As I mentioned in my last post, I feel the need to share my Baltics travel experience and encourage others to explore this wonderful corner of the world. Until quite recently it was all hidden away behind the Iron Curtain.
Despite all the rich history and beauty I marveled at on my journey, for some reason i feel compelled to start off by discussing the bathrooms. Alex will probably be appalled by this display of prissy-silly-girlishness, but i do not care.
Frankly, any woman planning on exploring the Baltics and Eastern Europe must be prepared for the displeasure of using their toilets.
Here are the first three things a girl ought to know:
- Do not expect toilet paper
- Do not expect toilet seat
- When outside major cities: do not expect toilets
What, pray tell, does point number 3 mean? Well well well! Have you ever seen one of these beauties:
No? This, my friends, is a 'stand-over'. And this is a clean, seemingly sanitary example there of. Most of these don't have such lovely wooden doors. Many are also not 'flushable'. And don't think that sticking to capital cities will protect you from run-ins with stand-overs either! Vilnius' main train and bus stations have only these... and you have to pay to use them.
Here's another thing you should know: there are many public bathrooms for which you'll have to pay. But don't think that just because you're paying you'll be getting toilet paper, toilet seat, sanitary conditions or a toilet (as mentioned above).
All over the Baltic capitals of Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius, you will find a lovely chain of Starbucks-like coffee shops (which also serve sushi for some reason) called Double Coffee. Their bathrooms are very clean and they don't mind you stopping in to use them... take advantage of that. And while you're at it, try their MOCCA drink, it's delicious!
Now, I hope that the thought of crouching to pee in-doors will not turn you off to the whole idea of visiting the Baltics and/or Eastern Europe. I hope you have a sense of adventure! If a germaphobe like me can do it, surely you can too.
As long as you are prepared ahead of time, everything will be just fine. Please, be prepared. Always carry along Charmin To Go toilet paper rolls. They are very convenient and will fit into practically any purse. You can buy them at your local drug store, or in bulk on Amazon. Also carry hand sanitizer, using the available hand washing facilities will only make you feel dirtier.
Ahem.
I promise to make my next travel post more cultured and intelligent. But this girl wanted to help her sisters out. Amen.
Oh Liza, you brave girl. Thank you for the warning. I am afraid that if I ever went to Europe I would have to carry an embarassing amount of Charmin.
Posted by: Polly Poppins | July 21, 2007 at 03:39 PM