Saturday, March 24, 2012

Squat (Turkish) toilets

After downloading Pixfield%26#39;s wonderful Paris guide (many, many thanks!), a phrase jumped out at me that I haven%26#39;t seen used much, lately, on this forum.....Turkish toilets. To recent travellers or Paris experts, how prevalent are these in Paris? and, how difficult to use for a woman wearing capris and sandals??? I didn%26#39;t encounter any in Rome or Florence, so this is new to me.





Thanks.




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They are really few and far between. I saw one in an old cafe in Montmartre the other day but had not ran into one in quite some time.




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We try new restaurants all the time and we run into them often. They%26#39;re actually more practical than they appear (NO I will not expand on that comment so don%26#39;t ask) but they%26#39;re SO FOREIGN to most westerners that they freak Americans out a little when we run across one. Unless you plan to eat exclusively at MacDonalds, you will probably encounter a turkish toilet when visiting Paris. Consider it a colorful part of the experience of visiting a city that%26#39;s a couple of thousand years old and has many cultural roots in the provincial history of France. They%26#39;re easy to learn so don%26#39;t stress on the subject.



We go out of our way to make sure our guests experience one on one of their first restaurant experiences whenever possible.



I hope our relatives aren%26#39;t reading this.




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This is not a subject I went into on my recent trip report, however, the teenager I was traveling with insisted on seeing a Turkish toilet. On the whole, she was fascinated by how Parisien toilets differ from US toilets. The different manner in which they are flushed, specifically. I think all visitors should use them once, if only to appreciate good %26quot;facilities%26quot; :)




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I haven%26#39;t seen one in Paris for a while - maybe I am just lucky.





If you want to have the full a la turque experience, the public toilets in Yzeures-sur-Creuse are squats of their most fragrant kind.





Now, arent you glad youre not eating!




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My husband tells me that in Mexico these toilets are referred to as %26quot;French toilets.%26quot; (I wonder if this was an innovation brought over during the reign of Emperor Maximilian?) He says they are pretty uncommon there now.




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pemquid, I just love your name. Pemaquid Point is one of the most beautiful spots I know. If you live near there, you%26#39;re very lucky.




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This has been covered several times on this forum, just search and ye shall find.




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I see them all the time. Recently, I lunched with Phread at an otherwise perfectly modern restaurant. After visiting the loo, I even commented to Phread something along the lines of, %26quot;Well, there%26#39;s another one of those Turkish toilets that people on TA say don%26#39;t exist much anymore.%26quot; In an average week of eating 10 meals in different restaurants, I%26#39;d say that I encounter them about 4-5 times.





Of course, there are also those magical times such as at Les Ombres where the French have refined the art of toileting so much so that even the urinals have lids that can be closed before flushing.




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rudyjane - they%26#39;re not difficult at all. if you%26#39;ve ever been camping you%26#39;ll pass with flying colors.




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oh dear lord... I hit %26quot;submit%26quot; before I caught that HORRIFIC pun. a thousand pardons.

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