Martijn - Martijn.be

Brussels Ink…

Published on 5 March 2026

Once you start getting tattoos, you can’t stop yourself from getting more, I’ve heard people say. Well, I guess that is what’s happening, because here is my fifth tattoo all of a sudden…

It all happend a bit more sudden than even I expected! I actually had a big project in mind for my next tattoo—still a work in progress—but instead my fifth tattoo turned out a little cute one… My first flash tattoo!

The unexpected occasion was a “Tattoo Party” for International Women’s Day at BBP Bailli, with the tattoo artists of Koko Tattoo doing their thing, and the launch of the beer Brussels Ink. Among them was Laïs, the artist who did my Brussels breweries tattoo on the other side of my arm.

The day before the event I looked at the the proposed flash tattoos shared on social media, and I immediately noticed the little Teku glass with a dot on it—a simplified version of the typical Brussels Beer Project glass. It would make a great addition to my arm! When I arrived at the bar—quite late, because I had a meeting first—I checked if it was still available, and luckily it was. So, a beer and half an hour later, I had a new tattoo…

Fun fact: almost ten years ago, I actually met one of the creators of the Teku glass—Lorenzo “Kuaska” Dabove—at a beer tasting he hosted at Nuëtnigenough!

Transylvania Halloween Hash 2025

Transylvania Halloween Hash 2025

Published on 26 October 2025

The drinking already properly been taken care of, it was time to do something about that running problem of ours! So there was a proper Transylvania Halloween Hash trail on Saturday, and a hangover trail on Sunday, to recover from the Halloween party in between.

On those hash weekends I usually don’t pick the most extreme and long trail, aptly called the Ball-Breaker Trail. However, this weekend there were two options to choose from, and I considered the short one too short. We were told the Ball-Breaker Trail “includes extreme increases and decreases in elevation, and is only advised for the hashers looking to run, sweat, and cry…” Well, I didn’t cry, but I certainly felt those more than 600 meters of elevation gain, and was full of bloody scratches. And boy, were my knees happy I brought some poles! This was the first trail I ever did that came with a bear warning, by the way…

After dinner we had the Transylvania Halloween Hash Party, once again with Hop Hooligans on draught!

On Sunday there was a short Hangover Trail, after which the weekend was officially brought to an end with a Closing Circle.

Since many of us needed to get back to Braşov, mismanagement had kindly arranged a bus, to take us to the station.

While most had to catch a train to Bucharest just an hour later, mine was over two hours later, so I dropped of my bag at the station, and headed into town.

Some coffee at Meron—I hadn’t had decent coffee since Friday—and some last Romanian beers at The Beer Corner — and one to go, to drink on the train.

Then it was time to head back to Braşov station to pick up my bag, and catch the Dacia Express sleeper to Wien Hbf. No issues this time either, and it seems I won the en-suite lottery! There are only a few rooms with shower and toilet on this train, and it is impossible to select when booking: one just has to wait and see… I lucked out this time, so I will be able to start my day in Wien clean and fresh!

FIRST time in Budapest!

FIRST time in Budapest!

Published on 19 October 2025

Five years after I originally planned my trip, I was finally there: Budapest! Run with the local hashers, drink the local beers, enjoy the local delicacies: lots of fun ahead!

Everything had to wait a little bit, though, because my rather dusty sleeper train arrived over twenty minutes late. On top of that, due to my accommodation downgrade, I hadn’t had the opportunity to change into my running kilt, so I had to sort that out first. Once that was taken care of, and I left my bag at the hotel, it was time for coffee and breakfast at Dorado.

From there I headed to Nyugati railway station, since the hash run would actually start outside of Budapest, in Piliscsaba, a 38 minutes train ride away.

Over there, I joined the Budapest H3 for Trail 1853 – The Jenga Farewell Run! The Jenga part referred to a recently torn down wooden viewpoint tower, on top of a hill. To get there, the hare picked the steepest way up, so even though we were only two kilometres from the start at that point, the beer stop there was very welcome!

After the run I could finally check into my ibis Budapest City hotel for a much needed shower and a change.

As the restaurant I picked for dinner turned out to be closed, I had something to eat with my beers at FIRST Craft Beer. While tasty, it was not particularly Hungarian, something I’ll have to make up for tomorrow.

Then it was finally time for a visit to Mad Scientist’s Madhouse. Finally, because it was one of the first breweries on my to-visit-in-Budapest list, although this actually isn’t the same taproom they had back then.

Last call was at the Hops Beer Bar: small—just seven beers on tap—but cosy and definitely worth a visit.

Good beers, good food, good company, and good times: after a rocky start, a perfect end of my first day in Budapest!

Homage to a Clansman 2025

Published on 4 October 2025

Like every year when I can, I headed to Ypres to pay homage to fallen clansmen, together with members of other Scottish clans in Belgium.

An Isle and an Inn

An Isle and an Inn

Published on 30 June 2025

Last full day of my trip, but I was not about to slow down! On this Monday’s schedule: a visit to the Isle of Bute, and my last run in Scotland for a while…

After breakfast at Social Bite—I really appreciate what they are doing for the less fortunate—I still had time for a coffee at Riverhill Coffee Bar, before catching my ScotRail train in Glasgow Central.

I had to get to get onto a ferry in Wemyss Bay, but its train station actually was an attraction in itself!

The CalMac ferry brought me from Wemyss Bay to Rothesay, on the Isle of Bute. It was quite windy on deck, so some people might have seen more of me than I intended! The risks of wearing a kilt…

The Bute Museum is a cute little museum, but you don’t need much more than half an hour to see everything. That meant I had to some time left to visit Bonnie Bling, a jewellery maker also serving coffee from the local Isle of Bute Coffee roasters.

After that Rothesay Castle finally reopened after its lunch break. Once again I was confronted with Norwegian king Hakon… In the courtyard they were even flying the Norwegian flag, alongside the Saltire and the Buteshire flag!

After escaping from the prison pit, I headed to the Bute Yard. It’s a magnificent space, but a bit empty on a Monday afternoon, and no food vendors. Luckily the bar of the Bute Brew Co. was open, so I enjoyed a couple of their beers.

After returning to the mainland, I skipped a train and take some time to have fish & chips from Macari’s, a place that was highly recommended to me. No place to eat in inside, but luckily the seagulls left me in piece while I enjoyed my food sitting on a bench outside.

Back in Glasgow I had just enough time to get changed in the hotel, and take the beloved subway—finally, because they were on strike when I wanted to use it earlier—to Inn Deep.