Toilets - Not for the squeamish
One day, Marcelle let me know that a common bug that makes its rounds in the winter months in France, is some sort of gastro thing that you can be sure to catch if you make frequent use of public toilets.
Toilets are never free in train stations and airports and cost about 0,50€, which you pay to an attendant.
In Lyon, most of the street toilets are free. Some of them have specific times when they are free and at other times, they may cost you anywhere from 0,15-0,50€. And, honestly, it's hardly ever worth it. Some of these toilets were downright nightmarish and makes me question my euro-centric education even more, chiefly the idea of Europe being the "centre of civilization" or whatever.
The regular occurence of co-ed toilets in this country reminds me habitually of my prudishness. A few of the toilets at the Lyon 3 campus are co-ed. I must admit that even after three months, I still have trouble killing the instinct to turn around and find the "right" ones when I walk into the toilets each morning and find four male behinds lined up against a wall.
The toilets in Lyon are also frequently found without toilet seats and I'm not mixing toilets up with urinals. I suppose it's fine when you only need to squat, but there are certain times when squatting can't comfortably take the place of a paper toilet seat cover, if you know what I mean.
Proceed with caution.
1 comment:
That whole European thing with toilets can be pretty off putting. Even when the porcelain is sparkly clean, you wonder where the seat is...
However on the whole European toilets aren't too bad. My worst toilet experiences have been in South America. In Chile I got severe food poisoning in a mine town on the edge of the Attacama Desert and was laid up for days having to stagger down to an outside shed whilst I burnt up with fever. There is also a pretty shocking toilet at the bus station in Potossi in Boliva, do not ever under any circumstances use this facility.
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