During the time that I worked for the mayor I drove my father’s old SEAT 127, ‘car of the year’ probably back in 1970. Until one day it had all five tyres slashed and the car was completely vandalized by four young boys who live here to this day so I won’t mention them by name. I didn’t have the money for five new tyres so the mayor lent me his Jeep. I had already had so many things go wrong with my car that I thought the mayor was starting to doubt me. Driving a lady up to town, one day, the floor of the Jeep caught on fire. We had to pull to the side of the road, not too difficult in those days, kill the engine and put out the fire. I was afraid to tell him what had happened since it was my first day with the Jeep. He was very understanding and actually found it very amusing. He gave me a loner until the Jeep was fixed.
The architects who design car parks in Spain have obviously never driven a car anywhere – especially anywhere near a car park. The worst ever designed was here in Mojácar pueblo where the ramp into the car park was so steep, to get in you needed four wheel-drive and once inside, the pillars were all in the wrong place. It was basically built for motor- cycles. There were eight small spaces on either side with a narrow drive down the middle, ending at a wall. If anyone else decided to park there, especially behind you, it would be impossible for you to manoeuvre out of your spot. This glorious parking lot was built under the Mirador and was meant to hold the few cars that by now couldn’t park in the plaza. Even though parking lots are starting to improve here in Spain, there are still so many old ones that if you have a car bigger than a VW bug you may as well not try. When I got the Jeep back, I drove up the ramp, under the overhang and parked in the mayor’s spot. I don’t think he had ever taken the Jeep in there before. It was a bit close, on the way in, because of the overhang in the middle of the ramp but we made it by inches. Relieved by my accomplishment, I carried about my day’s work. On the way out it was a different story. Pointed by now the other way, there was no chance that the top of the Jeep would fit under the overhang. I panicked because I couldn’t tell the mayor I had wrecked his Jeep again so I went for help. A few of my friends closed their bars and came to help me in my dilemma. We disassembled the top and the wind screen and anything else we could try. Then we let the air out of the tyres. I knew I had driven in there so why couldn’t I get out? Even without air in the tyres the car was too big for the opening. At my wit’s end I went to get the mayor’s brother, because I couldn’t face the mayor again. The brother came in, looked at all my friends and what we had done to the Jeep. After a lot of discussion the mayor’s brother said he wanted to try something so he pulled the disassembled Jeep back into the car park, turned the Jeep around and went out backwards. I was the only car in the lot and thank God no-one tried to get in or out while the jeep was stuck in the entrance. It had been stranded on the ramp the whole time, I mean for hours. It worked; I must say that I was secretly pleased that even he put quite a few scrapes on the roll bar coming out. I never parked there again. When I told my father about my experience he seemed amazed that the idea wouldn’t have occurred to me on my own. It was the obvious solution. I am not a physicist so it never crossed my mind. After that the mayor bought me a company car, a Ford Fiesta, which fit anywhere. I did have to give the Ford back when I stopped working for the mayor a few years later.
The architects who design car parks in Spain have obviously never driven a car anywhere – especially anywhere near a car park. The worst ever designed was here in Mojácar pueblo where the ramp into the car park was so steep, to get in you needed four wheel-drive and once inside, the pillars were all in the wrong place. It was basically built for motor- cycles. There were eight small spaces on either side with a narrow drive down the middle, ending at a wall. If anyone else decided to park there, especially behind you, it would be impossible for you to manoeuvre out of your spot. This glorious parking lot was built under the Mirador and was meant to hold the few cars that by now couldn’t park in the plaza. Even though parking lots are starting to improve here in Spain, there are still so many old ones that if you have a car bigger than a VW bug you may as well not try. When I got the Jeep back, I drove up the ramp, under the overhang and parked in the mayor’s spot. I don’t think he had ever taken the Jeep in there before. It was a bit close, on the way in, because of the overhang in the middle of the ramp but we made it by inches. Relieved by my accomplishment, I carried about my day’s work. On the way out it was a different story. Pointed by now the other way, there was no chance that the top of the Jeep would fit under the overhang. I panicked because I couldn’t tell the mayor I had wrecked his Jeep again so I went for help. A few of my friends closed their bars and came to help me in my dilemma. We disassembled the top and the wind screen and anything else we could try. Then we let the air out of the tyres. I knew I had driven in there so why couldn’t I get out? Even without air in the tyres the car was too big for the opening. At my wit’s end I went to get the mayor’s brother, because I couldn’t face the mayor again. The brother came in, looked at all my friends and what we had done to the Jeep. After a lot of discussion the mayor’s brother said he wanted to try something so he pulled the disassembled Jeep back into the car park, turned the Jeep around and went out backwards. I was the only car in the lot and thank God no-one tried to get in or out while the jeep was stuck in the entrance. It had been stranded on the ramp the whole time, I mean for hours. It worked; I must say that I was secretly pleased that even he put quite a few scrapes on the roll bar coming out. I never parked there again. When I told my father about my experience he seemed amazed that the idea wouldn’t have occurred to me on my own. It was the obvious solution. I am not a physicist so it never crossed my mind. After that the mayor bought me a company car, a Ford Fiesta, which fit anywhere. I did have to give the Ford back when I stopped working for the mayor a few years later.
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