Clean and Fresh

With not having done much of the touristy stuff before Rachel got here, i had never really felt a need to use any public restrooms - although have naturally taken leave of some in the odd club and restaurant. However, having had to use them a few times whilst on the various outings last week, it was brought to my attention how wonderfully clean, tidy and, yes, fresh the public restrooms are here. In places, it almost looked like someone had been down on hand and knee with a toothbrush scrubbing the tiles. This is in marked contrast to a number of public toilets (as they are so called) in the UK - particularly those in train stations (of which i have visited a great many, given that all my major travel in the UK is by train). At the very best, these merely could use an air freshener or two, but at the very worst, they're skanky, graffiti-ridden holes that would be better served by throwing the whole room out and being rebuilt from scratch. That they charge you to go in them makes it even more annoying (usually 20 pence - a little under 40 cents). Perhaps, for once, the British need to take a leaf out of their American cousin' book and smarten up their public conveniences. Hell, it'd be a start.