REVIEW: Kindle

I went to the dark side and bought myself a Kindle.

I know, I know. I've heard all the arguments about how it’s not the same as a good ol’ fashioned book - and I was one of those who used to preach the exact same thing. I used to frown down upon Kindles because it took away the beauty of reading a book. The process of going to a bookstore, fingering the covers and the bindings of tens of books, picking one up and feeling the texture of the pages, weighing the book in your hands as you flick through the pages before pressing your nose into the middle of the book to smell that comforting ‘book smell’. All those little pleasures are taken away when buying a Kindle, and that’s a very strong point that opposition have.

My rationale behind buying a Kindle was very simple. Due to the vast amount of work I am set at school, it is very rare that I get enough time to sit down with a cup of coffee and immerse myself in a novel. The last ‘actual’ book I read for pleasure was probably Lord of the Far Island, in Summer of 2014, which may give you a time-scale. However, a few months ago I bought Girl Gone on GoogleBooks for my phone. It was an impulse buy, admittedly, as it was on sale, but I devoured it within a couple of weeks (I am a fairly slow reader and this was during exam period so this was incredibly fast given the circumstances). I was amazed at how fast I read it, but in some ways, I’m not surprised. Being a typical teenage girl, my phone is in my hand 24/7 and in any spare moment (eg; on a bus journey, between lessons, when so-and-so goes on about their boyfriend…) I would open the app and easily pick off where left. It was that simple.

I knew that this means of reading suited me, however there was one major problem - I am shortsighted, very shortsighted. I knew that if I were to look at such a small screen*, my eyesight would get considerably worse and that was not something which I could sacrifice. Therefore, after a little investigation, I found the perfect alternative priced at £109.99: the new Kindle Paperwhite. Now, I don’t often buy the latest gadget on the market (in all honesty I often don’t find much difference between each generation and believe that it is only a way to sell more products *cough* Apple *cough*, but let’s not get into that), but this time I had my eye fixed on a product which still hadn’t been released. Therefore, there were no reviews to indicate whether the purchase would satisfy my needs, but the YouTube trailers sure did look good. Amazon also showed outstanding reviews for the previous generation, the Kindle Paperwhite 6, though there were a couple of complaints about the lack of backlighting, and for my eyesight’s sake, I didn’t even consider it (bearing in mind there were about 2 complaints out of 1000s, and it would have cost me considerably less but... it’s my life, Mum). And that was it. Item bought and dispatched the next day after I subscribed to the 30 day free trial of Amazon Prime in order to get free delivery.

Kurt the Kindle is now very much part of my life. Kurt, after Kurt Cobain, goes everywhere with me and fits perfectly into my handbag. I love him, I love him I love him I love him. As soon as I received him I ran upstairs to charge him and download books onto him.** One thing I must warn you of, dear Readers, is to search through the free books available before buying any. There are about 26 search pages of classic books which are included under the public domain and are free of charge. I myself downloaded around 50 of the free books, which range from anything from Great Expectations to Dracula. It’s as simple as one little click, and after signing in to your Amazon account on both devices (or alternatively plugging the Kindle into your laptop then connecting it to your WiFi), the books automatically sync in.

Kurt immediately introduces you to the How-To guide on how to use him and has Step-By-Step instructions in order to familiarise yourself with him. Once that is out the way, you can always go back to the Manual, which is kept in your personal ‘bookshelf’ as well as a Dictionary. Oh, one of my favourite things about Kurt is the dictionary. When reading a book, even if you’re offline, you can highlight a word and not only does it give you a definition, where the word originates from, the option to X-Ray or Wikipedia it (internet required), but it also automatically adds the unfamiliar word to your personal dictionary so that you can review and learn it! How awesome is that? If English is not your native language, there is also an option called ‘Word Wise’ which gives simple explanations of words above a complicated word whilst reading and you can select how many words you want Kurt to define (ranging on difficulty levels).

Being an English Literature student, I was worried about how I would make notes, however Kurt had the solution. I can highlight sections of any text, add notes, but more importantly, I can also see sections which other Kindle users have highlighted and depending on how many times they have highlighted it I can judge the importance of the quote. That is by no doubt one of my favourite things about Kurt. The mere simplicity and how easy it is to use him. I remember when I used to have ‘actual’ books and went through the grand deliberation of weighing up the consequences of writing in books. Whether it be for personal notes or for school, I think we can all agree that writing in a book feels like a crime, a violation. However, with Kurt I don’t feel guilty at all.

Apologises for the length of this blog post, I'm just really enthusiastic about Kindles. I hope that you can all understand, or at least, have some more knowledge, on how amazing Kindles are and that there is so much blasphemy surrounding them. If you have a Kindle, please feel free to comment your thoughts and if not, I’d love to hear why you’re a good ol’ fashioned book lover!

* I own the Motorola G 2nd Gen with the 5”5 inch screen but it is still comparatively small. Endless research has shown that due to the reflection/glare which screens give off, access use of electronic devices such as mobile phones is not recommended without pauses of 15mins of looking into the long distance in order to relax one’s eye muscles. Kindles are fitted with anti-glare and therefore doesn’t look or act like a screen. It gives the appearance and also feels like actual paper.

** The cable is included but with no plug that connects to a wall, so I normally just plug it into the side of my laptop or swap wires with that of my phone.

Spanish Cooking Course Taught By An Expert (BONUS: tomato contest!)

Me? Cooking? I know, quite unbelievable. But, I guess pigs really do fly, because this little piggy flew all the way to Tagamanent, Spain.
My parents and I were fairly apprehensive when we first arrived at El Follo. We drove up a narrow, windy path and when we finally arrived at the gates of the chambre d'hote, it was deserted. After questioning whether we had arrived at the right place, we suddenly realised our fatal mistake: we had arrived during siesta time. Therefore, whilst Father explored our to-be-home for the next week, I made friends with this little beauty named Micha.



It was not long until our host discovered that a stranger was poking around her pots (umm..Father?!), and came to greet us. Mercè Brunés is a Catalan chef who has a passion for food and a great understanding of gastronomy. She gave us a warm welcome and ushered us into the covered terrace for some drinks. Unfortunately, I am unable to recall the ingredients Mercè used to make this beverage, which is a shame since it was healthy as well as delicious.



I feel that I am very fortunate to have had the experience of seeing a great chef at work. My Mother and I often helped and overlooked Mercè in her kitchen and she opened our minds to some wonderful combinations which we would have never thought of! I was also able to try some foods which I had never tried before, such as grilled octopus and courgette fritters in a batter of rice flour and sparking water. As well as modifying dishes to accommodate our allergies, she kindly made her renowned peer and duck dish for us to try, photos don't do her justice.


On the third night, Mercè casually suggested that we should come with her the next day toa Tomato Tasting Evening with all the (FAMOUS) restaurateurs of the area. It was a annual event where each of the chefs presented a disk that they had made using a variety of tomatoes. We readily accepted this invitation and were very honoured and many other "foodie" guests had wanted to attend.
That evening, Mercè drove my parents and me down to the Vinomic restaurant where the presentation was going to take place. In some ways, I regret not taking more photos as I didn't want to show that I was a tourist (more that I already did, of course). We were shown to our allocated seats and given small booklets about a number of different tomatoes that we were about to taste, along with a scoring sheet where we had to rate their flavours, textures, acidities, etc.



Each chef gave an introduction before presenting the judges (eek, I was one of those!) their new dish. Their concoctions contained tomatoes (nah, you don't say) in a different form. We were given all sorts of combinations to try out, from bloody mary's to tomato coolies. The event lasted for a couple of hours and I managed to speak to several chefs and other judges about the dishes and how they were made. It was also very interesting to note that these people primarily considered themselves Catalan rather than Spanish, and made a point of correcting me each time I called something of theirs "Spanish". The evening came to an end around 10pm and we returned to our chambre d'hote.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time learning about cooking and having been given the opportunity to attend a local tasting event. Again, a big thank you to Mercè for the incredible memoires and such an inspiring adventure.

REVIEW: L'ou D'or

Someone once said that the best things are discovered when one least expects. When I discovered L'ou D'or restaurant in one of the back streets of Figueres, I had no idea it would become my favourite restaurant.
Figueres is a town in the North of Spain, slightly North of Girona. My Father first drove my Mother and I here so that I could visit the Dalí Museum, as well as practise my Spanish (it was unknown to him that the majority of locals spoke Catalan - which wasn't very helpful for me at all). We, especially my Father, really enjoy going out to eat but as all well travelled people know as gospel, restaurant owners can literally smell tourists from a mile off and practically double their prices. Therefore, we often wonder about on the outskirts of town, or far away from the seafront and other 'touristy' areas. By some miracle, this is how we found L'ou D'or.

We often make special visits to the restaurant and we go there so often that even the owner of the place now recognises us. The prices are very reasonable (13.80€ per person, for a three course meal with VAT included) and despite the small entrance area, the restaurant swings round to the left and opens up into a dazzling white open space - with a glass ceiling and a court yard surrounded by flowers and parasols. The waitresses mostly speak Catalan, Spanish, then followed by French (their website is only written in either Catalan or Spanish) but are very considerate and helpful if you ask them to explain what one of the dishes consist of. 

If you're a Dalí fan, such as I, it is also a really interesting restaurant to visit as both Dalí and his wife, Gala, used to come to the restaurant. That really adds to the feel of the place, don't you think?! If you yourself enjoy his artwork, feel free to tell me your opinion in the comments below! 
Honestly, one wouldn't expect all this from the front of this restaurant. But it is a very pleasant surprise once you're inside! If you're ever in the area, I would strongly recommend you to visit, especially if it a clear summer's evening.