The Toilets of Europe
Posted on December 24, 2008
Filed Under Random musing | 8 Comments
Posted by Sierra
We’ve told you about Canadian toilets (see: Washroom Etiquette). But do you know about The Toilets of Europe? Here’s a crash course.
First, I’ll cover the basic three rules:
1. Toilets are usually called “WCs” or “Toilettes.”
2. The way a toilet flushes varies widely.
3. The hand dryers can be very hot.
Let’s break these down:
1. Toilets are usually called “WCs” or “Toilettes.”
“WC” is a lot more common. It stands for “Water Closet.” One of my favorite phrases is “Watering the Closet.”
2. The way a toilet flushes varies widely.
I did not see a single toilet that flushed like a typical American toilet. (If you don’t know what I mean, get up and report to your WC right now.) Some toilets flush automatically. Some, you pull on a cord. Some, you push a button over the toilet. Some, you push a button on the toilet.
3. The hand dryers can be very hot.
These hand dryers felt roughly like sticking your hand(s) in an operating oven. Two examples were made by Stiebel Eltron and Airwolf.
Here are some notes of mine on various toilets:
Frankfurt Airport Toilet: Push button WAY, WAY in. Ignore little lever next to button, it doesn’t do anything.
Castle in Wertheim: Push garbage tin look-alike over toilet in to flush. Hand dryer turns off quickly, as if to say, “Your hands are dry enough!”
Rothenburg City Toilet: No seat, just black tape over the sides. Stinky.
There are unique things about the WCs. I’ve seen a hand dryer where you stick your hands in a crevice and it painlessly blows them dry (ed. Like a nail dryer).
Most places have pay toilets. The standard price is 70 American cents, though sometimes it’s as high as $3! This may have caused the large number of people seen relieving themselves by the side of the road.
Sometimes it’s as simple as a basket. Other times it’s a cruel as an “attendant” guarding the door, venturing into the WC every half hour or so to spray some stuff, and then returning to her post to yell at customers who don’t pay.
In Italy they have these things called “bidets.” They look like long sinks, complete with a drain and faucet. You use it to wash your tush off. No, I’m serious!
Some places have toilets where you stand. Your pants tend to get *ahem* a little splashed.
One toilet I saw at Salm Brau in Vienna, Austria, was self-cleaning. First you used it, then you stood up and this little thing shot out, rotating the seat a full 360 degrees to clean all of it. It was awesome.
Many a time I have encountered “shelf” toilets. Basically, the waste would land on the “shelf,” and when you flush, water pushes it down the hole.
For toilets without seats, there are three options:
1. Sit and hope you don’t fall in.
2. Stand and squat.
3. Put your hands on the seat and hold yourself up (this is my preferred method).
We are unable to provide photos of this. We’ll leave this task to your imagination.
The Toilets of Europe are quite dynamic, and if you’re ever in the area, you should try them at least once.
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8 Responses to “The Toilets of Europe”
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Oh, im so sorry you had to use those! But its kind of funny! (Lamo)
Love ya!
~Kate
Haha! Yeah, I partially tried to make it funny… and I partially just wrote down what I meant and laughed. When I had to read it over and edit it I was practically ROTFL! But isn’t the acronym lmao?
No, its Lamo (Laugh my a** off)SEEEEEE! oh, but listen to this:
lolrotflmaowpimpigdfatl!
(laugh out loud roll on the floor laugh my a** off while peeing in my pants im gonna die from all this laughter!)
that would be lmao! haha great.
what? no its lmao
wait no….u did it right
yes i did. Let’s talk about this in e-mail my dad can read this…
don’t forget your dad can also read your email.