Unusable!

The problem with public toilets is that they are often unpleasant. This seems to be the case the world over. The worst ones are in truly public spaces, such as public parks, train and bus stations, and on the trains and buses. Airports aren't usually as bad, although I must say that the public toilet in the baggage claim area of the Rome airport takes the prize for the worst smelling public toilet in the world. But this is the exception rather than the rule.

If I can't go private (the comfort of my own home or hotel room) my next choice is semi-public. These are the toilets in restaurants and coffee shops - places that are open only to paying customers. Many of the public toilets in Italy require payment. Prices ranged from .50 Euro to 1 Euro. I don't like to pay to use a toilet. I also don't like to pay to park. It's not the American way. But if I want to go to the toilet, Mark can always be persauded to have a cup of coffee. But this wasn't always a safe bet in Italy. Many of the public and semi-public toilets do not have toilet seats. They also suffer from a lack of toilet paper. I can adjust to the lack of a proper seat. I cannot adjust to the lack of toilet paper. That renders it unusable.

When I was growing up, my mom always made sure that everyone had been to the bathroom before they got in the car. Old habits die hard. It was only a 10-minute cab ride from Casa Feeney to the station in Spoleto, but we had a bit of a wait because Mark didn't know how to communicate quarter hours to the cab driver. Having already experienced the public toilets on the train, I thought I'd use the one at the station. I left Mark with his tea and set off around the corner.

I found it with no problem. Women to the right, men to the left and the shared sink in the center. I went through the ladies door. I ALWAYS look! (It just saves time and heartbreak in the long run.) Surprise! No paper. And the door didn't actually close properly, either. Okay, what to do? I know! I'll just nip into the men's and see if there's any paper in there.

A gentle push to the door of the men's room was met with a bit of resistance that included a grunt. (Ooops! I didn't mean to see that. Fortunately, men pee with their backs to the door - so he didn't actually get a look at me!)

I went back to the coffee shop.

"It's unusable. No paper."

Mark pointed out the scratchy, rough paper napkins in the dispenser.

"No, it's okay. The door doesn't work properly. I thought I'd just nip into the men's loo and see if it had any paper."

"And was there?", Mark asked.

"Don't know. There was a man in it."

Mark burst into laughter. And I couldn't help but join in. A man in the men's toilet! Whatever next!