Les toilettes

Bathrooms are the often unspoken challenge of travel.  Not only where they are, but what they might be called, how they might be marked, and how to navigate them. I still remember being utterly baffled at the 27 different controls in a edgy bathroom in a very upscale restaurant in Tokyo. (How edgy? There was a one way mirror out into the restaurant.) All the controls were labeled — in Japanese. I could recognize only one of the kanji. I made my best guess. 

At the Rodin museum in Paris (an 18th century residence where Rodin lived and worked) I followed the standard icons to the ladies room. Except the last arrow seemed to lead to a blank wall. I backtracked. No, I hadn't missed a turn. Math Man finally inquired of the guard who pointed at a button on another wall and said, "Push!" We did and a whole section of the adjacent wall slid back to reveal a modern corridor with bathrooms and an elevator and a water fountain and many people bustling about. I would never have guessed that was a door, to say nothing of all the activity it concealed. 

We visited Montmartre on a gloriously sunny day. The view over Paris was astounding. Before we walked down, we sought the facilities. The map showed a public bathroom just below Sacre-Couer. There was perforce a line, unisex for once. There was also a 2 euro fee, which you could pay with a wave of your phone. A small price to pay for a clean, stocked and staffed bathroom with individual stalls and behind a wall (a literal paywall?) a bank of urinals. I waited, waved, and went. Math Man was right behind me in line. Afterward he noted that the urinals were not so private. "Well, you didn't have to use them." But he did.

On our last full day in Paris, we visited an amazing cooking supply store (E. Dehillerin!). A mother with kids asked an employee about bathrooms. "Outside. Let me show you." She looked dubious, but her son looked desperate and out they trooped, vanishing into the little tree covered median across the street. It's not what you are thinking! We finished our shopping and headed out, also in search of facilities. Across the street, on the opposite corner, was a large grey pod. Les toilettes. Les high-tech toilettes! The light was red indicating it was occupied, but Math Man found what he was looking for on the other side, stepping behind a screen with a discreet but descriptive icon. There was a station outside to wash your hands and another to fill your water bottle up.

The door slid open and someone exited, then quickly shut to enable the wash cycle. Yep, these are self-cleaning bathrooms that clean after every user. Don't be too quick to enter, or you may find yourself taking an unwelcome shower. The light turned green and though a bit damp, the pod sparkled. There was a sink inside as well. And all for free.

In summary, I would give Paris a five flush rating. 

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Read about the self-cleaning pods. 

I used no cash in France, at all. Even donations for the candles in the churches could be made with a card or phone. In fact, I used no cash at all this trip. Not in Norway, the UK, or France.