Living in Cork

The best thing to do in Cork is just to walk around popping into stores, pubs, and restaurants during the day. During my almost two month stay, I have not gone outside of Cork to any place except to my job in Blackrock, and that does not count as a leisure activity! And yet, never have I been bored . . . not even once. The city center streets have been walked back and forth by myself many, many times, but still they provide pleasure and surprises with every stroll. Sometimes, when the sun shines (this is a rarity folks!) and you walk around in light clothing with a cool breeze on your face and meet smiling strangers, or when you sit in a pub enjoying a delicious drink while making friends, this is when you truly realize what Cork is all about: great people, beautiful sights, and a care-free, relaxed atmosphere. Come and join in on the fun!

Quick Tips:

When you come over, it will rain. I'm not saying that it WILL rain, but make no mistake, it will. So although your taxi drives you through a warm, sunny city to your hotel, rest assured my friends, at some point, there will be rain. But the strange thing is, it doesn't really matter. During summer the weather isn't cold, even though it may rain, and the landscapes are just as gorgeous through a rainy mist as without. Oh, and the best part is: you can always escape from the rain by running into a pub! So take an umbrella. Also, take plenty of money because Cork is not cheap, not cheap at all! In fact, I would go as far as saying that this is an exceptionally expensive city considering that it isn't even the capital nor very large. Don't be impatient as things will never work out as fast as you'd like them to. The inhabitants of Cork take things slooowly, but no matter, once you get used to it, things are great. The people are pleasant, fun to be with and worth the weather and all the money you'll waste in this city!

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking. The buses are cheap, but not on schedule and not very clean. They're either too slow, or too fast. But the drivers are (generally) really polite and nice. They smile a lot (a frightening thing for a Finn, who has never seen a smiling busdriver) and pick you up even outside bus stops (another shock for me!). The trains take you to different areas of Ireland, but seem to be late every single time. Last time I had to wait at the station for a friend for over an hour and a half after the scheduled arriving time. Conclusion: walking is the best because it's cheap, pleasant and you get to see all the secret little places you'd never see inside a bus or a taxi. And this provides ample opportunity to fratrenise with the locals! Who knows where you'll end up after an innocent evening-time stroll. Probably in a state of intoxication in a local pub with a bunch of great people.

We heard about this place as a good seafood restaurant, and I am sure that it is that as well, but there was a lot more on offer than simply seafood. Personally I ate a gorgeous steak with a delicious red wine sauce, not cheap, but luckily I wasn't paying. This place is expensive, but worth every cent. The restaurant was packed full, so do call in advance just to make sure you don't miss out on this great dining experience.

The decor is classy but certainly different, or what would you say to a place sporting sculptures of the female reproductive organs (there were a few, the rest of the art circled around naked women and interesting colour combinations).

The waiters were very professional and attentive, paying a lot of attention to the wishes of the customers (this place actually gives you a steak medium minus minus) and managing to be there when you need them and to stay away when peace is wanted. Go here, even if all your holiday savings are squandered!

What can I say? I love this place. Not only because it's cheap, comfortable, romantic with great food, but also because the staff is really and honestly Italian. And the food is too. This is not one of those fancy places where not one of the waiters or cooks is actually from Italy, this is the place where they welcome you in with a "Ciao" and entertain you with a litany of Italian-accented conversation.

The food is so Italian you can almost see little green, white and red flags on it. They have a lunch menu which I have never sampled as it is obviously meant for people who wish to eat a little less during the day. It sports cheaper and smaller pizzas and other such like wonders. But personally I prefer the actual menu. Plenty of pizzas oozing with mozzarella and fresh toppings. I recommend the "pick the fillings yourself" calzone, price 12 euros, if I remember correctly. All the pizzas range at 11 to 13 euros, which is an excellent price for something this good.

The atmosphere is nice, and the restaurant is sitauted opposite a very beautiful church which you can dreamily goggle at while waiting for your food. Luckily this place does not keep you waiting for your lunch or dinner any longer than absolutely necessary. One thing I don't suggest: do not go here on your own. The food is as great as ever and the service impeccable, but you will feel lonely. You need someone special (friend, family, or lover) to share this fantastic place with. Oh, and if there's an important football match on in which even one of the teams is Italian, this place may well be closed. As it was when Juventus and AC Milan played in the Champions League Final.

I definitely recommend this place if you're looking for a cheap place with good food.

The restaurant itself is very stylish but slightly cold looking with its grey marble and white interior, but I'm sure it will appeal to many. The great thing about the place is the fact that the kitchen is open and you can watch the cooks prepaing your dishes. Also, the premises are extremely clean. Only the cosiness is lacking, but thankfully, this is only a matter of opinion.

Luckily, the food is excellent and all sorrows about the interior are buried under a mound of fantastic delicacies. All the food is prepared with immaculate care and you can certainly taste the effort the cook has put into your particular dish. The greatest thing is the daily menu which consists of a choice of three appetizers, three main courses, and three desserts for the price of 15.95. This offer is on from noon to 6pm every day. I was not disappointed. My bruschetta, pizza, and warm chocolate fudge cake were all high quality and came promptly.

You really do not have to wait for your food here. The waiters are highly professional and very pleasant.

This is a good place to go to if you want a fulfilling meal and don't want to pay yourself silly.

Scoozi's is always filled to the brim with people. It's definitely a wondeful, bustling place suitable for families, friends, dates, and even when you go alone, you won't feel alone. The smell of food is very prominent, and it is wonderful to walk in when you've been out on the town and the rain (suprise, suprise) has started. I've never made reservations, and out of the five times that I've tried to go there for a meal, two times I've succeeded. I'm sure I could have eaten there on the other times too, but my patience is limited and in my immense state of hunger, I was not prepared to sit and wait for a table. This is why I've recommended reservations -- you'll be sure to get a table then.

The food is relatively cheap (this may be why it is popular with children and their parents) and extremely good. They have a selection of food ranging from Italian to American with plenty of choices with your meals: you can get fries with salt and vinegar, ketchup, mayonnaise, HP sauce . . . oh the glory! This is also a place which pays attention to it's customers wishes. When I asked for extra sauce on my Caesar salad (have this, it's mind-blowing), I got extra sauce on my salad.

They have a bit of a different way of making things here: for example, the Caesar sauce was not like usual Caesar sauces, being more mustardy, and the bruschetta was made not on baguette or Italian bread, but on toast! This may sound slightly suspicious, but I assure you, the bruschetta was delightful (fresh tomato, fresh basil, olive oil and plenty of garlic -- drooling yet?)!

The atmosphere is very warm and cosy, this is a place where you could sit for hours just watching people, talking to friends, or smooching with your sweetheart. If this appeals to you, try this out!

This is a grand place truly for all sexes, ages, shapes and sizes. It is a regular meeting place of the beautiful, the different, the old, the young, the oddball . . . All come pleasantly together at this wonderful pub.

The pub itself is gorgeous. This is perhaps the one thing that entirely swept my misgivings (being a metal fan, I don't usually hang out in places such as the Old Oak) away. It is a beautiful place. Big and beautiful, with dark wood counters and light parquet floors.

The music is definetly great if you enjoy hit music mingled with old favourites. Even I was entertained by the great DJs who played The Beatles and AC/DC at request.

They have many types of drinks here, but don't go asking for a White Russian as they don't sell cocktails. This is also a place where no matter who you are, you will most probably get someone buying you a drink if you just hang about for long enough. The good side? You don't have to pay for anything. Apparently the men are so keen to buy you drinks, they may even buy two in very quick succession (while you're still sipping the first one). The down side? You may get a drunk admirer sticking to your side for the whole night. It may be worth it though.

Dancing is a bundle of fun here, although sometimes the dance floor is deserted and you may need plenty of guts and alcohol to start moving your body in front of everyone.

This is a pub that everybody in Cork will (and should if they don't) know. And after a night of sweaty boogeying, you can step into the Central store a little further ahead on Oliver Plunkett Street and buy a refreshing ice-cream or non-alcoholic drink, open on Saturday till 4am!

The first thing I thought when I walked in was, "Wow, BIG!". Yes, yes, I know it's probably not big in most people's opinions, but I found it large. Spacious, quiet, and filled with rows and rows of books! Obviously, if you are waiting for a dingly, intimate little bookshop, you will be disappointed by this, but although the aforementioned is my favourite type of bookstore, Waterstones surprised me by its pleasant atmosphere.

They have a larger than average Fantasy section, where you can find some good bargains (9.95 for the Silmarillion) and the perfect history chapter. I thought I'd walked into British history heaven when I walked up to these shelves and it took a long while to rip myself away from them. Here too, great bargains apply (three books by Alison Weir for the price of two, and prices range from 10 to 13 euros per book!). Being an English history/monarchy fanatic, I found plenty to fulfill even my wildest dreams.

But the downside: no Narnia series, no European fashion from 1000 to present day books, not a very extensive choice in dog books, and only one silly astrology book! But if you're not picky, I'm sure you'll love this place.

Also this may not be the place to go if you want the cheapest books (outside of the frequent bargains): the newest Harry Potter was 19.95 here, while I found the same book in Tescos for 17.95, nevertheless it's still better than at Eason where the book was 21.95.

My boyfriend and I went here on a rare, toasty day. We had taken along a little picnic consisting of yummy fruits, soft drinks and a book. The walk there was pleasant, the river flowing on our left was beautiful twinkling in the sunshine, the houses to our right were a picture of Irish home idyll with their pastel coloured facades. Finally arriving at the high iron gate, we walked into . . . a dream. This is what I thought Ireland would be all about: lush greens, rippling streams, steep hills, old walls . . . oh yes. All this in quite a small space. The greenery and trees were truly awe-inspiring, the little stream obviuosly a favourite haunt of aspiring fishermen, the steep hill that led to the church surrounded by old walls . . . ah how perfect. Truly a jewel!

We sat ourselves on the grass and began talking, munching our delicacies and reading the book. The amazing thing was that although there was a lot of "hustle and bustle" around, it was still really peaceful. Even when the wedding party from the church next door came close by to take some photos, it wasn't a bother, au contraire, we enjoyed is excessively. Let's just hope that the happy couple won't have pictures with two strange people sitting in the background staring avidly. After a refreshing ice-cream from the campus store, it was time to go home. A shower and a dinner later, we concluded that the day had been a succees.

The wonderful smell is the first thing that hits you, the mingled scent of raw fish and even rawer meat with occasional whiffs of herbs and fruit. If you aren't hungry when you walk in, you will be when you leave. So have caution if you're on a diet.

I've heard that the market is expensive, but experience and other tales tell another story. Four meduim sized lemons can cost over 2 euros in a normal store in Cork, but at the English Market I got them for 1.60! Also apparently, chicken is cheaper here than at any food shop, and undoubtedly fresher too.

You can also go to the "specialities" department, where there will be a large assortment of olives and pastas, sundried tomatoes and sauces. The fruit, herbs and vegetables are all fresher than fresh, and the same goes for all other products too.

It's a real treat looking at the mounds of minced meat(cheap too!) and the piles of shrimp and big slimy fish all begging to be bought and eaten. I'm getting hungry just writing this. Obviously if you're a vegetarian and consider all I've written both tasteless and inhumane, then try to avoid the meat and fish sections of this place.

Well to be honest, when I asked my taxi driver for a place with metal, I did not exactly expect the nu-metal/Metallica/rock/alternative music that blasted forth in a horribly real way when I stepped in. But once I had lowered my standards (and learnt to close up my ears at appropriate moments), I fell in love. Dingy, with its own very distinctive scent (clearly noticeable from quite a distance) and packed full of people in various states of intoxication: bikers, metalheads, nu-metal freakos, punks, grungey-types, classics lovers, you name it, they probably have it (with the possible exception of rap fans).

The drinks are cheaper than at most other places I've been to, but nevertheless, you will pay till your wallet weeps if you love the place and never want to leave (let me sleep here, please!). Enjoy the music (as I know many of you will), sit back, relax, talk to the people, and have a great night.

As an extra bonus: get to know the bartenders, they're great people, and you may find yourself partying with them after Fredz closes! Expect the unexpected when visiting this place.