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Published: July 21st 2008
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Ladies Toilets
Believe it or not...this is the sign for the ladies toilets. How you're supposed to know that if you're standing more than a foot away is beyond me. While being in Scotland for the past couple of weeks I've noticed a few things...
First, you are always on CCTV (close caption television). Ever read 1984 with the whole Big Brother scenario? Well it's very real here. It's actually kind of creepy to see signs literally everywhere that say "Smile you're on CCTV!"
This next observation I noticed more out of inconvenience than anything else. For every ten signs around that say "Gents Toilets This Way" there is probably ONE Ladies Toilet sign (sometimes there's none at all...). If you happen to be in a shopping mall, the toilet will inevitably be on the upper most floor and in some random far corner of the mall. It's not like back at home where there's at least three major washrooms in every mall. Granted - the washrooms are huge, but trying to find one is a bit of a maze.
So ladies, once you find a toilet you have to keep your fingers crossed that it's a free one otherwise you'll need to dig through your purse for a 20p coin. Don't have one? Well you have two choices - beg one from a stranger or hold it
Gent's Toilets
No confusion there! in till you get home. Though I must say, the washrooms were impeccably clean everywhere I paid so at least your money is well spent.
Though the toilets are poorly signed and impossible to find pretty much every two feet you see a little green sign with a man running down some stairs or towards a door. At first I thought these were bathroom signs (you know, running to the loo) but no - they're the emergency exit signs. And they're literally EVERYWHERE! Cute, but very frustrating when you're trying to find a toilet sign and all you see is green.
There's also the interesting thing with the taps. In Scotland it is very rare to find a sink with one faucet. At home, especially in public washrooms, there is one faucet and you pick warm, cold, etc. by turning the taps on either side. In Scotland most sinks have two faucets, one cold and one hot, and they are on opposite sides of the sink. This makes washing your face rather difficult and also forces you to choose between washing your hands in scalding hot water or sticking to the frigid cold variety. I took the time
Bagpipers...Bah!
If you find yourself eager to take a shot of a highland piper, just be ready to fish out your wallet or run real fast. (This one cost me a whole 50p) to ask a Scot about this strange dual faucet phenomenon. Apparently the way to do it is to fill the sink up and use the water from there if you want it warm, otherwise just use the cold. Gotta hand it to the Scots for being hearty...
For any would-be traveler to Scotland - a few words of caution. Haggis from the chip shop is NEVER advisable, deep fried Mars bars will run you at 1100 calories a piece, any beer ordered a a local pub that runs over 3.5% is considered a 'wife-beater beer' and if you feel inclined to take a picture of a highland piper (in Edinburgh there's practically one on every corner) be prepared to pay. If they catch you snapping a pic they'll do what any good Scot would do - chase you down and make you pay for it!
Enjoy!
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Kevin Smith
non-member comment
Thanks!
Jenn, I'm considering taking my wife to Scotland for our 20th anniversary (August 2009). Her grandfather came directly over on the boat, so she's 3rd generation American, but would love to see where her family hails from. Are you from the US, or elsewhere? Have you gone on any tours that you'd recommend? How long are you staying? Are you seeing other countries in Europe while you're there? Would you recommend going to Europe with only Scotland on the itinerary? Thanks for blogging, hope you don't mind the shameless "brain-picking". -- Kevin