I expected water to be a big issue here in Europe. Maybe it is in places, but the first surprise (to me) was how much water the toilets use. I expected them to use minimal water, but I think those here in the house – and most places – use a lot more than my American toilets. Water pressure has surprised me as well. In the resort in Garmisch (Germany) as well as the posh hotel in Mestre (Italy, and which did feature low-water-use toilets), the water pressure was spectacular. We had two different rooms in Garmisch because our first one was only available for three days. The second one had water pressure so fierce that its shower may have been capable of taking the color off our skin. Here in the house in Napoli it’s decent, although Amy is not fond of the hard water.
I was warned that I’d have to pay to pee, but so far the only place this has come up was inside the courtyard of the Glockenspiel in Munich, where we had lunch. It was a confusing set up because first we had to pay, and then it looked as if we had gained access to the men’s room, but the ladies’ was slightly down the hall. Oh, and public toilet seats? Optional, baby. Optional.
Toilets flush differently here, by pushing a large button in the wall a meter or so above the toilet. I don’t know where the tank is. Inside the wall??? Clearly there is one. I can hear the water filling and then stopping when I flush in the house. This must make repairs ever so interesting.
Amy’s washer, which is provided with the housing, is…Italian. And unusual in design. But again, not one that uses a small amount of water.
We drink bottled water only. Here at the house there’s some sort of chemical contamination issue, and out and about…well, would YOU drink the water in another country? As I was warned, sodas are expensive (considered a treat rather than a staple, and while Coke is easy to find, Pepsi is rare) are never served with ice, and are not that cold, even when in a cooler. It’s just easier to drink bottled water “out” and get sodas at the military commissary. The most expensive drink I’ve had so far was the four Euro (about $6) “lemon tea” in Liechtenstein, served in an iceless glass, which my taste buds told me was bottled Lipton tea. The most expensive drink I didn’t have was the seven Euro bottled water at the alfresco restaurant in Venice. There was water for 1.5 Euros within our eyesight, which we knew because we’d already bought some there. We ate and dreamed of water, then hot-footed it over to the little shop next door as soon as the check was paid.
All this reminds me that I’m thirsty, so I will bid you ciao for now. Diet Pepsi in the house. Ice in the freezer. I am living the life, baby. Look for posts on food, shelter, and clothing in the future.
Here in Greece we have washers that may or may not use less water (I'm not sure) but they are certainly designed to get rid of more water in the spin cycle than our washers at home do. People use washers, but not everyone has a dryer, and there is a lot of hanging laundry on a balcony. We have a dryer in our building, but it doesn't dry very well -- takes several hours and then clothes are still damp. I think it is that electricity is more expensive, and dryers are not built into houses (no dryer vents) so we have ventless dryers that need to have the water manually emptied from them. Maybe also less of a fire hazard in an apartment? Not sure, but I have also noticed how different it is.
ReplyDeleteThat washing machine looks a lot like the last one I had here in CR. The one I have now is more typical for here - separate wash and spin tubs, and manual fill & drain. (As in, you have to turn the water on to fill, turn it off when it's full, and turn the dial from "wash" to "drain" when you move the clothes into the spinner side.)
ReplyDeletePublic toilet seats are also optional here.