13 August, 2010

Fit for a princess?

Our friend Patrick asked this week while visiting whether Stockholm also did the street-side toilet stalls, since he had seen so many in Amsterdam. I think it's a European thing, and Stockholm has plenty. They cost 5 kronor and they smell like death. But he seemed unimpressed with a few that I pointed out (for the record, we obviously know how to show our guests a good time in this city!) He's gone off to spend a week in Edinburgh before heading back to DC, and I was disappointed that he missed THIS fantastic specimen of a stand-up urine stall:



Yup, it's a pink castle turret, complete with decorative finial atop. Right next to the tax office in the middle of downtown Stockholm. How can you not love this?!? I did not dare open the door to peek in (not to mention I was wearing flip-flops,) but I could hear water and it smelled, uh, bad. I assume it's only for men with that half-open door. But why is it a pretty pink castle? Those progressive Swedes! For the women, maybe they should offer these Go Girls or those crazy plastic pitchers they sell in Design Torget (as seen on Anthony Bourdain's Swedish No Reservations)?

In the second picture, I'd like to point out my husband to the far right, attempting to separate himself from the obviously insane woman taking pictures of castley pink porta-potties.




4 comments:

  1. OMG. Is this for real?? :)

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  2. Yes!

    Well, I didn't stick my head in to see what happens behind the curtain.

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  3. They have these in Gent too! Well, not super-cool turret-y ones. Ours are more airy, and for men only. I'm quite jealous, actually...

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  4. Been there, done that.

    I also managed to squeeze in a link to this post in my "One page summary of this blog" post.

    But public urinals are free in Stockholm, including this one.

    So that's not so progressive.

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