We have been back for more than a month. In the morning, I expect to see the Med, but it is so far away. Then I wake up.
For some fine reasons, mainly plumbing and bathroom related, I am glad to be the US. Here they are, in no particular order.
The shower and bathroom. The shower works, no bathtub and plastic curtain needed. The water is soft, the soap lathers, and my hair looks terrific. OK, I exaggerate. My hair doesn’t stick to my scalp with an attitude of defeat and surrender. The sink does not have tenacious white flecks of chalk.
The toilet. I enjoy the exhaust fan, a feature missing in the toilet in the apartment in Antibes. Another missing feature was a window. So we lit candles in the toilet. The French place the toilet in the center of the house and hope that it will smell great. To compensate for the lack of ventilation, the French throw in a bidet.
Absence of bidet. The bidet in France looks like a commode, with a difference. The one in our apartment had a black rubber plug with a chain intended to block the drain. Water flowed in from the edges of the porcelain rim. I have not seen the proper use of bidet demonstrated, but I imagine it involves sitting on the porcelain edge with the nether regions soaking in water. Then one inserts one’s hand to pull out the plug and waves the wet hand, allowing it to air dry. I sealed off the bidet with yellow tape to prevent inadvertent use. The bidet was across from the commode with 8-10 inches between the two. The gap allowed one to walk into a shower, 2 feet by two. I also sealed off this shower. I didn’t want to clean it or deal with it, and I was afraid that items of clothing would fall into the bidet.
The other bathroom in the apartment contained a sink and a bathtub, no toilet. I mean no toilet that one could see, but there was archeological evidence of removed commode, screws and holes in the walls and floor. Also a pipe in the wall, open and empty, and emitting a certain smell. We stuffed that pipe with bubble wrap which effectively solved the problem.
More on water drainage, leaky ceilings and heavy rain in the next.
For some fine reasons, mainly plumbing and bathroom related, I am glad to be the US. Here they are, in no particular order.
The shower and bathroom. The shower works, no bathtub and plastic curtain needed. The water is soft, the soap lathers, and my hair looks terrific. OK, I exaggerate. My hair doesn’t stick to my scalp with an attitude of defeat and surrender. The sink does not have tenacious white flecks of chalk.
The toilet. I enjoy the exhaust fan, a feature missing in the toilet in the apartment in Antibes. Another missing feature was a window. So we lit candles in the toilet. The French place the toilet in the center of the house and hope that it will smell great. To compensate for the lack of ventilation, the French throw in a bidet.
Absence of bidet. The bidet in France looks like a commode, with a difference. The one in our apartment had a black rubber plug with a chain intended to block the drain. Water flowed in from the edges of the porcelain rim. I have not seen the proper use of bidet demonstrated, but I imagine it involves sitting on the porcelain edge with the nether regions soaking in water. Then one inserts one’s hand to pull out the plug and waves the wet hand, allowing it to air dry. I sealed off the bidet with yellow tape to prevent inadvertent use. The bidet was across from the commode with 8-10 inches between the two. The gap allowed one to walk into a shower, 2 feet by two. I also sealed off this shower. I didn’t want to clean it or deal with it, and I was afraid that items of clothing would fall into the bidet.
The other bathroom in the apartment contained a sink and a bathtub, no toilet. I mean no toilet that one could see, but there was archeological evidence of removed commode, screws and holes in the walls and floor. Also a pipe in the wall, open and empty, and emitting a certain smell. We stuffed that pipe with bubble wrap which effectively solved the problem.
More on water drainage, leaky ceilings and heavy rain in the next.
