I didn't know these existed anymore until I walked past one today!

Open at the back, built into a wall and a small metal screen on each side. Looked like it gets some use still as well!! If I'd had my camera I would have taken a photo!

Sounds like a NYC phone booth.

Ewww, street urinals? That's um...disgusting. I always just assumed that guys had the convenience of going anywhere they pleased.

I guess street urinals are better than having people peeing on buildings which is what happens all too often here (usually only at night though.. ) but still ---- EEEWWW!!!

I'll try and get a photo on my blog and let you know when it's up, the photo that is!

That sounds grim! I can't really picture it, despite my efforts... We definitely need a photo. I think you'll get some funny looks if you try taking a picture of the local urinal though.

I assume it's just for men... ?

Blee!

Well, you could try and use it as a female, but the screens don't come down low enough!

Will get a photo asap!

Is everyone too young to remember the pissoirs of Paris?

Photo

'nother photo

19th Century

Hoss, that first photo is hillarious! Is that man doing his business or just watching the traffic?

I think there are people inside and he's just waiting for his turn!

quote:

I assume it's just for men... ?

Didn't some guy in Holland invent a portable one for women in the past 5 years? I remember reading it on some UK news site.

The street urinals of Paris must be where they came up with the idea for Porta-A-Potties.

quote:

Originally posted by Hoss:
Is everyone too young to remember the pissoirs of Paris?

No, I hadn't forgotten them. I was just really surprised to see one here - I didn't know they had them!

We actually saw a bloke peeing on the wall below our house, in full daylight, the other day. We were walking down the street towards him. He saw us and just carried on! I think the urinal is much preferable!

There's one on the side of the road quite close to our house. The other day I was on the bus going home when the bus driver stopped the bus and apologised - he just had to go! So we all sat there watching him go and take a leak

What is it with men? Can't they "hold it" until they get to a proper toilet? You don't see women going in the street when nature calls do you?

(I understand some people have medical problems but I can't believe this is true in every case)

Stopping the bus to go. Honestly!

We do it because we can.

The public toilets were not unusual in the ancient Rome. In Italian they are commonly called "vespasiani" from the Name of the Emperor Vespasiano.

The earliest public toilets were set up in Knossos of the Minoan civilization in the Crete island, now part of Greece. However, the earliest pay toilets were erected in Ancient Rome in 74 AD during the rule of Vespasian, after a civil war in Rome affected Roman finance. The Emperor's initiative was derided by his adversaries; his son Titus even criticised him, to which Vespasian replied by holding up a coin from the first collection to his son's nose and asking him whether its smell offended him. Titus responded negatively, to which Vespasian replied "e lotio est" ("And yet it comes from urine").

Here is the picture of one in Rome.

So don't scoff, folks- we are proudly preserving historical tradition!

Some of us are just doing things the way our ancestors did. Native Americans dancing at Pow Wos, Johnny Rebs re-enacting the Civil War, Eskimos eating whale blubber, etc.

So, like a fool, I let my son look at the photo's from Paris - "Paris anals!" he said...this thread just gets better does't it! You can imagine what he made of pissoirs!!

Don't you just love adolescents?!

This thread brings back (not too fond) memories of perhaps my very first international 'gaffe'.

I was about 14yo and I was on a long weekend in Paris with my parents - I had been 'doing' French at school for two years so I was, of course, totally fluent (yeah - right (I was a typical 'know-it-all' 14yo...). My parents spoke no French at all, so it was down to me.

The scene:
A pavement cafè near 'Les Halles' (the huge Paris covered market).

The problem:
How to 'strain' the tea leaves when pouring from the pot to the cup?

The solution:
Ask the waiter for a 'tea strainer' - fine so far - yes? So after a very fast, (crafty ) look at my pocket doctionary, I awaited the 'garcon'.


The outcome:
I asked him - pointing to the tea-pot - for a
pissoir and just couldn't understand his look of utter horror .... What had I said? I tried to explain to him with copious hand signals and movements that all we wanted was a tea strainer....Then it suddenly dawned on him what had happened
...he took me by the hand - all the while laughing his head off - and 'dragged me' around the corner where he pointed to a street urinal and said "Pissoir" . Then back to the cafè - back behind the bar where he pulled out a tea strainer and pointing to it said "Passoir"!!!

I have not - I promise you - drunk tea in France once since that day!

quote:

Originally posted by Delina:
What is it with men? Can't they "hold it" until they get to a proper toilet? You don't see women going in the street when nature calls do you?

Ha Ha, as soon as I read your response Delina, I was going to respond with "Because woman really don't have the convenience of outdoor plumbing," if you know what I mean.


Then, Bill put it so well...

quote:

Originally posted by Bill 2:
We do it because we can.

Which Bill, may I say, I am totally jealous! I often tell my husband that I wish I could be a man just to be able to pee standing up.
Often times we will be coming back from going out and we both have to go. He pulls to the side of the road, does his thing and is instantly relieved. I on the other hand, suffer because I have to hold it in until we get home, or to the nearest toilet!

quote:

I often tell my husband that I wish I could be a man just to be able to pee standing up. gig

They've definitely got an easier life.

There's hope ladies:
Pee mates
Whizzy
Urinelle

Don't leave home without 'em!