I put your name below so as to not forget to say in my comments that your kids used it but I forgot to incorporate that and forgot I had put my note below and thus did not erase it. Capiche?

anyway the old joke - you may be an American when touring Europe but in the loo 'European!'

In Amsterdam (and a few other places), there's a new store just for bathroom breaks; 2theloo it's called. It's a good idea; a franchise that offers clean toilets, in areas with tourists and shoppers.
www.2theloo.com

Well, I wasn't in the UK in the 1970s - so I definitely saw it after that. Perhaps one of the museums had a 20 year supply. (I always carry a packet of tissues with me - even in the US since you never know.)

and had the Elaine experience in a theater in Paris. Luckily I was able to help the woman n the next stall but honestly - a movie theater!!!

Scandinavia best Switzerland runner up

Worst toilet at worst price for entry

Bus Station Cali Colombia

$500 for admission posted at entrance

Funniest picture I have ever taken

(500 Colombianos like 60 cents)

worst loo ever - the one in France that I was forced to use whilst suffering from an attack of the squits - it was truly awful BEFORE I got there.

the best - the ones we found in Spain the day after - even in the smallest bar or cafe they were 5* quality. what a difference a border made!

About Russia, I don't have any memories of the toilets being particularly awful, but as I had a job and apartment, I may have just been using them less frequently than the average tourist. Anyway, I wanted to say about the toilet paper - you may have to ask the attendant or look around in the entrance area for a dispenser as if there is loo roll to be found, it will normally be there instead of in the stalls. I'm not too sure whether this is to reduce the amount used from a money standpoint or because the plumbing is not always up to having vast quantities of paper in it (at my work you were supposed to throw all your used toilet paper in the rubbish bin rather than flush it, ew).

Generally, I find wherever you go loos with attendants where you have to pay are normally better (though I have had moments of fuming that I've had to pay for the privilege of using a filthy loo) or restaurant loos, including McDs and the like, whereas unstaffed public loos, paying or not, and bar toilets, are generally awful. Pretty logical of course...

Just a sidebar comment: I work in the Middle East with dozens of other nationalities. I do believe that no one in the world puts the seat down aside from Americans (well half of the Americans, i.e. women).

Funny, I've been waiting a long time to tell this to any discerning folks who would listen and I never actually thought that the proper forum would present itself. Voila - a new post is born - "Toilet Talk."

"Just a sidebar comment: I work in the Middle East with dozens of other nationalities. I do believe that no one in the world puts the seat down aside from Americans (well half of the Americans, i.e. women). "

Uh, I don't think so. I don't know if you mean in their own homes or in public loos, but as far as 'at home' goes, I'm pretty sure I can confidently answer that New Zealanders (I am one), French (live in France & flat with one) and English (have spent quite a bit of time there since my family's English) put the seat down in general. I haven't done any surveys, but that's just going off general experience of whether the seat's left down or up and women complaining about men leaving it up. I'm pretty sure the same would be true for other Western countries like Ireland, Australia, Canada, etc as well.

Thanks for your comment Gwan. Mine was strictly from observation as well. My female counterparts are English, Scottish, French, Australian and Asian (no lady kiwis). Honestly, I'm the only one who puts it down but I'll bet you're correct as for the Western preferred option of closing the lid. In the restrooms of malls, movie theaters, etc. where there are attendants (generally from Sri Lanka, India, etc), they often give me the evil eye and look at me as if I'm crazy for putting it down. They go right over behind me and put it up. Must be a cultural thing.

Best. Hong Kong maybe. The one's I saw anyway. Most of Europe is fine.

Worst: While the bus between Battambang and Phnom Penh was fine, it had no facilities (but made up for it with video karaoke). Turns out this is resolved by pulling over at a set spot between two rice fields. Men in formation inthe field on the right, women squat in the left hand field. The bus screens to keep things proper. We remain on board, nose in our books, water bottles left put away.

the worst memory of any public WC in Europe I have is from the crude medieval hole in the ground at the Orvieto train station - not only had the hole not been cleaned it seems since medieval days but ones previously using it had a very poor aim - but since I just could not wait - I squatted and thrust - the old squat thrusts from high school gym - and added to the incredible mess. I do wonder if in the intervening several years Orvieto's train station has upgraded their public toilet - men's at least!

well Pal, thanks for sharing.

the one in the station in Orbetello [southern Tuscany] wasn't a lot better.

>>, but Turkey seems to have many many public toilets. Anyone know what they are like?<<

When I was in Turkey last month I only used the bathrooms in the restaurent that I ate in. They were clean ... or clean enough.

My worst loo experience ever? When I had to use the train bathroom the next morning on an overnight train from Beijing to Xian. OMG ... the visual and the stench.

The loos on the Inca Trail were the next worst experience for me, but they were in the middle of the wilderness so it wasn't unexpected.

For me, Switzerland has had the cleanest restrooms. And I just made the remark yesterday, that I encountered no "pay to pee" restrooms in Switzerland.

pay to pee is the norm in much of Europe it seems - even in McDonalds in some countries - often the proverbial plump old lady dressed in a white coat and who even may dole out the TP and not enough of it at times IME!

And about those Turkish Toilets or holes in the ground as the French call them (they also call them Vespasiennes (sp?) since I guess Emperor Vespasian of Rome was the first to indtroduce them to Gaul - probably the first toilet per se of any type

anyway heed the graffiti that you may sometimes seen - "Pull the chain before you rise,
and get a wet surprise!"

As the water may flood out, sweeping all detritus down the drain.

I agree about Switzerland. We had to pay at the restrooms at the Geneva airport train station (at least on the women's side) but it was definitely clean.

At someplace in Bulgaria I met one of the world's worst thrones. On the way into the crappers a woman was selling toilet paper -- by the piece. Fortunately I always carry my own roll.

The squat-over-the-hole style is not hard to master. I lived in Arabia for a year and learned to squat. That was after the locals broke the seats of the western thrones by squatting on them.