I also agree with Carl.<BR>While there are some place in any<BR>U.S. city that have dirty bathrooms,<BR>I have never seen any as bad as the <BR>ones in Italy (or Hong Kong for that matter).<BR>Filthy dirty restrooms, holes in the ground, toilets that don't have a seat<BR>(supposedly they are more hygenic).<BR>Tiny little stalls that the average <BR>sized person would almost have to stand on the toilet bowl to be able to shut<BR>the door. <BR>As a kid, my mother taught me never to<BR>sit on the seat. But sometimes you just<BR>can't balance and do what needs to be done (especially now that I'm not a <BR>teenager anymore). I wondered how the<BR>older, overweight and frail women<BR>managed. There's no way my mother would<BR>be able to manage.<BR>I think the cleanest "bathroom" I used<BR>were the ones on the trains. You sit down, and you can see the train tracks whizzing by beneath you. At first, I though it was a bit wierd, but it was<BR>better than any other restroom I used <BR>in my time there.<BR>I learned to appreciate how good we have<BR>it in North America, and I learned that<BR>it's always a good idea to carry a roll<BR>of toilet paper...in case of emergencies!

I often hear about how gross women's bathrooms are (pee on seats, women who don't even flush, etc). My wife visited my office once and told me she was horrified by the ladies' room (and I work in a very professional office). <BR><BR>From what I hear from women, men must be cleaner in public restrooms. I am pretty much a clean-freak and am almost never grossed out by the men's room. It is pretty rare to find an unflushed toilet. The worst you might find is an overstuffed garbage can or someone's folded USA Today in the stall.

How on earth have you managed to find hole-in-ground lavatories in Europe?<BR>In most European cities especially in the UK there was indoor plumbing when New Yorkers were still throwing slops out of the windows.<BR>Also, at least Europeans have clean bottoms. Americans don't seem to know what a bidet is for.

Oh really, "what?" What good is a bidet when they only use it ONCE a week and neglect their ENTIRE bodies for two weeks or more at a time?!?

I was once in a German restroom and laughed myself silly when I flushed and the toilet seat electronically rotated and cleaned itself. On the other hand, at a beautiful coffee shop in Istanbul, complete with tuxedoed waiters and crystal chandeliers, the ornately tiled restroom just had the hole in the floor.

Talking about neglecting entire bodies.... it's always a shock to return from abroad and see all the grossly obese Americans everywhere. Massive dumps rule!

OK, so we're on this topic. Please tell me just HOW you're supposed to use a hole in the floor?!! Especially when you're in pants, or dressed up in heels? What do elderly people do? How do they flush? How are kept clean? (This IS a serious question!)

x-That question was fully discussed on the European board.

OK, I searched on "toilets" and "bathroom" on the European board and didn't come up with any likely topics. I'm not interested in going through every post on a hundred or more topics. If you'll tell me which one to look in, I'll check it out.

no offense, but what type would research bathrooms on a travel site? lol

Read the earlier posts. It is a serious question from someone who's never had to face the issue.<BR><BR>You want gross? Footprints on toilet seats . . .