Already a whole month in Ireland

So it turns out I was technically living here illegally for a month due to the strangely missing immigration checks on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
If I had entered the country by plane it would have been fine, but I came over to Northern Ireland on the ferry from Scotland then got the train down to Cork.

The view from the train near the ferry port

 
I asked around and at the train station in Belfast but it seems Irish people sometimes don't even bother to take their passports on cross border trips with the lack of checks in place. So basically I just waltzed in and started living here haha. As part of my visa conditions though I had to go the immigration office within a month of arrival to get a 'Garda (Police) Registration Card.' Anyone not from the EU who is going to be here for more than 3 months needs to get this (at an exorbitant fee of 300 euros) and as I didn't want to risk having problems leaving the country I went and got it and my immigration status sorted. The woman at the counter said technically I should have had to go back up to Northern Ireland and come back in to Ireland again to have my passport stamped correctly. Thankfully she accepted my ferry and train tickets for proof so I am not an illegal alien anymore!


I'm currently working in a cafe called the Natural Foods Bakery, in a branch that they have recently opened in a park called Fitzgerald's Park. It's about a 20minute walk from the city centre and is very seasonal, so it's insanely busy on the weekends when the sun is out and/or there are bands and events on in the park.

Natural Foods Bakery

Fitzgerald's Park

Fitzgerald's Park

Fitzgerald's Park

Fitzgerald's Park

I'm there solely as a barista and I'm kept busy all day with hundreds of mainly takeaway coffees. The rest of the team are very friendly and good to work with. As most of them have only been working here since the branch opened in April there's a great social side with everyone keen to head out and have a few drinks together. At the moment I'm working part time, just Friday - Sunday, but it should be going to full time in a few weeks. It's great to finally have enough barista experience to be able to step into a job like this straight away. I had handed out about 20 CVs and got called for a few interviews before taking this job, and I think having that experience was crucial, as at this time if year there are a lot of students finishing up their school years and looking for any jobs. It's nice to not be in their position and only need work for the summer!


I found Vegemite in the local Tesco supermarket in the city centre, AND it was cheaper than English Marmite! Immediately bought some of course. I found some in a supermarket in Edinburgh but they didn't restock it once it was sold, and since then I've only seen it in a health/world food store at an extreme price so have had to miss out till now. English Marmite is very different and not very nice, plus it's not as big a thing here in Ireland as it is in the UK. Almost half way down my Vegemite jar already...

I didn't realise until getting here how tailored Coke's marketing was with those Share a Coke with... bottles. There's a huge range of Irish names on them, like Maeve, Aoife (Efa), Orla and Eoghan (Owen). I'm sure it's tailored in other places too but I've just never noticed!

I've been to a couple of the weekly pub meets that are organised by Cork members of Couchsurfing and have begun to meet a few really nice people already. Jumping in and doing this straight away now I am more comfortable with talking to a bunch of randoms - I made a lot of great friends through the Edinburgh Newbies group I joined, but it took me months to get around to actually going along and meeting people.


Cork appears to be the city of hidden beer gardens. There are loads of pubs (as you may expect) and it's like every second one has a huge, covered, awesome beer garden out the back. You'd never know they were there as you walk past on the street; and given Cork/Ireland is known for loads of rain it makes for a cool surprise to to be able to sit outside on couches surrounded by fairy lights and funky decor.

Fionbarras Pub

I'm living in a flat with 3 flatmates that is about a 5min walk to the city centre, near St. Anne's cathedral and what used to be an old butter market. It's a really nice place, and while I was originally out to find the cheapest room I could I ended up going for this place for the location, the view and comfiness of my room and the good feel of the rest of the house. I had been emailing people about available rooms the week before arriving and ended up having about 5 viewings set up for the first couple of days of arriving here. I tried to talk to as many people as possible about average rents and the quality vs. location of places (the hardest things to know when in a new city), and I'm very happy with where I've ended up. My room is massive with a great view over the city and it sounds like my rent (300 euros per month) is almost better than the average for what I have

St. Anne's Cathedral

Butter Market and Museum

My room

My flat

View from my room!

View from my room!

Sunset from my room!

 Cork is a very pretty city. The centre sits in the V formed by two branches of the river Lee, and the suburbs are built up on the hills either side, so there are a lot bridges and a busy port nearby. I love that all the buildings, not just in the centre, are painted a different colour to the next. The centre is a maze of little lanes and big sweeping streets that used to be waterways. It's a really nice city to wander around and look at all the bright independent stores. There is also a massive indoor fresh food market called the English Market.

The main street, Patrick st.