Can you hear that sound? Jingle-jingle!
Whether you are a woman or a man, this is an essential tip for travelling in Europe. Always, always have some change in your pocket or purse or you’ll be ‘caught out’ when you need to use the toilet. Unless you are in a museum, there is almost always a fee to pay to use the toilet in every location from restaurants to train stations, departments stores, malls, and roadside rest stops on the highway.
Pay toilet in Berlin, Germany
I have to admit, I was rather annoyed when I first encountered these pay toilets in the department stores in the Netherlands and then discovered that all of the rest stops on the motorway and autobahn in Germany also required you to pay for the ‘privilege’ of using them. This peevish attitude continued for the first part of our visit to Berlin until it suddenly dawned on me that I was actually using the cleanest and most spotless toilets I had ever seen.
Almost without fail, they have an attendant who goes in after each person exits the cubicle (especially the ones in the malls and department stores) and they spray down the seat with cleaner and sort out the entire area before you enter. And there are no wet or messy sink areas since those are always kept wiped down, cleaned, and dried.
All of that cleanliness does put your mind at ease when you might already be edgy or out of your comfort zone in a new city or country.
Can you hear that sound? Jingle-jingle! I now carry coins at all times and so does Mark — and we do so happily.
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