"The French Toilet" According to Brits...
Oct 29th, 2013, 11:34 AM
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"The French Toilet" According to Brits...
https://www.google.com/search?q=brit...=1600&bih=1075
Last night on Coronation Street one character was making remarks about some B&B some place and waxing un-romantic about 'with a "French toilet".
Now I had never heard of a French Toilet before in any context but here is what at least some Brits call the "French Toilet" - something you would never ever seen in civilized Britain I think.
Well images above are of the "French Toilet" which though still can be seen throughout France you see less and less - the French call them "Turkish Toilets" or Vespasieenes - named for the Emperor Vespasienne who I guess was instrumental in their evolution.
http://www.toilet-guru.com/france.php
Well here is a rundown of various toilet in France - IME of many French toilets some in even fairly well off homes stink to high Hell - the toilet stool is almost always in a room by itself with the bathroom adjoining for washing, etc.
And the TP in some houses is vertually no ply!
So in France the toilets there are often a real let down - at least for Brits and Americans!
Last night on Coronation Street one character was making remarks about some B&B some place and waxing un-romantic about 'with a "French toilet".
Now I had never heard of a French Toilet before in any context but here is what at least some Brits call the "French Toilet" - something you would never ever seen in civilized Britain I think.
Well images above are of the "French Toilet" which though still can be seen throughout France you see less and less - the French call them "Turkish Toilets" or Vespasieenes - named for the Emperor Vespasienne who I guess was instrumental in their evolution.
http://www.toilet-guru.com/france.php
Well here is a rundown of various toilet in France - IME of many French toilets some in even fairly well off homes stink to high Hell - the toilet stool is almost always in a room by itself with the bathroom adjoining for washing, etc.
And the TP in some houses is vertually no ply!
So in France the toilets there are often a real let down - at least for Brits and Americans!
Oct 29th, 2013, 12:19 PM
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Try this Quiz: http://toys.usvsth3m.com/crapper-mapper/
Oct 29th, 2013, 12:28 PM
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These are not <i>vespasiennes</i> which were the public urinals found in Paris.
http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isc....0.MiH0jTKGuyw
Nothing wrong with the toilet separate from the general bathroom, and the toilet closet has to be ventilated, at least since 1971.
http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isc....0.MiH0jTKGuyw
Nothing wrong with the toilet separate from the general bathroom, and the toilet closet has to be ventilated, at least since 1971.
Oct 29th, 2013, 12:33 PM
#6
i have less than fond memories of a toilet somewhere on the Garonne when I was suffering from the effects of eating something that didn't agree with me the day before.
I was also able to identify a picnic spot somewhere in northern France as being one we had stopped at 10 years earlier by the bog.
I was also able to identify a picnic spot somewhere in northern France as being one we had stopped at 10 years earlier by the bog.
Oct 29th, 2013, 12:37 PM
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About the worst I ever saw was in the train station in Orvieto, Italy - a Turkish toilet that had not been cleaned since Roman days it seems but I just had to go - squatting from outside the usual foot places which were covered with doodoo. And no TP! that was about 10 years ago - assume the station has improved its public loos by now?
Oct 29th, 2013, 12:39 PM
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<i>the toilet stool is almost always in a room by itself with the bathroom adjoining for washing, etc.</i>
If you have ever urgently needed the loo whilst someone (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) is busy having a long slow bath you'll find that a separate loo is a godsend.
If you have ever urgently needed the loo whilst someone (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) is busy having a long slow bath you'll find that a separate loo is a godsend.
Oct 29th, 2013, 01:16 PM
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My first visit to France was in 1962. During the early 60s I lived in both England and Italy, and traveled quite a bit in western Europe. Nowadays, mostly to France every year or so. I have been in several French homes over the years and never found a toilet that "stank to high Hell."
I could go on and on with stories of toilets encountered over those years, but now, I can say that the toilets in France are generally far from "a real letdown" for Brits or Americans. In fact, we remarked during our recent trip that we never once encountered a squat/Turkish toilet (much to my husband's relief).
Pegontheroad - Haven't been to Turkey, but did find the Japanese public toilets interesting. In a very upscale department store in Tokyo, in the women's restroom one could choose between Western and Asian style (squat) toilets. Same on the Shinkansen bullet trains.
The absolute nastiest toilets ever for me were on the Moscow-Leningrad overnight train in 1985. I hope those conditions have improved by now.
Fun quiz, nukesafe.
I could go on and on with stories of toilets encountered over those years, but now, I can say that the toilets in France are generally far from "a real letdown" for Brits or Americans. In fact, we remarked during our recent trip that we never once encountered a squat/Turkish toilet (much to my husband's relief).
Pegontheroad - Haven't been to Turkey, but did find the Japanese public toilets interesting. In a very upscale department store in Tokyo, in the women's restroom one could choose between Western and Asian style (squat) toilets. Same on the Shinkansen bullet trains.
The absolute nastiest toilets ever for me were on the Moscow-Leningrad overnight train in 1985. I hope those conditions have improved by now.
Fun quiz, nukesafe.
Oct 29th, 2013, 01:32 PM
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I can speak to British toilets of a number of years ago, in the 60's. My practice wife was English and, when I first visited her parent's home in Hertfordshire, I was nonplussed by bathroom etiquette. The door was always closed. The American custom is to always leave the door ajar to indicate the chamber is unoccupied.
I did an anxious dance waiting for someone to come out and had to run around the house counting heads to make sure it was OK to knock and open the door to the facilities. The custom was, I was told, to leave the window open and to firmly shut the door so as not to chill the house. Made for a warm house and very quick potty times in the winter.
I figures that when the Brits had moved the facilities from the back garden, not many years before, they had simply overlooked the need for ventilation. Perhaps that has been corrected, now, but back then it made things quite awkward.
I did an anxious dance waiting for someone to come out and had to run around the house counting heads to make sure it was OK to knock and open the door to the facilities. The custom was, I was told, to leave the window open and to firmly shut the door so as not to chill the house. Made for a warm house and very quick potty times in the winter.
I figures that when the Brits had moved the facilities from the back garden, not many years before, they had simply overlooked the need for ventilation. Perhaps that has been corrected, now, but back then it made things quite awkward.
Oct 29th, 2013, 01:36 PM
#12
I got 9 out of 10 when I took that quiz the other day. I have been around the block a few times.
I have not encountered a stinky toilet in a private home in France since my grandparents converted their dry toilet to a flush toilet in 1964.
I have not encountered a stinky toilet in a private home in France since my grandparents converted their dry toilet to a flush toilet in 1964.
Oct 29th, 2013, 02:15 PM
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Hilarious antidote! You Go girl
http://www.magellans.com/restop-1#
http://www.magellans.com/restop-1#
Oct 29th, 2013, 02:30 PM
#14
On our recent trip to France, I only encountered the Turkish hole once in a toll road 'aire,' but it was the second, optional facility for women. What surprised me a little was the complete absence of a bidet in 5 hotels.
Pegontheroad, you and I have been to many of the same places. In Tokyo, I encountered a public toilet in a park near the Imperial Palace that was holes only, with only minimal panels between each hole, no doors, no TP. It was a no-go for me, no pun intended.
Pegontheroad, you and I have been to many of the same places. In Tokyo, I encountered a public toilet in a park near the Imperial Palace that was holes only, with only minimal panels between each hole, no doors, no TP. It was a no-go for me, no pun intended.
Oct 29th, 2013, 03:21 PM
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My ex-wife, French, lived on the top floor of a flophouse apartment in Lyon when I visited her and that toilet was incredible - I had just come back from a half year in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Burma, Iran, etc and this stinking French toilet was by far the worst I encountered even in Asia - the was an outhouse in a house - wooden planks with holes in it - you took off the wooden lid and let go - everything fell down a chute to some presumably pit far below.
My most interesting toilets were in Goa, India where locals to do #2 simply went into the sea and let go - using their left hand of course to wipe up. Foreign tourists disgustingly had to do the same - and in a Nepalese venue the outhouse was a metal shoot that simply went on the ground for the pigs to scrounge up - you could hear them grunting when someone went into the outhouse - now that was a long long time ago but still I think a majority of folks in the world still have no toilet in their residence - we have it so so lucky.
Now the Brits know how to do public toilets - they are ubiquitous - thank God - praise the Queen for that. I remember when public WCs in Britain has something like Her Majesty's service or some such thing on some TP - TP however in gthe many campgrounds I stayed in in Britain was really some kind of wax paper - most folks brought their own. the Canterbury camp Governor explained to me - I was leading groups then camping - that if he bought good stuff folks would pilfer it - obviously he was trying to keep costs down.
My most interesting toilets were in Goa, India where locals to do #2 simply went into the sea and let go - using their left hand of course to wipe up. Foreign tourists disgustingly had to do the same - and in a Nepalese venue the outhouse was a metal shoot that simply went on the ground for the pigs to scrounge up - you could hear them grunting when someone went into the outhouse - now that was a long long time ago but still I think a majority of folks in the world still have no toilet in their residence - we have it so so lucky.
Now the Brits know how to do public toilets - they are ubiquitous - thank God - praise the Queen for that. I remember when public WCs in Britain has something like Her Majesty's service or some such thing on some TP - TP however in gthe many campgrounds I stayed in in Britain was really some kind of wax paper - most folks brought their own. the Canterbury camp Governor explained to me - I was leading groups then camping - that if he bought good stuff folks would pilfer it - obviously he was trying to keep costs down.
Oct 29th, 2013, 03:59 PM
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Oh yes, Pal, I remember the squares of "Jeyes paper" toilet paper in Britain. It's now a collectible. http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/product...r-hd_100086318 Completely non-absorbent. The corncobs and/or Sears Catalogues of the rural southern U.S. were more efficient than that stuff!
Oct 29th, 2013, 05:09 PM
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I have never encountered this in France (although there were some hideous toilets in gas stations).
The worst we saw were in Russia - even in some of the Royal Palaces - they were the oriental type - porcelain - but just a hole in the ground - and assuming that women wear dresses but no underwear. IMHO not possible to use for a woman wearing panties and pants.
The worst we saw were in Russia - even in some of the Royal Palaces - they were the oriental type - porcelain - but just a hole in the ground - and assuming that women wear dresses but no underwear. IMHO not possible to use for a woman wearing panties and pants.
