Hello and welcome to another Travel Monday Post.
Last week you saw a huge list of all my favourite restaurants in Albania. Part 2 will be out on July 26th. I asked what you wanted to see next and many people voted for Europe. So I will be going back in time from the years 2020-2018 and by the current month. So I take you to Cork, Ireland May-July 2020 I originally was in Dublin for St. Patrick's day March 2020. However, as more things closed and St. Patricks was cancelled I decided to move to a smaller town Cork, Ireland. I rented an apartment and stayed in Cork from March until July.
Things in Ireland covid restriction wise were not so terrible. We could walk 2km, go grocery shopping and exercise freely. Liquor stores and grocery shops were open. However, everything else was closed. During this time things eventually opened such as; the mall, to-go food and some pubs. Pubs were only open if you bought food though. We were for sure very lucky to be in Ireland as it was not so strict. They also auto extended our visa which was excellent. As a disclaimer, this was just my experience with covid in Ireland. I know that locals have other opinions with consistent lockdowns opening and lockdowns since I left.
I heard that Italy was open for a short time for people coming from the EU. I didn't know if Ireland was going to Auto-renew again so we took the plane to Naples in July. Comment below if you want to hear more about how that went.
What to do in Cork?
Food/Pubs:
The Shake Dog-serving diner-style food- 97-98 S Main St, Centre, Cork, T12 DX53, Ireland
Bakewell Confectionery-serving delicious pastries and breads-80 Thomas Davis St, Blackpool, Cork, T23 YD62, Ireland
The Butcher's Block- a great place to get all types of meats-Blackpool Shopping Centre, Cork, Ireland
The Fish Wife- Delicious fish and chips-45 MacCurtain Street, Victorian Quarter, Cork, T23 DVY3, Ireland
Country Grill- Rotisserie Chicken food truck found at different locations throughout Cork.https://countrygrill.com/concept
Butlers Chocolate- Fantastic handmade chocolates-30 Oliver Plunkett St, Centre, Cork, T12 R68V, Ireland
Cotton Ball- Serving local beers-18 Old Youghal Rd, Mayfield, Cork, T23 AE78, Ireland
Lab 82- Serving some excellent coffee-82 Lower Glanmire Rd, Victorian Quarter, Cork, T23 TK20, Ireland
Boojum- pretty decent Mexican food if you have a craving-7 Winthrop St, Centre, Cork, T12 EH1Y, Ireland
Paddy Torinos- Great place for an Irish Breakfast-8 MacCurtain Street, Victorian Quarter, Cork, T23 YP94, Ireland
Holy Smoke- Great BBQ place-Little Hanover St, Centre, Cork, Ireland
SuperMacs- It's like a knock off Mc. Donalds. O'Brien's of Bishopstown - Costcutter/Amber Oil & Supermac's
Dan Lowrey's Taven- Great Irish Pub-13 MacCurtain Street, Centre, Cork, T23 VN24, Ireland
Clancys- Great place for food and drinks-15-16 Princes St, Centre, Cork, T12 V6FH, Ireland
White Rabbit Bar and BBQ- More BBQ and American Whiskey-56 MacCurtain Street, Victorian Quarter, Cork, T23 DKV7, Ireland
Bunsen- Delicious burgers-4 French Church St, Centre, Cork, T12 AE4X, Ireland
Castle Cafe- Nice food at the castle-Blackrock Castle, Castle Rd, Blackrock, Cork, Ireland
Cornstore Restaurant-41-43 Cornmarket St, Centre, Cork, T12 R886, Ireland
Cafe Mexicana- Pretty authentic Mexican food-Carey's Ln, Centre, Cork, Ireland
Market Lane- Delicious modern Irish food and cocktails-5-6 Oliver Plunkett St, Centre, Cork, T12 T959, Ireland
Sites:
Red Abby Tower St. Finbarr's South Roman Catholic Church
The English Market- Fantastic local market. Full of meats, seafood and other products.
Glen Park( Paric an Ghleanna) a beautiful green park. Port of Cork 2000 Garden- Nice place for a walk.
Blackrock Castle Oberavtory
Military Barracks Hill- Outstanding City View
Of course, there is so much more to eat and do in Cork and of course Ireland in general. However, during the pandemic, I think we did pretty well. Due to my job I knew of children staying home around early January. However, I first got news of it during a Chinese New Year celebration in Manchester, UK. This was January 25th 2020. Can you believe that was 1 year 3 months ago! Crazy. I remember being at the celebration a bit scared of the crowd. Haha to think 1 year 3 months we'd still be somewhat scared of big crowds.
Anyways if you enjoyed seeing this flashback you will love next week's post. We go back to May 2019 in Penang and Sabah Malaysia.Including participating in KDCA. The most amazing rice wine, pork eating, tribal culture event in Sabah. You are not going to want to miss this one. If you like this kind of content consider buying me a coffee or becoming a member. So many different levels based on interest and affordability. Here are some very basic simple vlogs and taste test I did in Cork below. Thank you for reading.
-Vanessa
Food vlogs in Ireland:https://youtu.be/61r1N4FH_Y4
Cork Vlogs:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B-RoMqfFhE&list=PLFe7zdH4EZPdlkjoAqbbq3rkcfR1MPtVO