We thought it wise to continue our travelling. The seventies are marching on and one just never knows. We still have all our limbs and can walk unaided. But for how long? Our intestinal organs are floridly in good health and have kept us away from any precarious situations so far. Lately though, I have found myself scanning available public toilets. Just in case! I would hate to be running through Venice and over a steep bridge, in search of one. I remember vividly and was desperate for one in Paris. No paper, no water and just my cheque book slips for use while squatting above a very odoriferous and gloomy hole. I had trouble contemplating over the beauty of gay Paris. It took a train trip to the Château de Versailles and gazing at chandeliers to get over that one. I even had a full plate of ‘Raw Steak Tartare avec un raw egg’ after that.
From our last trip to Bali and the lack of food and water, we will be sorely tempted to fly a plane whereby the passengers will be kept alive as much as possible. The worst aspects are the miles and miles of walking through the acreages of getting through customs,, the ignominy of taking belts and shoes off, the padding up, down, and across, then, to the gates and again be padded down before traipsing inside to the plane. The hoisting of bags over-head and selfish knees protruding in such limited spaces. Duty free emporiums, and the hopping about in socks and dropping trousers before even getting on the plane. Why can’t the duty free be separate from the airports for those keen on buying yet another watch or pearl earring? Do people travel now in order to do the same as at home, ‘shopping’?
Soon there will be airports where people can mow a lawn or put out the garbage, pay the rates and go to Aldi.
Venice is beckoning as never before and am already speaking per favore et grazie to our postman who comes from Messina. We are prepared.
We can’t wait!
Tags: Alldi, Bali, Chateau, Paris, Tartare, Venice, Versailles
September 10, 2014 at 4:39 am |
Yay!! I’m getting excited for you.
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September 10, 2014 at 4:48 am |
We are at fever pitch. Thank you for the info .
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September 10, 2014 at 4:44 am |
Go for it Gerard. Book early as hotels fill up fast. Treat yourself to a proper airline though. I don’t think Venice has many public lavatories. Be prepared.
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September 10, 2014 at 4:52 am |
Yes, it is strange how the different cultures express themselves in public lavatories as well as in cathedrals and other great works of art.
The cast iron pissoirs of Amsterdam and Paris are now protected by National Heritage institutions.
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September 10, 2014 at 7:12 am |
Forget Venice, it is overrun by tourists and a nightmare. I found Florence so much more peaceful and interesting.
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September 10, 2014 at 8:54 am |
Yes, brother. I remember you saying that but…any place of interest is overrun by tourists during summer and holidays. We will go and visit outside the tourist season and in any case, we have so much peace and quiet here in staid and uber conservative Bowral, we can’t wait for a bit of ‘life’. Start putting the coffee on Venice, we are coming!
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September 13, 2014 at 12:30 am
We were in Venice in 1990 and had a wonderful time. Italy is a marvellous country full of marvellous, life-affirming people. But no public toilets. You can’t have all.
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September 13, 2014 at 8:51 am
Yes, but I have yet to believe that Venice is so nice that public toilets are superfluous. The tourists wait till they get back home. Is that true?
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September 10, 2014 at 8:29 am |
Ahh, I know why you are so set on going to Venice. It’s a subliminal message from WordPress. You use the Kubrick theme (and very nice it is too) and of course Stanley Kubrick and ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ and the Venetian masks…..the plot thins. When are you off? 🙂
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September 10, 2014 at 9:01 am |
We are off already and just need to pin down Lufthansa, Cathy Pacific, and choice of apartments with or without ancient beams and whispering bricks telling us a fascinating history hitherto unknown, especially to us having to cope with Abbott and Morrison’s evil deeds.
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September 10, 2014 at 10:32 am |
Are you travelling with Andrew …???
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September 10, 2014 at 12:39 pm |
That would be nice, but no, we are going later.
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September 10, 2014 at 6:57 pm
Still, a great coincidence … You’re both lucky buggers. Sighh …
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September 10, 2014 at 1:45 pm |
Hotels have bathrooms near the lobby – just wander in as though you are either staying there or meeting someone. Plus the lobbies are a good place to sit and take a break. Wishing you fun in Venice!
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September 10, 2014 at 11:17 pm |
Yes, a good idea and I’ll try and impersonate Al Pacino with a bout of intestinal hurry.
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September 10, 2014 at 3:11 pm |
I remember wandering a long way in Venice looking for a bathroom. 🙂
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September 10, 2014 at 11:19 pm |
Ah, the Venetians have evolved into holding on for hours. There’s all that water splashing around…no worries.
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September 11, 2014 at 6:32 pm
🙂
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September 12, 2014 at 10:39 am |
Toilets in Italy, this brings back memories. For instance Roma. No public toilets, but a distinctive smell along the Tiber river. At the Vatican they had public toilets. Women had to line up in a long queue. Per visit to the toilet we were each handed out three pieces of toilet paper since they had no toilet rolls in the cubicles.
We had lodgings not far from the Vatican, very simple but clean and very low rates. We had to walk quite some distance to the inner city of Rome. We never ever found a public toilet there. The only thing we could think of was to visit a cafe and order coffees. Thereafter we felt free to use the cafe’s toilet. To use the toilet for the price of some coffee can become somewhat expensive, but we had no choice!
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September 12, 2014 at 11:46 am |
Yes, it is strange. There is Rome. One of the most beautiful cties in the world, yet tourists have enormous problems finding public toilets. I know from bitter experience that toilets are as important as cathedrals or fountains.
There is the Vatican, the seat of Catholic religion, yet despite the power of God and the Pope, just three sheets of toilet paper. At time of ablutionary needs one’s faith gets sorely tested.
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September 12, 2014 at 8:32 pm
Just want to point out, Gerard, that these experiences go back to 1990. Yes, this long ago!! I wonder whether things have changed a bit. I think if you can afford 5 star accommodation in the city you would mostly have no problems with accessible conveniences. We were always used to travel on a shoestring budget. And we never had the feeling that the Italians wanted to take advantage of us. They were always extremely friendly and concerned that we should not think that they charged us too much.
1990 was the year when we travelled through Europe in a brand new French 2CV with our 11 year old daughter Caroline. We really loved this little car.
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September 12, 2014 at 9:51 pm
You would have fond memories of that trip Uta. I am sure the conveniences have improved and it is often that they are around but being in a strange surrounding and with a foreign language that sometimes difficulties arise.
With our planned trip to Venice we will rent an apartment eqquiped for cooking etc. We can then take our time to do day trips and do things at our own time.
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September 12, 2014 at 10:43 am |
Venice! Lucky, lucky you. Though I remember well the privy facilities in Paris in the old days.
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September 12, 2014 at 11:51 am |
Yes, I suppose those human needs are neglected somewhat. Still. I remember having to spend a penny to go to toilets in Australia. They had a kind of slot machine that would only open the door after putting in a penny. Hence that ditty: There I sat, broken hearted spent a penny and only farted.
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