They're a strange bunch, the Austrians -
some of the friendliest people you can meet; just don't talk
politics with them! As for the sense of humour, it can be seen
in the photos above. Whether it's side-by-seats in the Ladies,
or a Braveheart figure wielding his own weapon in the Gents,
you can tell they're not taking things too seriously. The picture
on the left was taken in the Hall of Mirrors that is Graz's
Murinsel Cafe toilet - good luck finding your way out once you're
in...
After the Romans invented plumbing, it seems the Italians
have been content to rest on their laurels for the past
two millenia. If it's not the old "starting blocks
special" (pictured), it's a seatless (and often paperless
) pan. Word of advice: go easy on the arriabata sauce!
From basic trenches to all-singing, all-dancing
models that come with armrests and instructions on how to work
the built in bidet (stay sitting down!), Japan runs the full
gamut. Some toilets even have the sink built in to the flushing
mechanism (top middle). Special mention must go to the Phillipe
Starck Asahi Beer Hall in Tokyo, which boasts the Star Trek
style urinals (centre photo) as well as the metallic cubicles
in both "western" and "Japanese" styles.
Truly a toilet-spotters paradise. And if you're unsure about
to how to use the equipment, check out this excellent
animated guide!
Pictured above are the toilets at the Daugava
(left) and Skonto (right) stadiums. The first set of toilets
were so bad I actually returned with a camera! Funnily enough,
these weren't even the worse we saw - Majori Station toilets
consisted of a sloping gutter with standing and squatting positions
(denoted by the wooden blinkers), and best of all, a single
toilet roll on the opposite wall. If it wasn't for the grizzled
babushka charging 15p a go, I'd have been back in for photos
like a shot! The inspiration behind this page...
A country of contrasts, from designer racing car themed
pans to pressure guages to stinking open latrines. Not
all of the country's plumbing can handle paper - sometimes
you're expected to guess what the wastepaper baskets,
but helpfully one restaurant in Trakai makes it abundantly
clear with its "Keep Lithuania Tidy" style
sticker. Of course, if the loo roll runs out, there's
always the scouring pad (left)...
Special mention to Zalgiris Stadium for providing the
middle three photo opportunities in a late attempt to
out-do Majori Station's toilet in Latvia. If you want
to see what a truly horrific stadium toilet looks like,
check out the censored Moldova entry below!
From seatless cholera traps to scorched holes
in the ground, Moldova runs the full gamut of ex-Soviet sh*teholes.
The "worst toilet in the World...EVER!!!!" was photographed
by Ally Maciver at the Zimbru Stadium in Chisnau (what is it
about stadium toilets?) - click on it if you dare!
Spotlessly clean and surprisingly novel:
at least the bar owners are ploughing their profits into
upkeeping their pissoirs. These comedy urinals were spotted
in Dr Frankenstein's Sports Bar, which gave a welcome
chuckle after the shock of paying over £7 for a
pint of Guinness. Unfortunately, not even novelty toilets
can inject any character into Oslo!
The best way to deal with toilets in Poland is through
a thick alcoholic haze... at least, that's how the locals
seem to cope with it! The photo on the left was taken
in a hotel room - it smelled like an open sewer, but was
on the sixth floor!
Thanks to Bruce for photographing these prosaic
notices whilst holidaying on Arran. The one on left is explicit
about its water-saving efforts (although I wouldn't have thought
Arran had a water shortage!), whilst the one on the right adds
a new twist to the old "flushing or binning" debate.
Let's hope they don't get too many Greek visitors...
Looking like
some kind of twisted fairground game, these metal buckets
are plumbed in and serve as urinals at the top of the
Novy Most bridge tower. That window behind isn't frosted
either, allowing a breath-taking view of the Petrzalka
tower blocks whilst you try and win a prize.
As a whole, the country could do better - many smaller
bars and cafes have a single unisex toilet, often kept
locked with the key behind the bar.
Shiny, shiny... shiny bits of metal. How about this
floor to ceiling urinal, incongrously located in the back
of a wee back-street coffee shop. Ljubljana is the capital
of one of the new-EU's biggest success stories... Slovenia
is on the way up, and you can smell the freshness!
