I just got back from Europe and had an awesome time there. The people, food and sites were great. I loved Paris and I never ate so well. I must admit though, we have it all over the Europeans when it comes to our bathrooms . A lot of public bathrooms had holes in the ground to do your business. More times than not, there was no toilet paper!!!! The showers are different too. They usually have a hose for the shower. It can be a little dificult to handle when you have shampoo in your eyes. The water pressure at most places that I stayed was pretty weak. All this is really no big deal. Its just different! Will it prevent me from going back? Hell no! I think that the USA has the bathroom thing all over the Europeans. Just my humble opinion

The bathrooms in Germany were the cleanest I've ever seen. I'd take one over North America ANY day.

I generally agree, but they've got us beat on suction. Some of the toilets over here can't flush dust.

This site has really lost it! Now we are talking about toilets!

Carl, you obviously haven't been in the public restrooms on I-95. Eeeuw. We SHOULD have the best bathrooms, but people have gotten piggier and piggier -- ladies especially!

More and more, women seem to be hovering-and-tickling, leaving pee all over the seat. This is disgusting and I'm warning anyone who does this in a toilet I'm about to enter -- I will chase you down and tell you off loudly, in public. Clean up after yourself!

HAH! I'm laughing at my own really silly typo! Of course, I meant "hovering and tinkling" not "tickling"!!!!!

I'm sure this'll start a whole new set of comments!

I actually think that in many places in Europe the toilets are better. There, they give you your own little "room" rather than the stall which doesn't provide much privacy.

I remember in Spain seeing those holes in the ground at public bathrooms. They werent everywhere but still they were pretty gross man. Theres no way I could bring myself to use one of those! Nasty!

Prudy:

I definitely agree w/you re: women peeing all over the seat. Why do they do that? I never had to. I usually put down toilet and then make sure it's cleaned up and flushed. What ever happened to manners?

Imagine being in Nepal and having altitude sickness,which involves lots of throwing up and all there is to use is a hole in the ground and two footprints.God Bless American bathrooms

This is a funny thread! I love American Bathrooms as well and I hate women who pee all over the seat. It absolutely amazes me... nice, classy woman exits the stall, I enter and find to my horror a seat covered in pee!
Do you really chase them down? LOL!
Anyway... I love Europe and the other foreign places I have traveled BUT I hate having to conduct a 2 hour search for a place to pee and I could never figure out how to use the hole in the ground when you are wearing jeans and tennis shoes. What? Yo have to take off your shoes and pants first?
It's just nasty!

I sure agree about the I-95 bathrooms....GROSS!!!!
Dirty, no paper, no soap, no towels. Sometimes the sink is falling off the wall and the toilet doesn't flush.
Even tried chain restaraunts like McDonalds who advertise their cleanliness---wrong!
Really makes the north-south trip nasty.

nothing is as bad as skiing, wearing a one piece ski outfit, trying to balance your self in ski boots over the hole in the ground toilets on the mountain, all the while trying to make sure that no part of your ski clothes hits the ground....

Believe me, when hiking, it's cleaner to use the outdoors. The deer, bear and whatever else is out there is cleaner than the human animal.

My man Carl!
I'm a bathroom fanatic and there is absolutely no question that the best bathrooms in the world are in the US.

Some upscale restaurant bathrooms I've been in are nicer than living areas in upscale homes.

And I'll choose a hotel simply for the bathrooms in some cases. Tops: bathrooms in the suites at Bellagio (with huge his and hers bathrooms, powerful steam shower, separate tub, multiple TV's, thick towels.
My favorite in Europe (which lacks sorely in this area, even the better hotels) was the suite bath at the Mandarin in Munich. Very, very nice, even by US five star standards.

But those Euros aren't far removed from "outdoor plumbing" in most cases.

Italy has the worst bathrooms in Europe. And yes, I agree the bathrooms in the States are cleaner and modern.

The reason women pee all over the seat is because they refuse to SIT DOWN! Ladies, clean the seat off first and have a seat! As long as the seat is dry, there's no way the bacteria will live to get you. I have a great technique, involving laying down only one cheek, if you know what I mean. Reduces your chances of catching anything nasty by 50%!!!

These prissies don't want to catch anything - but it's okay to leave theirs everywhere. And if you drop any paper anywhere, you're mother will stop by the clean up after you.

If I walk into a stall after the occupant has just exited and there is pee all over the seat I say loudly so they can hear while they are washing their hands "What is the matter with people? This is disgusting", Then I walk out of the stall, look at them so they know I know who did it and find another bathroom! Hopefully they'll think about it next time.

Question: How do we know that Jim Morrison really did not drown in a bathtub in Paris?

Answer: Because THERE AREN'T ANY!