Posted on 04/12/2016 6:47:39 AM PDT by snarkpup
A new book by Lonely Planet called Toilets: A Spotter's Guide features pictures of the world's wackiest loos
There are more than 100 WCs featured in the book from places like Antarctica, Alaska, Brazil, Finland and Zambia
The book says: 'Whatever you prefer to call them toilets are a window into the secret soul of a destination'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
As a tourist in London I had to pay a pound to use the bathroom, and it was STILL filthy.
This was right across the river from the big Ferris wheel.
We went mountain biking in Big Bend Ranch State Park.
We rode many, many miles into the back country, and came upon a really cool outhouse. Previous occupant left a little toilet paper.
I used it.
For those familiar with the area, it was near the mercury mines.
“•There are more than 100 WCs ...”
Is that a wayside chapel?
WC = water closet = toilet stall
It probably looks like a chapel if you need it bad enough.
House of Parliament?
Must have been at or near the Embankment station. We just walked across the Thames (foot bridge) and had dinner and used theirs.
Toursist guide noted “just walk into restaurants like you own the place and use their facilities”.
London and Paris were weird, almost ZERO public restrooms/water-closets unless you pay a pound or euro. Oh, but in the Paris metro you could smell those who used it for free... many parts (from the Arc de Triomphe area) smelled of it badly.... wow, Paris stunk, in general.
Between unbelievably bad public squat toilets and the practice of people spitting everywhere, I got quite disgusted with traveling in China.... no doubt there are even worse places.
There’s an Android app for that: “Toilets in Paris”. Seriously!
Wish I’d known!
Rule of thumb: use one if you find one... every time. :)
The only “free use” toilets I saw were on Portobello Road in London, on the street fair. One was broken, the other had a line a mile long (frightened me what the insides might be like). So we went into a cafe, got some coffee (the Brits STILL can’t figure out how to make good coffee) and used their nice, clean facilities.
India. Some cities are one giant toilet where feces covers the ground like turf grass.
bump for later
The WC story:
Sometime ago, an English school teacher, looking for rooms in a small town in Switzerland, asked the local school headmaster to make recommendations. He showed her several different places and she finally settled on a small but charming cottage not far from the town centre.
However, on her way home, it occurred to her that she didn’t notice a Water Closet (”WC”), so she immediately sent an email to the headmaster to ask if there was a WC in or near the cottage.
On receiving the email, the headmaster was troubled, because he was not totally familiar with many English abbreviations. He then decided to ask his friend, the local parish Priest, for assistance. After considerable discussion and deliberation, they concluded that the lady was referring to a “Wayside Chapel” (a place of worship), so they sent her the following reply:
“I am delighted to inform you that the WC is situated only 2 miles from the cottage you rented, and it is set amongst a beautiful grove of trees with wonderful scenery, and it is capable of seating up to 250 people, however there is also standing room for another 100 people. In fact, sometimes it is so busy, we actually have people standing outside the open doors peering inside to observe the various proceedings inside !
The WC only opens on Wednesdays and Sundays and I hope this will not inconvenience you if you are used to going more regularly. On the other hand, I’m sure you will be pleased to know that many people even bring their lunch with them and make a day of it, while others who cannot spare so much time often arrive by car just in time. I would highly recommend that you visit the WC on Sundays, as there is always an organ accompaniment. With such huge pipes, the sound quality is truly excellent and even the most delicate sounds can be heard audibly by everyone.
It may interest you to know that my daughter was married in our WC and it was actually there that she met her husband ! I remember the day quite well, because there was a rush for seats and there were 12 people sitting where only 10 would usually sit, and it was wonderful to see the expressions of happiness on their faces.
My father has been a regular visitor to our WC since he was a young boy, and he recently donated a bell to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his first visit, and the bell rings every time somebody enters the WC. A bazaar will be held during the time of your visit in order to raise funds to help to upgrade the seating, as some residents feel the seats are somewhat hard and uncomfortable in their present state.
My wife, who is rather delicate, can’t attend as often as she would like. It has been six months since her last visit and I can assure you this situation pains her greatly.
Anyway I shall be delighted to reserve a seat for you next to me in our WC during your visit.
With my warmest regards,
Peter.
PS: Remember to bring your camera, as I am sure you will want to keep a memento of your visit to our WC. If you don’t have a camera, do not worry, as our newspaper editor attends every session of the WC and he usually publishes selected photographs in our town newspaper “The Sentinel”.
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