Posted on 12/26/2013 5:55:03 PM PST by rickmichaels
Ladies, listen up:
If one of us men say we will do something, we will do it.
You don’t need to remind us every six months.
I am the toilet paper expert - ALL TOILET PAPER IS NOT EQUAL
The first time I traveled to Europe, which was England, the toilet paper was so rough, I started a collection of toilet paper from various countries - none were acceptable - your behind is not going to be happy with scratchy paper kin to wood. After that first trip, I always put a roll of American toilet paper in my suitcase. Believe me, there is no better toilet paper on earth than in the US.
The worst bathroom I was in was the airport ladies bathroom in Athens, Greece. There were flies on the toilet seat.
There are some potties that are a hole in the floor with places to put your feet - those were in Italy and France. The one in France at a restaurant in the country was particularly difficult - the light was on a timer and from the time you turned it on when you went in, you had very little time to do your business before the light went out and it was very dark in there - you had to have the light on. The light switch was on the wall next to the door and was a long way from the potty. I was warned about this before I went in there, and barely managed to get out of there before the light went off.
The finest bathroom was in Toronto, Canada. The hotel bedroom had two bathrooms - one for the man and one for the lady, along with a sit down dressing table in the lady's one. Each bathroom had a regular potty plus a bidet.
Please put some change in the tip holder on your way out - it's been a pleasure to stand here in case you need something.
(Europeans don't use washcloths in the tub or shower. If you want a washcloth, take one or some with you, or do without. Perhaps hotels have gotten the message by now and provide washcloths. I've stayed in relative’s homes there and none had washcloths - I had some in my suitcase.)
In France, in hotels, there is a certain date in “spring” when the heat is turned off. It may be 20 degrees but if it is on or after that date, the heat is off. I've nearly frozen in a hotel in Paris when it was in the 30s but after that date so no heat. Really, it was so cold in there, I stayed in the bed and dressed myself under the cover so I wouldn't freeze trying to dress.
Then, when we left that hotel to travel to the south of France, we were almost caught by Paris police for stopping traffic - but that is another story.
Take toilet paper, wash cloth, and your own soap, too. Those people over there are “foreigners” and they don't live like you do. If you have an American device to plug in, like a hair curler, you must take a gadget to plug into the wall to change the current to accept your device.
And, if you buy a DVD there to play when you get home, it won't play here. They use a different system. I bought a player that will play both ours and theirs as my son makes films over there and I couldn't see them on a DVD without this player.
You have now finished course Travel 101.
I got a guy at my workplace who installed a urinal in his garage.
They were divorced in less than a year.
Some people just don’t understand.....
Thank you, Marcella. That was a great read even if I won’t travel to Europe, I enjoyed it.
Well, that settles it. My wife and I aren’t leaving the house again. Ever.
:^)
We didn’t have the lid or the tank, when I was on the farm. Sears catalog, no plywood. That thing is luxurious!
Not all chains buy their amenities from the Hilton Central Store, no matter what their marketing agreement states.
But I will agree, even single ply is better in the US than overseas, and you can go broke buying name brand US products overseas if you don't bring your own along. Not sure about now, but not even a 5 star designation, guaranteed quality toilet paper in China several years ago.
Been there done that. One summer when we were kids, my mother sent my sister and I to the country in Virginia. The people had a farm with electricity, but no plumbing. They had an outhouse and chamberpots under the beds for at night. There was a pump at the back door and one at the kitchen sink. We got baths in a tub in the kitchen. This was in the 1960’s.
In the late ‘70’s, I knew a woman, my age, from the Eastern Shore of Maryland. She never had indoor plumbing until she got married, just a few years before I meet her. Most of her relatives still had no plumbing (I assume they have it now).
I saw a documentary on the need for toilets in the 3rd world. It is horrible for women, but bad for everyone, especially out in the country where you can get bit (or eaten) by animals. People also do their business by rivers, which are incredibly polluted.
Girlfriend was right to leave. Make that guy get her a toilet. : )
It was a few decades ago in La Crosse, Wisc. when the last person to have an outdoor toilet inside the city limits finally died. For some reason the city could not force the old codger to give up the outdoor commode until he expired. I’ll bet it was a lot of fun in Wisconsin winters to use that thing. What a dope.
And they flushed happily ever after!
Yep...it’s a crappy deal, ain’t it? ;)
I should have mentioned Munich, Germany. Great beer everywhere, but uniformed men with big rifles (back then we didn't call every gun on earth an “assault” weapon) at the airport. You don't know why they are there, whether that is a daily happening or they are about to gun you down.
And, airplanes - never, ever, get on a plane without peanut butter and crackers. No matter what happens, you will have food. I learned that on my first trip when I saw two of our friends eating peanut butter and crackers. I asked them about that and they said you will always have food. One time, we sat on a runway for two hours and the food on the plane was considered ruined but we had peanut butter and crackers.
Another travel rule is - never pass up a bathroom for you never know when there will be another one. Hand sanitizer is important to have.
Or, you can stay home and enjoy every luxury you have without people stuffed around you and walking on your feet trying to get to the aisle.
It is also not good when the man sitting next to you on the plane has a possible heart attack and you have to keep the oxygen on him for hundreds of miles until the next airport, but that is another story.
My dad said when he left Oklahoma they used to eat in the house and crap outside. When he came to California they crap in the house and eat outside.
“Composting toilet... “
Thank you for adding that. At first just looking at the picture I couldn’t figure out why an oven would need a roll of toilet paper.
All good to know. However, I will never travel outside the continental USA, except maybe to Canada on the way to Alaska or something. LOL.
i’m going to divorce you if you don’t get me a better chamber pot.
Thanks for that post 22. Most interesting.
That was a good story. Thanks for sharing.
It’s just pretty. Not my first choice. :)
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