33 Sun 9/4/17: Cafeteria Plata, Malaga

Beer: San Miguel 5.4%

Post-procession we meander back over the (nominal/largely dried up) river towards our apartment. This is a very clean and decent bar, serving bottles of San Miguel and tapas. We have some Russian Salad and Patatas Bravas – although the cabinet also boasts something else Russian Saladesque, but with additional unction and crab stickery. We had one or the other… I can’t remember although, if it was just a case of pointing, I can’t see that we wouldn’t have plumped for RS+.

A quiet last drink of the evening was pleasantly enlivened by a returning paso, back from the Cathedral and wending its way back to its parish. Pleasingly, the crowds hadn’t followed, and the procession has a friends and family (some clergy no doubt) feel. The bell on the paso was struck for a break near to the bar – and several penitents (mostly whipping off their hoods beforehand) and bearers dived into the bar for water and/or a wee.

Stephanie insight: bar is a bit rubbish (my notes say I concur though, in retrospect, that seems a little harsh).

42 Wed 12/04/2017: Bar Santa Ana, Seville

Beer: Cruzcampo 5%

Best bar in Triana which, to my mind, is the best area of Seville. There’s a sense of brotherhood and community in the gypsy quarter which (although it almost certainly exists) isn’t quite so apparent across the Guadalquivir. This side of the river seems more laid back, and not so touristy, as the other areas we frequent. The bars, I find, have a different character – with service which sometimes seems withering towards us idiot English speakers. I quite like that, it reminds me of Czech.

Anyway “our bar” in Triana has been found by others during Semana Santa, although it isn’t unbearably packed. Almost all the pictures (and most of the tiles) on the walls are Semana Santa based – the church is right next door, and the local peso hangar is just over the road. There are also a few Toro photos and a huge bulls head on the wall.

There was an ad on Semana Santa telly for a bread product that is clearly part of the tradition. There’s some of it on the bar – and a bloke sitting at the corner of the bar orders a slice. I’m gazing, in a world of my own, at the transaction and wondering how the bloke will tackle the unctuous slice. With the spoon… it looks soft… and then the bloke starts talking to me – and pointing me out to the barman. I thought, at first, he’d noticed how my miserable bar presence was floundering. You’ve got to shout at the bar people here when it’s busy – but I’m an Englishman, and particularly reserved example at that. But, no, he’s asking (and preparing to pay) for a slice of the bread for me. A charming gesture… once I’d sussed out what he was up to. The bread appeared to have been soaked in syrup, and is/was extremely sweet. Nice enough though and, again a lovely gesture. Anyway, he offered monies, but the syrup bread was gratis.

My notes on the visit include two other observations: 1) Young gentlemen wearing beards, as is the fashion these days, mean there are lots of fellows around these days who look a little bit like Jesus. 2) Bars go big for coffee over here. There are those who’d argue a good coffee is better than a good beer (and you don’t get a good beer over here). I prefer beer intoxication over caffeine, but maybe it’s a dialogue that deserves exploration…. but not here and now.

186 Tue 3/10/17: Restaurante Marisqueria Cordoba, Benidorm

Beer: Amstel 5%We’ve taken a mid-morning meander up to Benidorm station in order to ascertain train times for tomorrow’s journey to Alicante. It’s hot, and the station is quite a long way out. It’s past noon by the time we get there, and there are a small number of suitably rundown “back street by the station” type bars. The first we go to is very dark, they have a power cut: meaning they can’t serve beer or use the tills. Every bar we pass (and fancy the look of) apparently has the same problem – so we wind up back in Benidorm Old Town.

This bar, on the edge of Tapas Alley, is nice enough – very fishy, which draws me inside. The photos may belie the popularity of the place. Even though it’s October, it’s still very hot. Most people (they’re mostly expats) like that kind of thing – and are sat outside. It’s cooler in – the beer is cooler still, which is nice after all that walking.

259 Sat 091217: The Black Horse, Luton

Beer: 3 Brewers of St Albans Special 4.8%, Leighton Buzzard Brewing Co Rebel Yell 5%

The Black Horse doesn’t shy from the stronger beers like the Brickies tends to… I like the option of a decent four and a halfer, but tend to favour a decent brown 4.2% as standard…

Anyway, I haven’t seen the Hatters for ages, and it’s nice to be back. Lovely to see Chris and Andy Whiting and John and Steve and Luke/Wilf, me brother of course – good to be back in the fold. All seem generally complimentary about my new winter plumage – the facial hair I’ve been allowing to grow since the week before we went to Prague is getting reasonably close to actually resembling a beard.

Chris at The Black Horse is always up to something new – this week it’s the Oxjam charity event. Not sure quite what that entails, but our friend (and graphic artist) Helen is painting signs for a donation. She does a “Knockouts” one, and I give her a fiver (is this enough, or too stingy?

While the football trade is welcome, there does seem to be far more to The Black Horse beyond our fortnightly visits take in; and Chris seems an excellent landlord/bloke.

Oxjam have taken the space at the end of the pub, on the stage, where we like to hold court – so we’re crammed up at the bar near the door. That’s ok though, thankfully the Notts County ale aficionados have gone elsewhere, and the pub isn’t abnormally packed.

233 Fri 171117 Jelínkova Plzeňská Pivnice, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

The 17th November is a Czech Bank Holiday to mark the “struggle for freedom and democracy”, harking back to the events (under different totalitarian regimes) in 1939 and 1989. The centre of Prague is busy, noisy. Roads are closed and students seem extremely politically minded: all of which seems very healthy. We buy some little Czech flag ribbons (worn like we wear poppies in November) and eventually find our way into this small Pilsner Urquell bar. It’s an excellent place, packed to the rafters with no more than two dozen punters. We manage to find a seat, but are required to share a table. That’s fine – until the blokes we’re sharing with decide it’s time to screen frightfully amusing (and invasively noisy) videos on their phones.

151 Fri 18/8/17: The Bricklayers Arms, Luton

Beer: Brentwood Golden Ale 4.3%

There’s still a big wake crowd in the pub, but not nearly as packed as earlier on – and we go in. Katie Hopkins, her from the aforementioned late 80’s, is in with her cousin who is a Brickies regular (tentative nodding terms). Katie greets me “I was just talking about The Wedding Present the other day”, which is nice – slightly odd, though The Weddoes still dominate the indie pop genre on my ipod. On introducing us to her cousin I think I’m right in correcting her that she was, like me, a Thrilled Skinny “hanger on” rather than a groupie… I think I’m right; I’m not going to ask around. Anyway, it’s nice to see her – to see her nice. Bruce Forsyth sadly died this afternoon.

The Brickies is in mourning for someone much closer to home – someone we recognised, but didn’t know. It’s sad on a number of levels; if merely, from our own largely separated point of view, that another pillar of our local community has gone. Times change, but I’ve always loved this place where Al’s in charge – where Steve Dillon is at his stool at the bar – Doon at his… the fella they’re commemorating tonight likely close by (and us playing our own little bit parts in the back bar).

Tonight the Brickies, by quite a bit past eleven, is very pissed and I’m quite tired so I wander back up Hightown Road and to bed.

I forgot to take pictures of/on this visit: below is a point (vaguely) and shoot snap, taken from the other side of Hightown Road – possibly next to that vacant building previously occupied by the Noah Charity (they’re now next door to the Brickies, in the building previously occupied by the Welbeck Social Club).

189 Tue 031017: Bar Glaicia, Benidorm

Beer: Cruzcampo 5%

Back street bar run on “free (chosen) tapas for every drink” line. This place, just off the beaten track, is seemingly run by and for the benefit of the owner rather than the somewhat lesser spotted tourist. The big telly at the back of the bar is screening news of the Catalonia Independence debacle. Everyone in these parts seems staunchly Spanish. The owner is binning bottles at the back of the bar – his eyes fixed to the screen. Apart from us, there is one other customer in a place which has none of the vibrancy but all of the integrity missing from the touristy joints of Tapas Alley.

 

Separate from the gratis range of tapas is the great big pork scratching – which as a 2Euro surcharge. Still, I want one. Having made the order I watch as the gnarled strip of pig blubber is cut into little bits and put in the microwave. So, it was hot and chewy and not like a pork scratching at all. It was alright… just not the same (or as good) as ones I’ve had before – which were bigger than, but served akin to, the Black Country varieties back home. We have a couple (or drinks, not scratchings) and, on paying up, suspect we’ve been overcharged.

Still, I do like this place.

It’s getting toward late afternoon by now – and we head back to… the expat part of town where the Brit bars are. We give them a miss, this trip, which might be amiss of us. I used to be far more of a Benidorm snob than I am now (having returned more than... anyone probably should). The expat part of town is noisy and brash – but there is a genuine sense of (apparently not overtly transitory) community here too – and you can get a pint of Amstel for 1Euro to sup on while sunburning y’tattooed torso.

111 Fri 9/6/17: Half Moon, Hitchin

Beer: Young’s Special 4.5%

Thurls has organised a gig in Hitchin’s Club ’85 with The Knockouts playing after (rather than any thought of headlining over) John Hegley. The venue looks good from the sound check, although I feel for Mart’ in that such a venture was normally his and my concern; over 100 Village Green Cinema shows we put on one gig, again Hegley and Knockouts (at the time, and though it turned out fine, it was very stressful).

 

Afterwards we retire for a couple at the Half Moon, which is an excellent pub – and is suitably packed on a Friday evening as a result. We manage to find a table outside and have a nice little pre-gig drink away from the venue. There we talk of renewed hope in the politic after the unexpectedly promising result of yesterday’s general election. Labour, despite the despicable right wing press, did extraordinarily well (including holding both Luton seats). Good old Jeremy Corbyn (and Kelvin Hopkins).

21 Wed 29/3/17: Monkey House, Lymington

Beer: Piddle Cocky (4.3%)

Made decent strides toward the MH, and the walk only took ten minutes or so. The area is very white, very pleasant and very moneyed. In terms of pubs, this seemingly translates into the Brexit boorishness of the last pub and the fact that this hostelry (though listed in the GBG) is more restaurant than pub. Nice enough and all, but one felt almost grubby going to the bar just for a pint.

Bought a Cocky Piddle (Piddle Brewery), winced at the witless moniker, and toddled off into a room, out of the way back past the toilets, that clearly wasn’t required for dining on a Wednesday night. Incongruously alone in an over lit overflow room; there wasn’t going to be any reading here either.

I drank that one and trudged back into town, calling Steph to whinge a bit, then listening to how the Portuguese and Spanish divided the 15th century trade routes (and decimating indigenous populations as they went about it).