Top Fives:
See Also:
Well, back when I started writing the mini-travel
guides it struck me that my mind is full of lists, and I'm forever
comparing new experiences with old ones (some would say that's a
bad thing, I know!).
Anyway, here's a snapshot of my mind right now
- obviously more recent trips burn brighter in the recesses of my
mind, whilst further away trips may have been romanticised a wee
bit. Either way, this may give you an inkling as to whether my opinions
are on the same wavelength as your own.
Cheers, Paul
(This section was last updated in January
2005 - view the previous version here )
Poland (for vodka)
Brussels (for excellent, fruity beer)
Prague (for excellent, cheap beer)
Dusseldorf (for excellent, slightly unusual beer)
Lille (for excellent, French beer)
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Germany (for beer)
Moldova (for wine, but not sherry!)
Budapest (for the House of Hungarian Wines)
Slovakia (combining Czech-like beer with Hungarian-like wines!)
USA (for micro-brews)
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Zum Uerige, Dusseldorf (for addictiveness)
Branik, Czech Republic (for rarity value - best of a very good
lot)
Mort Subite, Brussels (for fruitiness and freshness)
Guinness, Ireland (for saving me from an acidic lager hell)
Sarajevska Pils, Sarajevo (for an unexpected taste sensation)
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Krausen, Bremen (like bitter, churned-up Becks)
Hofbrauhaus, Munich (touristy, but good!)
Kriek, Belgium (proto alcopop fruity goodness)
Dark Star beers, Sussex (from Espresso Stout to Festival, they're
good stuff)
Harveys beers, Sussex (some of the best bitter known to man)
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Killepitsche, Dusseldorf (for herbiness)
Becherova, Czech Republic (for being nicer than absinthe, and
going great with coke))
Zubrowka, Polish bison grass vodka (for not giving me nasty
hangovers thanks to the apple juice)
Flavoured Dutch schnapps, Amsterdam Tasting Houses (butterscotch
or rum and raisin?)
Vana Tallinn Creme Liquer, Estonia (Baltic Baileys)
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Altstadt, Dusseldorf ("longest bar in Europe")
Opatovina, Zagreb (for everyone having a good time)
Railway arches, Innsbruck (something for everyone)
Altstadt, Heidelberg (for olde worlde German drinking and food)
Sinchon, Seoul (for drunken rice wine and fruit platter pub
crawls)
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Zum Roten Ochsen (Heidelberg)
Päffgen (Köln)
Zum Uerige (Dusseldorf)
Landhaus (Munich)
Hövels Hausbrauerei (Dortmund)
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U Zlateho Tygra
U Cerveno Vola
Branicka Pivnice
Pivovarsky Dum
U Fleku
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Hell Hunt (Tallinn)
Troika (Tallinn)
Veerev Olu (Pärnu)
A La (Riga)
Avilys (Vilnius)
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Les Frères Berthom (Strasbourg)
Les Trois Brasseurs (Lille)
The Fairy Forest (Barcelona)
Bar Pastis (Barcelona)
Manolos (Valencia)
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KGB (Bratislava)
Hobbit (Zagreb)
Red Lion (Bucharest)
Amsterdam (Bucharest)
Cafe Muppet (Sarajevo)
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Waggon & Horses (Surbiton)
Bag O'Nails (Bristol)
The Selden Arms (Worthing)
The Plough Inn (Coldharbour)
The Dog & Bull (Croydon)
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A La Mort Subite
A La Becasse
A L'Image de Nostradame
A Vieux Au Bon Temps
Maison des Brasseurs
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Blackfriars (Merchant City)
The Clockwork Brewing Company (Mount Florida)
The Three Judges (Partick Cross)
The Scotia Bar (Stockwell Street)
Bairds Bar (The Barras)
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Stun Commando, Poland (makes Buckfast look sophisticated)
Zalgiris Midus, Lithuania (for straw-melting strengths of 75%
ABV)
Absinthe, Czech Republic (for tasting like petrol)
Scrumpy, Bath (for it's sleep inducing powers)
Mad Dog 20/20, Milngavie (for un-necessary fruitiness)
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Grand Dedeman, Chisinau, Moldova (for unexpected
luxury)
Commodore, Busan, South Korea (for the chance
to stay in a landmark)
Excelsior, Hong Kong (for great views over
the harbour)
Regent Petite France, Strasbourg, France (for
ultra-modern and comfortable in a tasteful, old town setting)
Marina Residence, Antalya, Turkey (for a friendly,
postcard-perfect hotel in a magical setting)
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Lithuania (Best in the Baltcis)
Croatia (Best in the Balkans)
Korea (absolutely stunning)
Turkey (slightly unhinged)
Slovakia (like Prague, but more so)
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Prague (for cheap beer)
Portugal (cheapest original-EU country)
Moldova (for ultra-cheapness everywhere)
Romania (everything's cheap, bar the taxis!)
Turkey (prices are merely a suggestion, and an excuse to start
a lengthy debate)
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Hong Kong (for sheer numbers of people in small spaces)
Poland (for drunken lunacy at every turn)
Turkey (a maverick country full of maverick, but very friendly,
people)
Slovakia (not quite as ordinary as the next-door neighbours!)
Iceland (for vikings who can't hold their beer)
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Heidelberg, Germany (for medieval, and original, architecture)
Washington DC, USA (for so many landmarks in one place)
Vilnius, Lithuania (for wide, sun-kissed-yet-cold streets and
colour)
Istanbul, Turkey (for stunning mosques and markets)
Strasbourg, France (olde-worlde Alsatian meets ultra-modern
EU)
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Wloclawek, Poland (for being the worst place on the planet,
apart from the Warka Strong Club)
Stuttgart, Germany (for being too new, and not enough decent
accessible pubs)
Rimini, Italy (for being too spread out, and too shut)
Helsinki, Finland (saw it all in less than a day)
Oslo, Norway (very boring and very, very expensive)
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