When traveling for the first time, the cultural differences can catch you off guard. If you’ve done your research, you’ve probably heard of the big ones, like differences in tipping customs, for example. But the little things that you never expected to be different can really leave you at a loss. From sinks that are operated with foot pedals to toilets with fancy controls, a trip to the bathroom can be the most unexpected “tourist trap”. Here are some tips to navigating toilets, tubs and showers, and bidets abroad.
TOILETS
Public Toilets
For clarity’s sake let’s define a public toilet as any toilet outside a private home or your hotel room. Public toilets vary greatly from country to country in Europe. I’ll try to break it down by toilet type, starting with the best and moving to the worst.
Highway Rest Stops
These are usually the cleanest facilities you’ll find anywhere. Normally highway restaurants are spaced every 100 km or so along major four-laned limited-access highways. In France and Italy, you’ll be expected to give a tip or even pay an entrance fee to use these toilets. The usual cost is fifty euro-cents to one euro per person, so be prepared to have a few euro coins available. In Germany and Austria, you’ll be expected to pay an “admission” fee of a euro or so to enter the toilet area. Upon entering you’ll receive a ticket, be sure to keep it because it can be turned in at the cash register in the store or restaurant for a credit against items purchased.
Toilet facilities can vary widely in restaurants and my general rule is to stay out of them if you can. Most restaurants, especially in towns and cities, are located in century-old buildings which were not originally built with toilets in mind. Consequently, they have been retrofitted with bathrooms that range from disgusting to adequate. The toilets can be especially lousy in restaurants found in France and Italy where they are usually located in a basement or cellar. The worst toilets date from the early 20th century and are basically a simple hole in the floor with a foot rest on either side. Simply step up, aim, go, and drip dry. Others can be a bit more user friendly initially, but flushing can become a problem. The best solution is to look up for something to pull, look down for some to push, or look around for something to lift up or push down. Of course there are clean and modern toilets too, but you’ll need no help with those. Unless it is one of those fully automatic models, in which case you’ll need to move quickly!
Step right up and go!
Amsterdam
In Amsterdam there are public urinals unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Imagine a pristine canal-side scene: swans floating serenely, bikes cluttering bridges, little boats floating by with couples in love, pastel classical buildings lining the lovely canals, and you’ve got a front row view from the public “pissor”! These public urinals date back a hundred years to the age of art nouveau and the turn of the 20th century. I can’t imagine turn-of-the-century gentlemen needing to go so badly that these things just had to be out canal-side, but who knows? Keep in mind, this description is for real! In Amsterdam (and in Brussels too, I’ve been told) there are public urinals for men. These urinals, known as “pissors” are constructed of thin sheet metal, painted green in color, and divided from the ground up into thirds. The lower third is uncovered and exposes the subject’s (a.k.a. the pisser’s) legs up to the knee. The middle third is constructed of thin, but solid sheet metal covering the “pisser” from the knees to the waist. The final third of the “pissor” is made of sheet metal with small cut-outs in a “plus-sign” design to enable the “pisser” to look out (and the passersby to look in). What a concept! Now for you guys, let me explain what’s going on inside—other than peeing that is. Basically, you walk into this “nautilus” shaped contraption. Once to the center you encounter a flat piece of steel, on which you are to pee, and below is a simple hole in the ground. So while you are standing there doing your business, your pee is splashing all over you, but you’ve got a grand view of all of Amsterdam! There is nothing like it. Try it once just for the thrill!
Automated Toilets
These public toilets are usually found in big cities in France or Belgium and cost about a euro to use. The entire toilet complex is a kiosk which is normally clean and pretty sterile. Here’s how to use these toilets: look at the control panel beside the door; determine if the toilet is occupied or vacant; once vacant press the button and enter; do your business; exit the toilet kiosk. Once you exit, the kiosk will go into self-cleaning mode and spray water, cleaner, and disinfectant all over the interior. Then the entire interior is blown nice and dry. Once the cleaning cycle is completed, the outside door panel will display that the toilet is ready for another customer.
Tubs and Showers
Bathing is necessary and we tend to take it seriously. I mean, how many of you go more than a day without a bath or shower? Well that’s a whole different story in Europe, where daily bathing has just come into vogue in the past few decades. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stood on crowded subways or buses and been stifled by body odor. So… it’s no wonder that not much thought goes into planning European bath and shower facilities. Today, most newly constructed two-star hotels in Europe have private baths locate en-suite. Most all three-star hotels (old and new) have private baths en-suite. This simply means that sometime in the past ten years, a hotel owner has taken an already small room with no bath or toilet facilities and added an even smaller room with a sink, toilet and tub or shower. But for American travelers, those en-suite facilities are essential. So, here is my “run down” on bathing in each country.
I travel in Europe over 100 days a year sleeping in a different hotel, guesthouse or B&B every other night. It is interesting to note that there is absolutely no standardization in shower and tub water controls. On a recent tour in Scotland and Wales, my travel partners and I had a laugh each morning when we discussed what type of water controls we encountered the night before. Twelve nights and twelve totally different faucets and controls!
Italy
Just last week I was checking out some hotels in Italy and ran across a bathroom that had a sink and toilet, then on the same level there was a curtain dividing the shower area. Now having the shower on the same level as the rest of the room is common for Italy. I often laugh because in an Italian bathroom, it is possible to use the toilet, brush your teeth, and take a shower all at the same time. Well this particular “shower area” had a bidet sticking precariously out from underneath the shower curtain too. Talk about multitasking!
France
Bathrooms are generally small in France. As with Italy, many of the hotels have retro-fitted bathrooms into already small bedrooms. Most often you’ll find a shower, sink, toilet and bidet. Newer hotels come equipped with modern showers and sometimes even tubs.
Spain
Think of Italy without bidets.
Germany and Austria
Bidets are not common here and you’ll also find a better selection of tubs. In many of the larger cities that were destroyed during WWII, you’ll find relatively new and modern hotels featuring bathrooms similar to those back home.
UK
Like France, many of the UK’s hotels are older properties dating from a time when en-suite baths were not common. You’ll find city center hotels similar to those in France. The UK is loaded with B&B’s. These are often private homes located in rural areas that the owners have opened to rent out a room and serve breakfast. These offer a great value and usually come with up-to-date bath facilities. Although it is still common to find “bathrooms-down-the-hall” in B&B’s, it is usually well publicized so you won’t be caught off guard.
Ireland
Here you’ll find mostly up-to-date hotels and B&B’s. Yes, there are exception, so be sure to look at the sales literature or website before booking.
Now certainly there are exceptions to every rule. Every country mentioned sports fancy four- and five-star hotels with huge rooms, marbled baths and air conditioning. You’ll pay extra for this style, but for some it is worth it.
BIDETS
Most of us Americans get a kick out of an encounter with a bidet. To many, it’s often intriguing, entertaining, funny, or even sexy in an odd sort of way. But in many parts of the world, it’s a normal fixture in the bathroom. In French, bidet comes from the word for “pony.” How appropriate, because you ride a bidet much like you would a pony. That is… straddling it.I take a lot of Americans around Europe and believe me, I’ve heard lots of “bidet” stories. Here are some ways in which my tour members have utilized the bidets in their hotel rooms:
a foot washer
a water fountain
a urinal
a place to shave one’s legs
an object for playing “Truth and Dare”
a replacement for bathing
a laundry
a dishwasher
a cooler for beer and wine
Bidets originated in France several centuries ago as a means to wash after using the toilet, after having sex, or even after a day at the office. In short, its purpose is to maintain clean personal hygiene without taking a full shower or bath. So, now you know why lots of Europeans think they are clean when their pits smell to high heaven!
How to use a Bidet
Test the water controls before getting on! Some bidets have high pressure jets that squirt up to the ceiling if turned fully on. Others have a faucet similar to a sink. Some have hot and cold water valves while others have just one water valve. The point here is to SLOWLY test out all the knobs, valves, and controls before getting on.
If you are wearing pants, you have got to take them off! Otherwise hike up your skirt or dress. Then straddle the bidet, facing the wall, so you’ll have full control of the knobs, controls, and valves. Then, by positioning yourself and the faucet, direct the water to the area you want to clean. It’s ok to use soap and your hands. Some people prefer to face away from the wall and manipulate the controls in a contorted manner. I ran across this hilarious video on YouTube that shows you how to do it from a Spaniard’s perspective. Check it out:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cunTYbi9yM
Once finished, use toilet paper to dry off. The towels hanging by the bidet are to dry off your hands after the whole procedure. Don’t stick the towels down there to dry off, or you’ll hear it from the maids the next morning!
My Toilet Story
I was at a restaurant along the Autostrade in Italy where we’d made a stop for lunch. These restaurants are located conveniently every fifty kilometers or so along the major highways in Europe. They have great food, either from a buffet or from a selection of fresh-made sandwiches, and they offer clean bathrooms. When making a tour bus stop, the first thing everyone does is rush off the bus and head to the bathroom. These restaurants (branded as Autogrill) usually have the bathrooms downstairs which are maintained by a female attendant who keeps the bathrooms sort of spotlessly clean. This “cleanliness” usually comes with a compulsory fee of fifty to eighty euro cents per visit to the toilet, but it’s a small price to pay for a clean toilet!
Well, this particular day, the restrooms were booming with business and the lady attendant was having a tough time keeping up with collecting her “tip” and keeping the bathrooms clean. So when I went downstairs and deposited my change in her dish, I noticed the ladies’ line for the toilet was about twenty deep. There was no wait for the men’s room, which I guess you ladies will say is typical.
I walked in the men’s room and headed for the urinal which was just a ceramic tiled trough against the wall. It was “backed up” with guys “going” so I did have to wait here! While waiting, there was a commotion in the hallway. Women were speaking loudly in rapid-fire Italian, only some of which I could understand. But the general tone and message was, “We’re not waiting out here any more, let’s overtake the men’s room!” Moments later, the men’s room was invaded by several Italian women looking for an open stall. Well I had to go, and now it was my turn! So up I stepped, down with the zipper, and …uhmm you get it, right? OK, now I was ready to go, but all the confusion behind me had caused a momentary “blockage.” So there I stood doing nothing! Concentrating real hard and focusing on the wall right in front of me, I began to go… relief! Then to my horror, I felt something hitting my shoes. Had I missed? Looking down I saw a grey mop being swished back and forth between my feet, and behind me holding the handle was the lady attendant going about her business of keeping the toilets tidy!
Summary
I hope this article has given you the confidence to boldly face the bathrooms in Europe. Just remember, public toilets vary in quality. Your best bet is a highway rest stop or a fully automated toilet on the street. The more modern your hotel, the more likely you will encounter the bathing facilities you are used to in the US. Be sure to check the website before booking to ensure your hotel or B&B has private bathrooms. In some countries, the bathroom will also have a bidet, which is meant for cleaning your nether regions.
If you found this article informative, please share it with your friends, family, coworkers and associates. If you have something to add, just leave a comment in the box below. Do you want to learn more about painted sheep and traveling to Europe? There is a wealth of information and special discount pricing on my tours at https://davidmcguffin.com/.
David McGuffin is Founder and CEO of David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe, Inc., based in Middleburg, Florida. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+,LinkedIn and YouTube. David spends his time in Europe organizing and leading small group and independent tours to European destinations. In business since 2001, David has provided exceptional travel opportunities to several thousand satisfied customers. You can find out more about David and his European tours at his website, https://davidmcguffin.com.
I am writing today from the island of Ortigia near Siracusa, Sicily. I am a little more than halfway through my Best of Sicily Tour and boy are we having fun traveling off-season and off the beaten tourist path. My group is small, just two single ladies, but we’ve seen and experienced a lot together these last eight days.
We began a week ago in Palermo. It sputtered rain on and off for two days, but we managed to get most of our sightseeing in between showers. The local markets and the historic town center topped our sightseeing, as did a trek to visit the Catacombe dei Cappuccini where more than 8,000 Palermitans are hung out to wither and dry in the crypt under the neighborhood church. Here we saw perhaps the most disturbing of all the dead folks, the perfectly preserved body of 2-year-old Rosalia Lombardo who died in 1920. See a picture here.
We also enlisted our hotel chef to teach us how to prepare arancini, a traditional dish in every Sicilian kitchen. After several hours of preparing and cooking the round, risotto-based “orange-sized” food balls, it was a delight to sit down and taste the fruits of our labor. Arancini are a meal in themselves with a ragú or cheese center being wrapped in a tasty layer of fried rice.
Leaving Palermo, we’ve traveled counterclockwise around the island visiting Trapani, Marsala, Agrigento, Ragusa, and today in Siracusa. There is too much to tell about all our adventures, but a few highlights have been: tasting Marsala wine, visiting a 4th century BC Greek temple and having it all to ourselves with not a soul in sight, getting “lost” while driving in a small hilltown and having to navigate some very tight lanes to return to civilization, and enjoying wonderful food!
Trapani
Segesta
Marsala
Sicily is filled with fun-loving locals, fantastic destinations, and the best experiences Italy has to offer. I am coming back in September and would love to have you join me. Check out my Best of Sicily tour here.
Why do sheep have patches of color painted on their wool?
Farmers “paint” their sheep for identification. Frequently, you’ll notice large pastures blanketed in green grass and dotted with sheep. Typically, these pastures are enclosed by stone walls or wire fences and are shared by multiple farmers. When it comes time to claim ownership of the animals roaming around hundreds of acres, a customized painted sheep is easy to identify.
Also, during the mating season, the male ram will be fitted with a bag of dye around its neck and chest. When mating, the ram mounts the ewe and a bit of dye is deposited on the ewe’s upper back. This way, the farmer knows which ewes have been impregnated and moves them on to another field away from the ram.
FACT: This webpage, “Painted Sheep” gets 500-700 visits per month. It is amazing how many people are searching for this term. Do me a favor, leave a comment and let me know if I answered your question.
Thanks, David McGuffin
WHO IS DAVID MCGUFFIN?
David McGuffin organizes, designs and leads tours to many European destinations. David’s tours are for strictly small groups ranging from 6 to 18 travelers.
Traveling with a small group means we can get off the beaten path and away from the big bus tours and experience Europe on a unique and personal level.
Eating well is also a priority, and you’ll get your fair share of fine food sourced locally by excellent chefs. David has spent decades poking around Europe’s nooks and crannies looking for unique restaurants, clean hotels with character and cozy B&Bs.
In Ireland, the top five counties in terms of sheep numbers are Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Kerry, and Wicklow. Each of these counties are located in hilly-mountainous areas of the country.
Ireland sheep flocks typically have 50 ewes or fewer. Compared to international standards, this is quite small. For example, Scotland averages 200 ewes per flock and the world largest exporter, New Zealand, average 1400.
Ireland only “keeps” 30% of it sheep for human consumption. The remaining meat is exported mostly to the UK and France.
According to a recent Irish livestock census, the island had 3.7 million sheep, 6.5 million cows, and 1.5 million pigs. With all that bacon showing up on the breakfast table this fact is going to require a little more investigation!
God intended sheep to mate in the fall and give birth in the spring when the weather would be more favorable for their survival. Therefore, sheep are known as “short day” breeders. When the days become shorter (in the autumn) this activates a hormone in the ewe’s brain that triggers the reproductive system into action.
During their fertile period ewes come into heat every 17 days or until the fertility period is complete. When in heat, the ewe flirts with the ram by wagging her tail, nudging, or cuddling.
When detecting a ewe in heat, a ram’s characteristic response is to lift his head in the air and curl his upper lip. Then, I suppose he goes for it!
A mature ram can mate with 100 or more ewes during the mating season.
The gestation period is about five months, give or take a week.
Ewes usually give birth (known as lambing) to one to three lambs.
Lambs go to “market” when they are less than one year old, and their meat is known as “lamb.” Mutton is the meat from lambs that are 1 year or older.
Wool, lanolin, and sheepskins are also products of sheep.
Finally, to leave a good taste in your mouth, about 1.3% of the world’s cheeses are products of sheep’s milk. So, the next time you try a piece of Roquefort, Feta, Ricotta, or Pecorino Romano, think about all these painted sheep!
Ireland is fast becoming my most popular tour destination. I’ve just returned home from leading a great group of people on my “Best of Ireland and Scotland” tour. Later this month, I return to the Emerald Isle for two more of my “Taste O’ Ireland” tours. Ireland (and Scotland) are a perfect destination for summer travels as the temperature rarely climbs above 68°F, the countryside is draped in 40 shades of green, and the photo ops for sheep are plentiful. We are scheduling tours for the summer of 2015, so keep an eye out for my tours to Ireland!
Traditional folk music and singing is a nightly occurrence in Ireland. No matter what town or village, I can always find a pub with a music session. These sessions vary according to the ability and style of the musicians, but are always filled with heartfelt choruses and toe tapping jigs. It is almost as if every person on the island pops out of their mother’s womb with a song instead of a scream.
I’ve been a musician all my life, so when I hear a band in the distance or a song wafting out the door, I go for a listen. I sometimes run across situations and events that are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities where I just happen to be in the right place at the right time. In Venice, I recall sitting in on an impromptu singing session with a few salty old fishermen belting out operatic arias. On successive trips to Venice, I’ve tried to duplicate that experience and have been disappointed. Try as I might, there is no way to “manufacture” these impromptu experiences for the folks on my tours. You’ve just got to be in the right place at the right time and let it unfold around you!
Knowing all this, I shouldn’t be surprised when a gem of an event unfolds around me. This time, it all started when I coaxed a few of my tour members into a deserted Irish pub. When I say deserted, I mean just that… there was not a soul in the place except for the bartender, and he looked like he was packing it up for the evening. In fact, when we asked for a pint of Kilkenny (the local ale), he had to go to the back and fiddle with the taps just to get the stuff flowing. I began making apologies to my group for bringing them in this desolate place, but the bartender had spent several minutes getting the taps to flow, so we felt obligated to stay and have a pint. There we were, just the six of us quietly sipping our pints and looking for an exit strategy.
This was the third night of the tour and our first night out of Dublin. I was hoping to introduce my group to some traditional small town pub music. But it seemed tonight would not be the night. So, instead of experiencing music, I decided to at least tell my group about the “typical” pub music session to get them prepared for a future musical evening. As I was explaining the typical fiddling and singing found in a pub music session, a gentleman walked in the door. Dianne, one of my tour members, asked him, jokingly, if he was the singer for tonight’s session. He said no, he had just come in for a pint after playing two rounds of golf, but if we wait a bit we might coax one of his friends to belt out a song or two.
Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, the pub filled with 20 or so Irishmen who were in Kilkenny on a golf outing. They told us this was a yearly get together to play golf, have fun, and get away from their wives (said with a joke and a laugh). So, the first gentleman says to his buddy, “this lady wants to know if you are the singer.” We all expected a laugh and a swift no, but to our surprise he stood up and belted out a heartfelt ballad about “Annie Moore”, Ireland’s first immigrant to the United States.
Then began a chain reaction where each man stood and sang his favorite song. All was done a cappella, without accompaniment, and from the heart. They took great pride in their singing and in the message of the song. We were an audience of six Americans who were looking for some music, and boy did we get it! By the end of the night we were invited to join them in “God Bless America”, finally finishing the session at midnight belting out “cockles and mussels… alive, alive oh.”
[space height=10] You would think with six of us witnessing this impromptu singing session we would have taken some video. Unfortunately, all were having too much fun to waste time on video. So, this short segment is all I have to offer. You’ve just got to be at the right place at the right time! [space height=10] [column col=”1/2″] [youtube height=”200″ width=”290″ align=”left”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw4yqb8s9hI[/youtube][/column] [column col=”1/2″ last=”true”]
I am smack dab in the middle of my Best of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France tour. I picked up a group of just four folks a few days ago in Munich and we’ve had a blast getting to know each other and experiencing Germany and Austria. It being the beginning of spring, we’ve run in to several celebrations dedicated to digging out of the gloomy winter and leaping into spring.
Frühlingfest Munich
Frühlingfest Munich
In Munich, the massive outdoor Octoberfest site was booming with the Frühlingfest. This, a yearly spring celebration seemed very much like our state or county fairs at home with the addition of lots of lederhosen, dirndls, beer, and sausage. As the opening ceremonies began I enjoyed marching bands, horse-drawn beer wagons, and fifty or more ancient pistols being fired into the air in celebration of spring.
While in Salzburg fellow tour members stumbled upon a celebration of the Lord Mayor’s birthday in the Mirabell Gardens complete with fanfare, song, toasting, and celebration. The Augustiner Bräustübe had just switched over to its standard brew, changing from the special Lenten Bier it had served from Ash Wednesday to Easter.
Mirabell Gardens
Driving through Bavaria and the Austria Tirol we encountered lush green fields covered with beautiful wildflowers. Each little village seemed to be trying to outdo the next with its freshly painted and über-Bavaria blue and white maypoles. Even the livestock seem to be extra happy to be out of the barns and into the fields. At times we would encounter field after field of vivid bright yellow rapeseed in full bloom adding to the contrast of the countryside.
Fields of Rapeseed
Tirol
On the morning of May 1st, I watched a crew put up a huge tent and install the 90- foot Maypole topped with a tree and dripping with hanging pretzels. Throughout the morning, locals would drop by to check on the progress, looking up and giving the guy hanging from the Maypole advice and encouragement. Young ladies, clad in traditional dirndls, arrived to set up the tent as a makeshift beer hall while local volunteers laid down wooden walkways and carried all sorts of “potluck” food into the tent. I was sure the celebration would be grand and sort of sorry I was going to miss it.
Maypole in Tirol
Later we arrived in Vaduz, the capital of the Principality of Liechtenstein. Popping out from the underground parking garage it appeared the city was deserted. As I walked toward the main square it became evident that most of the locals were settling in here under a huge tent. The Liechtenstein fire department had all their trucks and equipment out on display. Some of the firemen were in their “dress blues” while others were manning the hot grills loaded with sausages and bratwurst serving lunch to hundreds of people. There was a pair of strolling troubadours, with an accordion and guitar, willing to serenade a table for just a small donation to help the fire department. Nearby, kids were jumping in the bounce house, playing firemen games with water, climbing all over the fire trucks, and getting a ride in the 60-foot “cherrypicker” bucket on the hook-and-ladder truck.
Vaduz Festival
We are in the heart of Switzerland today. The Lauterbrunnen Valley is my favorite alpine spot in all of Europe. I don’t know what today will bring, but I am sure it will be filled with fresh wildflowers in high alpine meadows, snow-capped glaciers, and the gently clanging of bells as the cows are moved from the winter barns to the spring meadows. Everyday is an adventure on an Exploring Europe tour and stumbling upon local celebrations makes travel even more authentic. Why not consider joining one of my tours in the coming months.
Travel Question of the Month – JULY 2014
“I’ve been doing some reading about Italy and there is mention of a dress code for entering some of the churches in Rome. What I read was that women must be wearing long pants or a skirt below their knees and have their shoulders covered. Is there a dress code for any of the places we will be visiting (on our tour in September)?” – Joe from Florida
My Response…
Many churches, especially south of the Alps, require modest dress for men and women. Often you’ll find a “guard” at the door reminding visitors to remove their hats, take no photos, and arrive dressed properly. Bare shoulders and knees usually result in the visitor being turned away at the door. Keep in mind that all over Europe these grand churches were not built as a tourist sight, but as a place for worship.
Some of the major church sights in Italy provide disposable garments which are given to tourists who show up in short shorts, tank tops, and other immodest attire. It is kind of entertaining to watch partially clad tourists don tacky capes and britches to enter these churches. I’ve also seen many people turned away completely at the doors of St. Mark’s in Venice and St. Peter’s in Rome because they do not meet the dress code.
Allowed in – yes or no?
The bottom line here is to dress for the occasion. Europeans, in general, dress up more than Americans. You’ll not find a man wearing shorts unless they are at the seaside or a woman wearing warm-ups or short shorts unless at a workout. So, when traveling in Europe, no matter the season or destination, plan to dress for the locale and the tour plan of the day. Save your shorts and tank tops for the seaside, pool, or mountain hiking.
Why do sheep have patches of color painted on their wool?
David McGuffin organizes, designs and leads tours to many European destinations. David’s tours are for strictly 
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