Demystifying French Bathrooms

Continuing with my last entry, staying out until 6am tends to necessitate the need for a bathroom--either to purge one's sins or wash them away. One of the most striking aspects of French bathrooms for most Americans is the telephone-receiver-style shower head. Rather than attach the shower head to the wall, like any reasonable person, the French have decided to make the shower experience an exercise in coordination. Most French, I have been told, prefer to start and stop the shower in order to free up both hands. This method would be reasonable if there was actual heat in French bathrooms. It has been my experience that French people prefer to leave their bathrooms unheated, frequently leaving the windows open--even in the middle of winter. I don't know about you, but my derriere prefers a little warmth when in action. To further complicate the French bathing experience, many French people find shower curtains unnecessary. As if bathing wasn't hard enough, they have to leave you without a barrier in a freezing bathroom--quelle horreur! Even with these complications, having a bathroom is better than not. In fact, while out and about in France, many tourists are shocked by the lack of public restrooms. In fact, it is common practice for restaurants and bars to require a purchase in order to use the bathroom, and even then, you still may have to pay .50 centimes. Also, with most public restrooms, there is frequently only one restroom for both men and women. In this way, it is common to see men peeing at a urinal while women wait for the toilet. However in large cities like Paris, free self-cleaning public restrooms have been recently installed. These one person bathrooms are almost like self-cleaning port-a-potties which don't actually smell. Bathrooms like these are a life-saver for those with small bladders. Although it seems rather easy to get used to some things here, like the food, bathrooms take a little more time and patience it seems.