“Foreign toilets can be traumatic, but they are one of those little things that can make travel so much more interesting than staying at home.”
– Rick Steves, Rick Steves’ Europe

I would never say that I am fascinated with the wide variety of names that we encounter for “the facilities.” In Ireland, it’s the “loo”; Canadians prefer “washroom.” In The States, we look for the nearest “restroom,” and the Swiss use WC for “water closet”. I stood looking at this “WC” sign wondering where I could find a restroom. Maybe I am a bit slow to catch on these days — I didn’t see the international boy/girl symbol, and it didn’t occur to me what these were, perhaps because they were so nicely designed and are absolutely immaculate. We encountered a certain WC located in Old Town Bern that must have been designed by the watchmakers of Rolex. Marcy discovered it first and reported that it must be seen to be believed… an engineering marvel! Rather than go into details about toilet descriptions, Google this: “Public Toilet Bern Old Town” and find the image for yourself. Be aware that a couple of the WCs we encountered were co-ed. Many raised eyebrows from US tourists.

The WC below is near the Lion Monument in Lucerne.

Originally Published July 6th, 2015