Parking Difficulties

My husband says that whenever I get behind the wheel of the car a black shadow comes in with me. Not that I drive badly, it's just that when it comes to parking the car, it seems all the cars on the street magically shift themselves to cover up any available space where mine would fit. Either that, or the car right in front of me grabs the available space. Generally, I don't have all the time in the world to park just outside town and walk in to do my errands. Nor do I want to carry heavy bags from the supermarket half a kilometer to the car. So I usually make several passes through the center of a town to find an empty space. 

When I go to a large city I park in a parking garage. That way I avoid running back to put money in a meter that may or may not work every hour or two. I'm also assured of finding a place for my car in a central location. In Santiago I know most of those garages in the center. There's one I usually patronize, though there are others I sometimes use. I prefer the one I use because it's the most central and the spaces are wide. I only park in the lots with narrow spaces on occasion. They're difficult for me. And, please, do not mutter, "woman driver", because I have no difficulty maneuvering into the space. My problem comes with getting out of the car. Since I am not a toothpick-thin supermodel, in a narrow space I have to squeeze out of the car like toothpaste out of the tube, and pull my pocket book out behind me diplomatically so the straps don't break. Forget about bringing voluminous shopping bags to the car. There have been times that I see a space right next to the stairs. I carefully back up into it, turn off the car, open the door, and have it hit the car next to me leaving enough room only to pull out an envelope. Okay, out the passenger door, then. I move into the passenger seat, open that door, and I can maybe stick out a hand, but the rest of me would have to remain in the car. Leave the ideal parking space and find one where I fit as well. 

Whenever I go to other cities, I prefer parking garages for a visit of a few hours. There is one in Vigo that I like. My brother-in-law first introduced us to it one day when we went with him and his wife on a day trip, a long time ago. It's in a prime spot, next to the transatlantic pier and a shopping center, as well as the old center. You drive into the garage and a sign tells you to line up at a door. You drive to that door, it opens and you drive the car onto a platform until a stop sign appears. You take everything you need from the car and step outside, press a button, and the door closes. There is a window where you see the platform lift, then go down and to the side, where it will leave your car in a sub basement. It's convenient and simple. When you collect your car, after paying you're told to go to another door, where you wait for the platform to raise your car so you can drive off. The bad part is that if you buy something and you want to take the bags to the car, you can't unless you leave at that moment. Still, it's a good solution for a small space. 

When I've driven to Madrid, however, I've parked on the street. Generally, I've booked pensions and bed-and-breakfasts with free on-street parking. During the days spent in Madrid I wouldn't touch the car, using the buses and subway instead of complicating my life. Coming back, my daughter and I would stop in different, smaller cities and there I would find a parking garage. I've never had a problem with parking garages in any city except Segovia. When we arrived there I took a street next to the aqueduct that led to the old section. I followed the signs to a parking garage. When I pulled into it, it turned out to be a small open area with a roof covering the side areas and back, and open in the middle, like a little courtyard. There were no cars. An attendant came over and explained to me that I had to drive to a door at the back that would open and I would drive the car onto the platform. It was exactly like the garage in Vigo, but with only one platform. I had no problem. I drove the car in, the elevator took it down and stored it away. We went off to wander through the city. 

When we came back after a few hours, there was a group of people waiting around the elevator door. There was a four-wheel drive car in there and it happened to be stuck. The attendant was nowhere to be seen. Apparently, the owner of the car drove it in but didn't place it correctly on the platform, so the platform couldn't take it down to the basement to bring up those of the frustrated people waiting. The attendant had gone off for a late lunch. That was what the person waiting longest told the rest, who had seen first the attendant and then the car owner walk off, as he was paying at the automated payment machine. Since the attendant had left first, he hadn't seen the fiasco the car owner had left behind. The person who had come for his car ran after the attendant when he saw the problem, but couldn't find him by then. It was four o'clock by then and I had around a four hour drive ahead of me. The other people also had homes to go to and were starting to get restless after an hour had passed. I started entertaining thoughts of my daughter and I having to spend the night in Segovia. There was a phone number posted that someone had called, but it was a voice recording saying an employee would be contacted and would arrive promptly. Promptly in Spain can mean anywhere from fifteen minutes to five hours or even two days. 

Thankfully, after about an hour and a half, the attendant came back from lunch. But he couldn't open the elevator door. So, he called the owner of the parking lot to bring the keys. After another half hour, the owner and his son appeared. They opened the elevator door, the attendant calling black curses upon the driver's head, complaining about general idiocy rampant behind the wheel in this world. The men got together and they shifted the large, gas-guzzling four-wheel drive car so it was as much in the middle as possible. They stepped out, the attendant pressed the button, and the car was finally taken down. After leaving it, the platform started bringing up the cars in the order they had been demanded as each owner had come and paid what they owed.

That was three years ago. Since then I've sometimes thought about that parking garage and wondered if it was still in service. But, this being Spain, I wouldn't be surprised if someday I returned and found it all exactly the way it was then. With another jammed car. Because we're experts at parking our cars and walking away without another thought.