Bathrooms. Yes, bathrooms.
This is not my usual post ... but there are so many darn things different about toilets and bathrooms in the 12 countries we've been to that I want to share. Nothing will be gross -- you know me. But strange? Yes.
Let's start with this sink (below) at a restaurant's bathroom here in Bruges.
Yes, that's an oval soap screwed into a rotating pole. I wasn't too sure if it was hygienic ... but then again, you want to wash your hands, right?
Every single bathroom I have seen -- every one! -- has a brush (below) next to the toilet should you want to clean it.
And every single one has a foot-operated trash can with lid (below) in the stall itself. Some are in better condition than others.
Some restrooms in Europe are unisex but even most of those have separate stalls for men and women, and remarkably I haven't been bothered by this.
But I was bothered by this (below) at a park in Belgium. I thought it was a pay phone but believe it or not, it's an open-air urinal! I guess you could see the bottom of the man's legs when he's using it.
I made Earl stand and point to where the urinal is (below) so I can show you. What a trouper this man is!
PAY TOILETS
Public toilets are usually pay toilets, which has been okay with me because I'd rather pay for a clean toilet than have to put up with a questionable one -- or worse, not be able to find one. But it has been difficult always having the right change since we have had five different currencies on this trip.
At the first pay toilet I was at in England, I didn't have the right money and the machine wouldn't give change. The lady behind me paid for me. It was only around about 25-cents (in our money) but that was so kind! I now try to have extra coins in case I have the chance to help somebody else but it hasn't happened.
Some pay toilets have an attendant sitting at a small table taking your money, and some are machine-operated like the one below.
I do object to pay toilets in places that are making money off of you in other ways, like this one above at McDonalds and other restaurants or stores, such as places on the highway. They will give you a receipt for money off your purchase but maybe you already ate.
The bathrooms in the places we stay have almost all had heated towel racks (our hotel bathroom in Paris is below) but never instructions for how to use it!
Don't get me started on washcloths! With only two exceptions and those were at Hilton hotels, NO place has provided washcloths.
I had read about this ... so luckily I brought washcloths from home. But I want to ask people: how do you wash yourselves? Really. I'd love to know. Beyond women possibly using one of those scrunchies, do people just use the bar of soap to wash themselves? Does anyone know?
More differences
In England and Germany, I'm assuming you cannot have electrical outlets in a bathroom because they aren't there. I guess it has to do with keeping small appliances away from water. It's a pain to use hair blowers and curling irons in other rooms but not that big of a deal.
I had to laugh when a hotel we stayed at for one night traveling through Germany had this super long cord on the hair blower (below) so you can still use it in the bathroom even though you plugged it in the hallway! A way to get around the code/law.
You might laugh at our bathroom here in our flat in Bruges. There is a wonderful window (below) that we can swing open. Trouble is, the opened window is right by the toilet and the sink -- and I told The Mister that one of us was destined to bonk our head on it. So I tied one of my scarves to the handle to get our attention. So far it's worked!
Our old, old bathroom here also has a gas-powered water heater (below) right on the bathroom wall that fires up whenever you turn on the hot water.
Thanks for reading my post on bathrooms! To show my appreciation, I am including a few funny signs I have seen over here (below) ...
(Yes, I do take photos a lot because I want to show you!)
And from England (below) ...
Darn. Nowhere to throw my tea bags.
Jane
Let's start with this sink (below) at a restaurant's bathroom here in Bruges.
Yes, that's an oval soap screwed into a rotating pole. I wasn't too sure if it was hygienic ... but then again, you want to wash your hands, right?
Every single bathroom I have seen -- every one! -- has a brush (below) next to the toilet should you want to clean it.
And every single one has a foot-operated trash can with lid (below) in the stall itself. Some are in better condition than others.
Some restrooms in Europe are unisex but even most of those have separate stalls for men and women, and remarkably I haven't been bothered by this.
But I was bothered by this (below) at a park in Belgium. I thought it was a pay phone but believe it or not, it's an open-air urinal! I guess you could see the bottom of the man's legs when he's using it.
I made Earl stand and point to where the urinal is (below) so I can show you. What a trouper this man is!
PAY TOILETS
Public toilets are usually pay toilets, which has been okay with me because I'd rather pay for a clean toilet than have to put up with a questionable one -- or worse, not be able to find one. But it has been difficult always having the right change since we have had five different currencies on this trip.
At the first pay toilet I was at in England, I didn't have the right money and the machine wouldn't give change. The lady behind me paid for me. It was only around about 25-cents (in our money) but that was so kind! I now try to have extra coins in case I have the chance to help somebody else but it hasn't happened.
Some pay toilets have an attendant sitting at a small table taking your money, and some are machine-operated like the one below.
I do object to pay toilets in places that are making money off of you in other ways, like this one above at McDonalds and other restaurants or stores, such as places on the highway. They will give you a receipt for money off your purchase but maybe you already ate.
Our bathrooms where we stay -- some differences
The bathrooms in the places we stay have almost all had heated towel racks (our hotel bathroom in Paris is below) but never instructions for how to use it!
Don't get me started on washcloths! With only two exceptions and those were at Hilton hotels, NO place has provided washcloths.
I had read about this ... so luckily I brought washcloths from home. But I want to ask people: how do you wash yourselves? Really. I'd love to know. Beyond women possibly using one of those scrunchies, do people just use the bar of soap to wash themselves? Does anyone know?
More differences
In England and Germany, I'm assuming you cannot have electrical outlets in a bathroom because they aren't there. I guess it has to do with keeping small appliances away from water. It's a pain to use hair blowers and curling irons in other rooms but not that big of a deal.
I had to laugh when a hotel we stayed at for one night traveling through Germany had this super long cord on the hair blower (below) so you can still use it in the bathroom even though you plugged it in the hallway! A way to get around the code/law.
You might laugh at our bathroom here in our flat in Bruges. There is a wonderful window (below) that we can swing open. Trouble is, the opened window is right by the toilet and the sink -- and I told The Mister that one of us was destined to bonk our head on it. So I tied one of my scarves to the handle to get our attention. So far it's worked!
Our old, old bathroom here also has a gas-powered water heater (below) right on the bathroom wall that fires up whenever you turn on the hot water.
Thanks for reading my post on bathrooms! To show my appreciation, I am including a few funny signs I have seen over here (below) ...
(Yes, I do take photos a lot because I want to show you!)
And from England (below) ...
Darn. Nowhere to throw my tea bags.
Jane
Our first exposure to Hot Water heating on demand was in a Scottish B&B.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a great idea and just now seems to be coming to adoption in the US.
Only you would write an entire blog about bathrooms, and make it so interesting!
ReplyDeleteTEA BAGS? Tea bags being flushed down toilets was a persistent problem, rather than just one person without the slightest lack of civility?