovely cool basement. Easy-going table service with pleasant jazz in the background filled out the experience further.

So did the taps - all 32 of which we could well believe were delivering on top form. But note that the taster sets (the contents of which are marked on slips labelled 'beer lotto') might cost a tiny bit more than the beers would individually if one avoids 'high-value' foreign ticks. A tasty dark Krois was among the offerings from breweries we hadn't encountered previously.

On the food front, ratatouiille with sausage and (boiled with soft yolk) egg starred, basking in a rich tomato-and-pepper sauce. A bite of Marduk's red-wine beef stew lovely meat enhanced the solid gustatory impression.

•  Bolcso Bar, another downstairs haven

•  popping over-ground again, through the market's last 10 minutes,
and to a last-minute golden Marduk/Web find - the Gravity brewery

Though many of the day's venues were strong, this one stood out in particular.

Part of this was down to the variety - among the styles on offer were a pear sour at 10% ABV and a gorgeous-smelling smoked raspberry porter. Samples of strong stouts and paler fare offset the 'no flights' factor entirely, the equipment behind the door looked appropriate for the chosen task, and the knowledgeable staff's enthusiasm even for those liquids not brewed by Gravity - such as the 'Darling' cider from Budaprés - was palpable.






•  a toast to a brilliant spot!



Through the top-rated pita place (at least per Marduk's smartphone), we headed back to that 'Prohibicija' area for the final time.

It proved surprisingly full for a Wednesday night, and the crowds already had drained the Hübris Stüt we'd hoped to try. Still, the two pubs here provided enough for us, with Spirit giving us our last three pub drinks for the night.

With the 31° air growing moister, we knew that it would rain overnight, and we headed back to the flat. Oops, there's something in the fridge, so just a nightcap and then let's make an early night of it.

- - - - -

§   day 14

to Zagreb, Croatia     343 km

It shouldn't take 15 minutes for a Shell petrol station to prepare an instasausage. The next Shell station gave us one instantly, though it was a bit stubby. And then we were on the road proper. Once Lake Balaton came into view, it would be our companion for hundreds of kilometres (it is Central Europe's largest lake, after all). Naturally enough, we encountered plenty of bridges on the way to Zagreb.



Slivers of mountains appeared, and the foliage grew greener and lusher.

Soon the roads were downright curvaceous. This factor, coupled with their lower surface quality, had the bottles in back rattling though tucked snugly in their beds.

The self-service ticket system for the roads in Croatia earned a mention in my notes for the fact that a human still has to hand over the ticket. 'Welcome to the Balkans' quoth Marduk.

•  plenty of steeples



English terms such as 'sales outlet' seem plentiful here.

Mist against the mountainsides leaves us wondering whether that's evidence of pollution vs. merely the calling card of impending weather.

Once we'd found our way inside number 9 on the street off Ragužina, it had grown exceedingly humid. For added creepiness, there's a Psycho sound when the tram doors close.

Tisak kiosks sell tram tickets and seem commonplace. This simplifies things. So does returning to euros.

•  spots that would become familiar in the coming days
though the group we'd meet up with were on a different map tonight

Pivnica Medvedgrad Ilica was part of a multi-tentacled entity that we wouldn't entirely untangle while in Zagreb. What was important for now is that this brewery - which we'd encountered in years past at Estonia's Tankerfest - provided stuff we needed, food, and eventually the bill. The goulash soup offered tasty beef in a thick broth that went well with the spicy curdy cheese from the snack plate (not that the salami, sliced cheese, or scratchings in said charcuterie didn't work).

The walk to Valhalla (near the caves/tunnel shown at the left below) served as the city's top venue for us, despite things starting off with accidental large portions - 'normally, metal-heads drink big beers'.

Albums of heavy/stoner music, Slayer, etc. played in their entirety helped prevent the atmosphere from being dampened by cigarettes that I wanted to dampen. Zagreb has entirely too many ashtrays on its tables.







Mali Medo was next on the itinerary.


It featured all the Medvedgrad beers from earlier, albethem at a suspicious discount if one pays in cash. Apparently lying signs about other beers perhaps pertained to somewhere across the street, or perhaps not... This feels like Beer Mafia Street. Hmm.

Let's just look at the street art and head onward, to Tolkien House.

Which turned out to be perma-closed.

What was open, just a few doors down, is Kvasar, a 'rando bar' where trying to order beers from the brewery Fifth Element left us in the fifth circle of customer-service fun.

However frustrating in the moment, such comments as 'ignore the blackboard' and 'don't tell me numbers' (with reference to 'all three 5th Elements' etc. rather than tap/board numerals) did render our post-rain experience standing at the table outside more memorable. And the imperial stout wasn't so bad.

In contrast, next door's Craft Room (also displaying another name) was.

Wonkily tabulated signs, disparities between those and the number of taps, obscured pump clips, and the surprise of 'cash only - you can go to an ATM!' were only the beginning.

By the time we left most of each of these non-palatable beers behind, I didn't quite have smoke coming out my ears. When told 'we can sell those beers to other people', I did imagine each glassful getting recycled later.



We tucked ourselves under an overhang to weather the remaining rain.

Ultimately, we would repair to Valhalla to discover a couple of new-to-us breweries.

The shops close at 2100, so heading back and maybe cracking open a pre-bought non-fridged beer seems as if it might be the order of the day, or night.

- - - - -

§   day 15

based in Zagreb

Even at this early hour, the heat was already producing bollard droop.







•  meeting soon under the shadow of the statue



Sure enough, the group's first destination today was the nearby halls of Valhalla.

We'd worked our way through all the taps there apart from the Garden beers, so we grabbed a Lagerica and a couple further offerings from the fridges.

But we dared not venture much further into their depths. Another possible spot had appeared on the fairly limited (from our perspective) pub horizon here, so we'd have more limited time here today.

•  can we or can't we?


•  others' ideas for meeting up in the centre of town


•  the short walk to A'e Craft Bar

That lay two blocks away, near the gate to the upper portion of the city.

Their terrace looked out over a cathedral that 2020's earthquake had left bedecked in scaffolding. It gave us a suitable place to imbibe three Houblon beers from the taps.

•  then up the hill, one green expanse and one tram+bus journey away (on 30-minute tickets)

That would be the Mlnarice brewery, with six (shared) big beers and, on the food front, one 'small' cevapi (spicy meatball fingers with a tasty mild orange-coloured sauce of beans and maize. The next guy along enjoyed liberally mince-stuffed characterful peppers. More beers appeared as the brewer put in an appearance...

'It's the Tanker guy!', Macedonian brewer Dimi.

We're going to have a small bottle of an impy that's claimed to be the strongest beer in Croatia, among other items. We were enjoying the most pleasant of these: PureBrett Vulgaris, with its malic-acid tones. Then the savages arrived - the cherry-feel red-wine-barrel-aged sour Savage Delta and the Marduk.




A tour of the brewhouse, of Czech design, followed. One pump, two hoses, one official employee, some improvisation, mostly lagers so mostly conical fermenters, 8,000 to 9,000 litres a month, a wheeled bottling machine, plus maltings and mill in the garage.

All this is put toward the task of trying to define a 'Croatian sour' and answer questions such as 'why add fruit to beer?' and 'why would you want to buy [Slavonian oak] barrels that still have the brett?'.

We were sent on our way with two big bottles and the task of merely finding an Estonian importer for these folks.

Next, we were headed not to Bir as someone had proposed but to Ambasada. The fridges at this mostly-shop venue had been stocked with discernment and with beverages such as a big Saison Dupont for a mere 6.50. And there were taps too.

What followed was a slight feeding frenzy, including some just-released-today beers.

•  the old oil-factory building opposite

Quite a few special things were available, not least freebies of their birthday beer brewed at Nova Runda.

Let's end our stay with a very tasty hopfenweizen on our tongues before we catch the bus to—

Oooh, a Freigeist cider...

•  after that bus, reaching Fakin (yet another Med. place...)

They wouldn't sell Phantom 29 (a dark beer spotted in the fridge) except for take-away.

There was only one thing to do as we walked to the next pub in the setting sun with plastic glasses in hand.

•  contrails as the light fades
- but we aren't drunk enough yet that we're seeing flying saucers

As we approached the Teacher's brewpub - on the right or the wrong side of the railroad tracks? - the vanishing light didn't leave it entirely obvious whether the fermenting vessels outside were in use vs. just for show. It was likewise unclear whether the first impressions created by an infected beer should send us running. However, the next glassfuls were far more promising overall. We could relax a bit, though keeping track of the various beverages' respective identities still demanded a little attention.

Among them were a dark lager, a Vienna, and others, for six beers in all. Serviceable drinks, even if not entirely to style in every case.

Though the sun had abandoned us, our night wasn't over quite yet.

A relatively short walk away lay Goblet, a 'beer store' that had a long table running down the middle and boasted wall-to-wall-fridges along the sides. With a couple of the tap beers being sourer than they ought to have been, those craft-stuffed fridges were our focus of attention.

With good music and some fascinating conversation, the soundtrack began to prove more attention-grabbing than the beers. Maybe it's time to put the notebook away.

Wait! We need to try Dogma Albino, don't we?

But we still didn't want to miss our (blessedly delayed) tram. Drawing a line under this book of tickets, the lengthy (and blessedly simple) ride home took us through some slightly more depressing parts of this spread-out town.

When we pulled in at our stop, it was nearing midnight, and the pizza place - to which we'd hoped to make a repeat visit - had closed for the night. That was a sign perhaps that our eyes should do likewise.
- - - - -

§   day 16

based in Zagreb

We didn't know the plan for the next morning in advance, apart from the time of morning at which the group would meet at the main railway station and that it'd be obligatory to re-create an iconic photo in front of the bus en route. With the heat wave still heavy on our shoulders, we hoped someone had things well in hand.




Phew! The train to Zabok (to Z via Z from Z) was air-conditioned. This made the crawl past dilapidated significant buildings far more bearable, as did swigging a Flemish-reddish item while on board. We were civilised people.

•  nearly there now

Had the weather been other than it was, the walk to the Zmajska brewery tap might not have demanded a radler stop.

And then a stop for a two-litre Istarsko at the volunteer firefighters' headquarters. As things stood, though, we had to quench something.

Now the walk to Polanovic could resume.

Lounging in the back of this place resembled sitting in one's living room, except that my living room lacks icons etc.

Quiet guitar-based music and a lovely environment made it difficult to rush as much as we probably should have.

Where are the staff at the restaurant?

We did end up with table service, not a moment too soon as the hanging-smoked-meat aromas sensitised our senses further. The two beers (with a name meaning, in essence, 'totally local beer') kept us amused while a veritable feast was assembled for us. Among the highlights of the platter were the beans with bacon in and a scrummy aubergine preparation. Surplus to others' requirements, a surprisingly light štrukli filled any holes.

The itinerary, in contrast, featured a substantial, taxi-sized hole. A rather long walk and a rather short stint at the Nova Runda beer festival were in store. That parasol would come in most handy.




The putative 20-minute walk to the brewery took considerably longer as we began to wilt at the edges.

Upon arrival, the liquids outside the brewery's fest were extremely welcome, with the C4 providing especially good. Within this spacious brewing facility were plenty more.



•  some of what was available inside






The beers above were all ready to go. We too would have to pack up quickly. There'd be no way to do justice to the festival before the train we had to catch at 1757 (the next one being several hours later).

There was nothing obvious to stop us taking a couple glasses' worth for the road, though.

•  all aboard!





It wasn't clear why we had to change train for some reason.
But we were on our way again after 'a Croatian 10 minutes'.

•  arboreal weirdness on display



By now, everyone wants to escape for a shower. Let's meet up at Bir in an hour or so. Text messages with Cuso can be negotiated via a round-robin protocol necessitated by semi-dysfunctional phone-service providers.

Bir was past hazelnut trees in a more residential area but still easily close enough. It helped immensely that, also, the weather had grown cooler (albeit still humid) by 9pm.

The four-beer set (plus radler) here wasn't bad at all, even if the house taste conferred a harsh tone in places. We were glad we weren't in the pub someone had started telling tales of - somewhere whose sadists require tourists to order the beers not by number but by pronouncing the Croatian names with meticulous correctness.

Bir stood out for playing music by Clutch and for a menu that features baklava sandwiches... For our tastes, the strips of crispy sesame chicken were safer (though perhaps too safe - not enough wasabi for me in the dip).

•  and the stroll back home
- with a photo toward the light from the stadium very near our digs

- - - - -

§   day 17

based in Zagreb

Today was dedicated to the Grand Tasting - everyone had brought a few well-chosen beverages for sharing.

It would be held at the Garden Brewery facilities. Knowing that this place comprised a greenhouse and had begun its life as a garden centre, we did have some misgivings. Images of tourists flocking to Death Valley sprang into mind.





Thanks to some puffing away on cancer sticks at a nearby table, the group ended up spread out.

But are we ready to go? Yes!



Guilty pleasure from a herby basil tomato gose awaited alongside a new-to-us Schlenkerla.

I enjoyed two sublimely and subtly layered Hellstork saisons, a new Mlnarice Savage, wickedly tasty (iced and other ciders), and chicken wings (with hot sauce on the side ready in case that set of three anticipated little Närkes proved too hot themselves :) ).

•  a few of the highlights


It's getting later. The pile of empties is growing. Yet people still are coping (at least in general - we're not quite sure that can be said in the case of the 'only one person has had it, so take small pours' drink).

Coping was aided significantly by tuning of the various drinks' path over the tables.

Time is getting on, though. We'd started at 1130, and it's 2000 now, at least 90 bottles later.
So I'd best order some sweet-potato fries (with harissa plus sauce from those wings)
...as a landing strip for the next beer.



•  doubling things (left, left), then hitting the serious stuff right
- a Black-Mash-up and the Egyptian malt liquor long ago seen 'not for sale' in the local pub fridge



Parting of the larger group's ways... But hold some of that Central Waters Anniversary 25 whatsit in your cheeks as you depart.
Are you ready, boots? Start sloshing!
The bus is three minutes early! Run!

Now we can take stock:
Yea! We managed to drink everything, even if we didn't know the precise identity of some entries. Yes, I'm looking at you, Tenryo Currently Unidentified Sake from RBESG 2023.

Well done, crew!


Back at our digs, we found that we'd been coping better than the utility company: a power cut in the neighbourhood left us operating by laptop-light. Those batteries had another brief workout before our departure in the morning also.

- - - - -

§   day 18

to Ljubljana, Slovenia     140 km

But before the border could reach us, Croatia provided a final bit of local character. This came courtesy of the local character manning a toll booth:

'Do you have a euro coin?'
We had a two-euro coin and duly handed it over
We received as change a 'thank you, my friend'

Not long after the flags for the border waved into view, Slovenia's own character began asserting itself.

A healthy crop of churches entered bloom. This country's hills offered suitable terrain for steeples plus plenty of roadway tunnels. And EU funding had contributed to a low jingle/minute count from the back of the car.



•  where we'd just been and where we were headed




•  festival flags welcoming us to town

We'd feel marginally less welcome after Marduk parked the 'wrong way' at our digs. English was sparse there, as was food. Their cafe did offer coffee, which would prove valuable on the morrow.

For now, though, we were off to stalk the wild pizza. Our hunt yielded success just next door to a convenience store (a.k.a. a purveyor of radlers). Sorted. Post-exertion, I wrestled with 123 footnotes' legalese while respecting the others' choice: tackling their pillows. Siesta complete, we ventured back out.



Eight taps from the Maister brewery awaited us. Then, hot on the heels of the promising start from our initial five-beer flight, a freebie wheat ale graced our table minutes later. The final two beers merely extended the flight. No worries whatsoever!

The staff impressed us still further by providing the libretto, as it were: detail-rich commercial descriptions. And then, when the 'cash only' spectre raised its head, by saying that we didn't have to worry about paying. Naturally, we were mightily relieved that we had sufficient folding beer tokens to hand.




•  even something to suit Marduks (see far right)






•  now heading elsewhere, with that bright start under our belts




•  namely, the Tektonix brewpub

The beers were born in the brewing vessels behind the bar. They arrived via both our taster tray and the glasses of the Marko crew, who were on a day trip from Zagreb.

Their hop-dominated brew 100 is the tastiest thus far, in my view. What can we try next? 84? 81? It's probably safer to trust the pump clips than (either version of) the menu board.

Past the park hosting Ljubljana's version of Stonehenge, bureks were obligatory.

Marduk had pinpointed two highly-people-on-the-Internet-rated food kiosks offering this stuffed-pastry local speciality: Olimpija (which provided a well-stuffed meat burek) and Noble Burek (whose pizza bureks Marduk could compare with what he'd scoffed at this very spot some years past).


We'd wash our bureks down at Sir William's Pub, which permitted us to catch some of the Nova Runda beers that got away, among other liquids, all available in 0.15-litre pours. These folks even had real ale on tap (though not all of it in spot-on condition).



We just missed the opening hours of the next place highlighted on Marduk's phone-borne map. But the town wasn't entirely dead, as a heavy-metal gig attested on our way home.

The environs supplied us with murals too, which we were just able to pick out from the surrounding darkness (phone cameras fared less well than the eyeballs in this regard).




- - - - -

§   day 19

based in Ljubljana

Today's path would lead past a Jesuit church bearing a Star of David, the Portreeve's house, and a fair range of public art and statues.

After a while, here be dragons!












•  here be Pub Premier, providing a pit stop for two quick beers











•  national characters



...before we were upward-bound



The walkways led to a highly elevated castle. This was proper keep that seemed fortified to keep the baddies out, as opposed to a stately home built for show.

We remained within its embrace for a while before our rendezvous with still-in-conference-call Marduk.









•  parapets behind us as we prepare to bound downward









Our joint target was Lajbah, another top spot for beer-related amusement. It boasted 23 beer taps, 17 of which functioned as gateways to new drinks (with 'G' featuring heavily: Frau Gruber, Garden, Garage, ...).

Trays of four small portions each made the task ahead of us substantially more manageable than it could have been.

Church bells rang out at our next stop, Pop's, thanks to the neighbours down the street.

We would end up doing some bird-watching here - the avian patrons appreciated the food at this burger joint - while judging the contents of two or three bottles.

We ended up watching not just birds beside us but the skies above.

A storm was brewing. Soon, beer glasses, canopies, and several people's composure were in danger.





Is that an occluded front? Was that lightning? Is that hail?

Moments later, the electricity stutters, and glasses begin to lose their footing and their lives.

Other things that aren't nailed down start to take flight. Nearly featuring on that list are several guys attempting to hold canopies down as poles sway in the wind.




Detecting a slight break in the rain, we make a break for it.

Back at Premier, for the two Reservoir Dogses we'd noticed earlier, we wait out the second side of the lightning storm. It feels like a completely different pub, now with a backdrop of crowds and obnoxious music.

Let's see what's next door.


Petkovšek could provide a 'desperation tick', so all was good.





If you're going to San Francisko, you need not fear some raindrops in your hair. While the lightning continued, rain was minimal as we picked our way through branch-strewn streets on the way not to California but to fridges of fashionable craft beer at our final pub of the evening.

Impatient flies took the opportunity to exit as we arrived. We too ended up impatient, assisted into that state by a slightly scary almost-scrumpy and some sour weird mincey cinnamony liquid claiming to be sahti. I guess most people stick with the hyped lambic in the fridge.

Fearing the possible effects on our bottoms, we then slipped off into the night.





That said, we weren't in such a hurry that we couldn't savour the surroundings before relaxing back at our accommodation.

These included BMX Bandit and other members of the local scene who were filming their bike tricks. And, in Marduk's case, the entertainment provided by long pine cones lying unsuspectingly on the ground.

- - - - -

§   day 20

to Vienna, Austria     388 km

There was a 'splash and dash' too, with a petrol station offering 'Super 100plus' fuel (this octane goes to one-eleven?).

Mountains were starting to rise in our path, though the landscape decided to flatten out slightly after the border to Austria.

More sweeping terrain enabled getting up to higher speeds, and we were making good time.






Here is the church. Here is the steeple.










Our introduction to Vienna included traffic control via a wonderabout rather more than a roundabout, but we still made our way to our hotel just fine.

Sounds of drilling and other renovation may have stirred some worries, but that didn't prevent a catnap or (in my case) a bit more footnote-wrangling.



The hotel's shared water source from a bygone era let us know that we'd be stepping back in time at least with regard to a few of the visuals that Vienna would provide.

While there weren't many people around when we emerged from the metro at Karlsplatz, the surroundings felt filled nearly to bursting with echoes from an imperial-centre past that had produced fancy buildings, copious statues of men on horses, and plenty of other burdens on the backs of the less fortunate.





But let's not be downbeat! We've found the beer!



It was at Stadtboden, it was semi-macro (Ottakringer), and it wasn't inexpensive.
But it did exist.




•  next, though, heading onward


...to a definite high point



Things were better in 1516.



This is a characterful smoke-free pub and brewery that crafts several varieties of quality stuff in the basement.



Meanwhile upstairs, accommodating staff served us at a table tucked invitingly beside a window.

This included spreading out our two five-beer sets along the table for pulling particular ones in/out to indicate which we might wish to drink first vs. later.


When we were ordering our food, they also drew our attention to the cured-meat schnitzel on the menu. We emerged pleased to have heeded this recommendation. Crispy and lovely. The long-fermented-potato salad too hit the spot, exactly as Marduk had predicted.

On the beer front, the winner was Victory Hop IPA, characterful yet refreshing (or vice versa). The alt earned a solid second place.


Flanagan's, across the street, could hardly compete with this, though not doing a bad job in striving for that Irish pub feel.



•  by Vectron's golden wings, we have found an electronic interface!


Next on Marduk's map, Golser Bier & Wein Bar was temporarily closed.

Shortly after he pointed out the monument to deceased Soviet soldiers in the distance, we passed a venue with a name that matched the conversation perfectly if one aims lowbrow enough.


Before we could grow excessively restless, we stumbled upon the Paul and Anna pub, offering an almost northern Nordic feel. Heading inside, we installed ourselves at a window seat.




Upon noticing the sun sinking lower, we made tracks.

Smartphone-tracks led us to Mama Kraft, which we noticed is going to open only in December. Another venue soon joined it on the Not Open list.


Prowling around in the veritably deserted historical centre, we pondered where to go - ideally, somewhere open.

In the end, it seemed most sensible to bite the bullet: validate our 72-hour tickets and head for a brewpub in a more remote district of town. We did just that.






•  through the park, to the Schnauzer & Beagle



Perfect timing! There was a pub quiz in progress, so we had to invade it. Great fun was had by all.

In no small part, this was due to the Aussie guy, who is the source of much of the feel here, including that of the carved holders for our three-beer samplers, the pump designs, and smiles.

Of the liquids, the smoked beer made the strongest positive impression here.

Pick an ideal spot for a Vienna resident to eat, drink, and be merry. Bonus points if it's dog-themed. Your time starts now.




•  the local handiwork



And then it was time to head back home via the clock tower etc. under cover of darkness, while attempting to snap a couple of snapshots.

Once we reached the hotel, I nearly needed a ladder for hauling my tired bones up into that bed. This was neither my fault nor the pub's.

- - - - -

§   day 21

based in Vienna

Apart from that, this space was pretty much what we'd expected, even if we may have only skirted one edge of it: stalls with wallets, a wine bar with barrel decor, some truly lovely-looking pastries, and plenty of dried fruits.



Then the 'little' arts building.

Ver Sacrum is the building that housed the late-19th-century Viennese Secession movement, consisting of Klimt et al.

Are those load-bearing shells at the base?


The metro trip to the ACK-ACK battery still in place near the northern part of the historic centre ended up far from straightforward, with the relevant line stopping a few stops shy of the target, another line failing slightly differently, etc. The trip did take us past a lovely dark mosaic church (which I was unable to capture on 'film') and left considerable muttering in the air.


A barrier beside the bridge obscured a lovely river view, but there'd be further opportunities later.

Work on line U4... grrr. But the Nazi anti-aircraft emplacements couldn't hide from us forever.

And, most impressive, they were well worth seeking out.





•  size mattering

•  the walk to the station via the far corner of the park





•  leaving this area and heading for the river



Now we had a better view of the water, with intermittent sun after a few less-than-convincing attempts at rain.

Some swans and a funky bridge offered a worthy diversion before the metro carried us toward a futile attempt at meeting the mythical ring tram.








•  the bridge putting on a funky groove










•  time for a drink, the house beer at KrahKrah


 

We were now amid some confusing streets - well, blame for that could better be laid at the feet of the tourist map, feet that might well be pointed sideways - near the synagogue and Fleischmarkt.

The plan was to visit the Rathaus and its environs, then a constellation of museums (the theatre museum etc.) near that. Today wasn't going to allow us to complete the entire route envisioned, though.











•  negotiating a horse-traffic jam to cross the street

•  two mini-videos:
(the photo below links to an overview,    the one at right to a closer view)

The state library, with golden Atlas globes on the roof and with obligatory horseback-pose statue, stands just there.




We'll round the park in the south-west, toward Mozart.









 



There he is, just below. Franz Josef lurks suspiciously at the other corner of the park.

We won't see all the statues of Vienna/Austria luminaries, but we'll at least tick a few off the list.




Green Goethe stands outside, marking the way back through/under Karlsplatz.

Without Marduk and without a better stellar-food idea, we headed back to 1516. There, we sat at 'our' table again, for a (perhaps even too crispy) chicken schnitzel this time. Oooh, smells like a brew day today!

There are plenty of statues still to come, along with fountains and the culture-ministry building.



Keep looking up.



More 'horsey dudes' were watching over proceedings pretty much everywhere, courtesy of Franz Josef and his ilk.




The time had come to pay our respects at that Russian monument...

Respect, that would be it. Clearly.





 
•  A horizontal line underscoring principles
          alongside vertical lines evocative of a prison




We followed Marduk's directions to Salm Bräu.

They didn't bring menus etc. at first, but we did end up with the drinks to sip out here. And it was heartening to see No Smoking outside.

These folks might brew on the premises (equipment was visible), and all the beers indeed were fresh and fine, from a spicy hoppy pils to a treacly polotmave.




On the opposite side of the park is...




Stöckl im Park. But it's not directly across the park.

Heading around the Belvedere area via the bottom bit of the botanical gardens, we might not have taken the optimal route to this reiteration of the Salm beers and coaster style. But we were able to reward ourselves with a cider in the end.







That might not have entirely quenched a building thirst. So let's head to the near-Marduk-rendezvous underground station, via a rather angry-looking Brahms.


Having arrived at Rein Wein, we found that Marduk had just left. Still, there was sufficient time to appreciate a bottle and the friendly staff lady at this reasonably well-stocked pub (e.g., they had Einstok).




It was back the way we'd come, for Marduk had gone on to Hawidere Beer & Burger. There were plenty of new beers here, from Schremser and Bierol, with nearly everything on the 14 taps being unfamiliar. Helping us out, flights of four each were available. Yea!

We did reasonable justice to these before heading to the invisible bus stop on an impossibly/impassibly narrow road and catching the full-sized bus to...


 



Brauhund. This place displayed potential even though a Stu Mostow tap take-over had left a drought of new drinks from our perspective. Still, they did have something on tap for us, plus a bottled dunkel hefeweizen. Definitely worth the stop.



And then there was the BrauWerk brewery festival.

Things didn't werk as well here as one could have hoped. The most clearly infected beer, a diabolical red IPA, earned itself a return visit only in the 'getting a replacement' sense. Even the lager from the replacement-beer service wasn't especially reassuring on the hygiene front.





This day is growing dark in more ways than one.

If we leave, we could have another attempt at that church photo. Nope, a bit too dark today too.

To brighten things up, let's hit another pub.

This would be Kangeruh. While dimly lit, this served as a bright spot in other ways.

For ending the evening, it offered a suitable feel of a suburban locals' bar.

A radler back at our digs ended the evening.

- - - - -

§   day 22

based in Vienna

From the Parliament building, the combination of a tick in the park, the Rathaus, and Strauss with waltzes in the background provided a good foray into the day.














•  a mini-video (behind the photo at left):




At the food fair beckoning from just past the Rathaus seating area, the Persian stall's lamb and aubergine dish with lentils, rice, and yoghurt pressed several buttons. Rather more appealing than something that seems to require inverted commas around 'tasty'. Also appealing was the idea of the Popper statue, though that proved less impressive in real life.

The same could be said of the Marduk-recommended kaiserschmarrn at the nearly adjacent Cafe Landtmann. It would take more than a Die Weisse beer to wash down this rather stodgy pancake item, however lovely the café (cf. Helsinki's Strindberg) and its staff. The side applesauce and the nicely burnt edge bits would have worked, or perhaps I'm more just a strudel person.

Marduk has sent a message. We'd need to skip the Vivaldi statue so as to meet him at Highlander, though we did end up reaching it before he did.






Highlander's sampler provides only teeny-tiny portions of their brewery's three beers, so we opted for slightly larger glassfuls, even though this time the heat wave wasn't such a great factor.

Temperatures had grown a bit cooler overall, and a few drops of rain had appeared. Might this fever be breaking?






Perhaps not - it's still droopy out for some.



Beaver Brewing Company was next. For a set of nine (9) beers. And they had bottles fridged from other brewers too, just in case those nine (9) weren't enough. Yikes.

The stout was especially worth casting to memory. Tap numbering here (resembling that of German bus seats...) stood out also. As did William Shatner's rendition of 'Rocket Man' rewarding us inside after we'd sought refuge from impending showers.

Among other memorable aspects of the environment were the complete set of Monty Python scripts and Das Craft-Bier Buch.

Lightning and crisp thunder had us questioning our decision to leave.

We shared a flight of the four beers we needed among us, which came at noteworthily reasonable prices.





•  glorious serendipity - a festival of choirs
- right near where the Vivaldi statue is / should be, a Georgian group and 'Benedicimus te' from a children's choir




Then we made a trip to Charlie P's for a mix of 'rando' beers, with the characteristic patterns of tiles in the roofs noted along the way now that the rain had subsided.

Next was a place whose name had given us pause when we passed it earlier. Mel's Craft Beers provided flights of six - everything from Mikkeller Beer for Peace to a new-to-us zwickl - and a large cavern warmed by human bodies.

Outside, away from said heaters, we imbibed and we made our decisions. For instance, we judged Indira Blondie to taste best, and it might well have had the batch's best name.




Along with a name riffing on the word 'Paradise', Bieradies offered six Villacher beers but was not obviously a taproom for that outfit. While I sat in an open window bay and sipped at our 0.3-litre pours, the chatty staff kept us entertained and the fresh air kept us invigorated. The zwickl was the stand-out beer here.





Darkness was closing in as we left.



And Marduk had our marching orders. He was keeping time - apparently, we had an appointment with the animated clock, with movement predicted to kick into action at 2200.



•  that church again, with its simple elegance pointed out by Marduk this time



Then Marduk ducked into Philosoph.

We followed him, ordering a Turbobier, which the staff explained was named after a band. That might interest Marduk. Actually, where is Marduk?

Oh, there's another side to this pub. Two signs proclaim 'Philosoph' - they are guilty of the fallacy of equivocation!

Things should prove simpler back home, where radlers await.



- - - - -

§   day 23

based in Vienna

The märzen here was darker than what we'd discovered is the Vienna-style version (the latter being more akin to a helles), and it worked well enough. In contrast, the chili beer was silly. Notes such as these were committed to paper while Marduk managed to polish off a 'half' portion of ribs.

•  some of the edifices etc. of the start to the day




•  a Stern look



•  scoping things out





•  on our path, ornate architecture juxtaposed with manhole holes in barriers

On the way to the self-proclaimed Ammutsøn Craft Beer Dive, we found our attention called to a street stall that sported a bottle from a brewer we'd not encountered before. There was enough time for investigating this.

Haydn served as our drinking companion. Well, he stood near our table behind the stand. Quite a civilised atmosphere.

With our one-euro bottle deposit returned, we were back on track, with forebodings from Marduk's descriptions of the Dive.



I'd nearly looked forward to the confusing beer-flight situation that Marduk had described having faced here, but it was not to be. What we found was a standard to lack-lustre collection of crafty fare on tap - Piggy, Bierol, La Quince, and friends, all with their own house taste.

They had washed quite a bit of money out of us, so we'd venture further afield than Ammutsøn's Cantillon-stocked fridges to wash some of these flavours from our mouths.




•  scores for their adverts (the signage at right) as we depart?


As we stride past arches etc., what are we looking for?
Is 'Brau...' close enough?



Well, what we went to was either Brauhof Wien or the Kaltenhauser brewpub. Either way, it operated as designed.



We especially appreciated proactive mentioning of the sampler on offer. Presented to us in a solid etched wooden case, this featured a particularly pleasant zwickl and a stout that showed clear potential (though exhibiting regrettable sharpness). Encouraged, we even braved another hemp beer, which was fine. Had sufficient hunger have arisen, we'd have given the food too a try - the portions looked both huge and lovely.



•  quite a few characters lurking in the garden, not just us







Since this was our final night in Vienna, we simply had to pay a visit to somewhere along kebab row. A tasty beef wrap, which waited patiently to be consumed alongside a beer or two back at the hotel, verified the wisdom of this decision.

It also tried to direct us back to its maker, or one of the other kebab-purveyors' premises, for just a few bites more.

- - - - -

§   day 24

to Kielce, Poland     545 km

Once our bags were comfortably settled in the room, we had a look at the town, walking past the Architecture, the Egg, etc. and heading for a recommended eatery.

At the end of the route was Rockabilly. The pork knuckle here proved to be as tasty as we'd hoped. But then there was The Thing. Turquoise and sweet and scary. And Marduk can take all of the blame.

Right next door is pretty much the only spot on my Kielce good-beer radar, Craft Beer Pub.
It would fill those shoes admirably.


They played a range of music that included Rush, and the spectrum of beers too was quite a broad one, with plenty of Nepomucens and Monsters but also brews from the local region and fridge space accommodating four Schlenkerlas.

In all, there were seven new-to-us beers, out of 12 taps, which flights of five facilitated nicely. The pils was especially tasty. No need to worry about an especially 'crafty' feel here.

Also worth noting was the television sporting some rather interesting sport: volleyball in Gdansk, US vs. locals.

•  Kielce by night and the Architecture acting all clever



With the marathon leg of our return planned to commence at 7am, it was time to hit the hay.

- - - - -

§   day 25

Kielce to home     1,164 km

The adventure's final day brought both petrol-station cabanossi and, once McDonald's had exited the breakfast-menu-only zone, a stop past Białystok, where we were reminded of how sweet the Poles tend to like some of their food.

It was a straightforward enough day, marked largely by musings about when some of these road-works will be completed, what the journey-planning application was smoking as it attempted to ascertain the effect of a traffic jam, and how long that utterly reckless and surprisingly wreckless FlixBus driver would curse the road ahead of us.

Among the views were a few more churches dotting the landscape, the large reservoir near the hydroelectric plant as we neared Riga, and a usefully lengthy reminder that the sun sets later as roads stretch further north.

At 2230, twilight was deepening, and the electronics proclaimed that we were 96% of the way home. It's safe to say that we'd make it.