Entries by Carl

I mentioned in another post that we've sold our car with the plan being to use battery operated electric bicycles as our primary source of transport, well, other than public transport as well.

Anyway, my bike has arrived, it's a shiny red beast of a machine with a huge battery, powerful motor on the back wheel, disk brakes front and back, and the most annoying horn sound you've ever heard.

Friends have been warning me that riding a bike after many years of barely being able to balance on two wheels might be a mistake, but I'm sure dear reader you know by now that I never allow other people's logic to dissuade me from my mission.

The reality is that I can't drive anymore, well, I can, but my peripheral vision has shrunk considerably and I often drive too close to the edge of the road or the center line. So, rather than persevere and run the risk of causing an accident we made the decision to sell the car and get bikes. Read More

A couple of days ago I had my eyes checked again, thankfully my new optician in Ronda found that my prescription hasn't actually got worse since my last test a couple of years ago. That's great news, so now I'm thinking of getting a set of glasses to have around the house, just so that I don't have to have my contacts in all the time.

The thing is though, a set of prescription glasses is not cheap, but I've found a company online, EyeBuyDirect.com, they're based in the US, but they ship to Spain using TNT, and better than that they accept PayPal!

Eye Buy Direct have a feature on their website that is incredibly handy, once you've selected a set of glasses you wish you could try on, simply click their 'Eyetry Now' button to upload a picture of yourself to see what you look like wearing the frame of your choice.

I was impressed to see so many brands available as well, just on the front page of the designer eyeglasses page I saw Timberland, Calvin Klein, Jigsaw, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, and, Diesel Elikonis. With this range of designers in stock, and the ability to choose your lens type, from clear, to prescription sunglasses, and tinted as well, it's easy to see why I like this site. All I need to do now is get my prescription from my optician and choose my style.

Eye Buy Direct also offer a 'No Questions Asked' refund or replace policy, and if you order before the 1st September 2008, they'll also throw in free tinting or UV coating. With glasses starting as low as $7.95 I'd recommend taking a look at their catalog.

The Ronda Tourist Office is located in Plaza de Blas Infante, which is also where the bullring is, so for the benefit of tourists who arrive by bus and who often get confused walking around Ronda, follow these instructions.

Now, most tourists who arrive at the tourist office pass the bullring to reach it, but getting here from the bus station is something that often seems to confuse people, mostly because the central bus station is at least 600m or more away. So, for the benefit of anyone who happens to visit, when you exit the bus station you'll be facing a traffic troundabout with very few meaningful signs to anywhere.

Here's what you need to do to get your bearings. First, stand directly outside the main entrance to the bus station and you'll see the aforementioned traffic roundabout ahead of you. To your left you'll see a small kiosk selling lotto tickets, and to your right you'll see a street with a pedestrian crossing, and over the crossing, a cafe with street seating. Read More

The Church of Our Lady of Mercy in Ronda, known locally as Iglesia de la Merced, and located at the top end of Calle Virgen de la Paz on Plaza de la Merced. This church is most well known for containing the Holy Relic, the Incorrupt Left Hand of St Teresa of Ávila.