Hash House Harriers - Martijn.be

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, 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 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!

Trip to Transylvania

Trip to Transylvania

Published on 24 October 2025

It was to leave Bucharest again, but not quite Romania! This day was actually mostly about getting from the capital to a tiny village in Transylvania, where we were appropriately welcomed for the Transylvania Halloween Hash 2025!

After one more breakfast at my hotel, packing, and checking out, I had time for one more coffee, at Black Habit, before boarding my train to Braşov.

To get from Braşov to Șimon we used a Bolt taxi, that conveniently dropped us off at Mama Cozonacilor, the centre of operations for the Transylvania Halloween Hash 2025. My home for the weekend would in fact be an eight minute walk from there, in hotel Casa Albă.

And remember where the bar crawl started, Hop Hooligans? They actually sponsored the event, and their beer Crowd Control is available on draught throughout the weekend!

Pastrami & Pubs

Pastrami & Pubs

Published on 23 October 2025

The second and already last full day in București I used to tick off some more local food boxes. It was also the day that a large number of hashers with the same destination as I arrived, which usually means one thing: bar crawl!

I had breakfast in my hotel: rather unusual for me on any day but the last one of a stay, but since it was automatically included in my booking, I better use it! There I already bumped into another hasher from BMPH3, who had also arrived the day before.

I skipped the coffee in the hotel—it it ever any good anyway?—to try some in the nearby espresso bar Coffee District instead.

Today’s museum of choice was the Muzeul Municipiului București, the municipal museum. I actually had to pay separately to be allowed to take photos, and it cost me more than the museum ticket itself!

After another coffee at the Sfinx Espresso Bar, I headed to the Obor Market to try some mici, as supposedly the best ones are to be found at Terasa Obor. There was a short queue, but luckily not as bad as I’ve seen in some vlogs! Simple but tasty, and that’s another one from the list!

To continue checking off food items, I set course for In House Pastrami & More for something I never realised was originally Romanian: pastrami.

After a last coffee at the rather fancy Sloane Specialty Coffee, it was time to get to the hotel and change, in preparation for tonight’s programme…

And the evening activity was the Bucharest H3 Pre-Lube Bar Crawl! It started at the Hop Hooligans Taproom—which I definitely wanted to visit—but I had no clue where it would lead us after that. Luckily most bars did not feature on my Wednesday itinerary, so I didn’t put my liver at risk by squeezing in all the bars on my wish list for nothing. After QP Pub, Londohome, and PaRdon Pub, we ended up at the Ironic Taproom, where I had been the night before. Well, I thought I had, but apparently the space next door was also part of it, with another thirty different beers!

In my Pride Kilt in Amsterdam…

In my Pride Kilt in Amsterdam…

Published on 2 August 2025

The annual Amsterdam Pride Canal Parade was about to set sail, so I put on my Pride of LGBT tartan kilt, and headed to Amsterdam, to run the Amsterdam Hash House Harriers’ “Gay for a Day” trail again, and of course watch the parade!

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.