Bâlehoo

My dad and I used to drive from Philadelphia to Boston to pick my sister up from college each semester. We had a system. All liquid consumption ceased at 10pm the night before. Up at 5am. Go to the bathroom. Hop in the car, stopping only at McDonalds to get a (SMALL) black coffee before commencing the bladder death march to New England. I was only 15, but I’d long been aware of the perils of public toilets. So, when I started traveling in Europe, I came prepared - Purell at the ready and Kleenex aplenty.

All that changed in Switzerland. The Swiss public toilet gives women cause to rejoice. From the antiseptic spray in each stall in many a bar bathroom to the aptly named McClean restroom at the SBB train station, I haven’t seen a cleaner toilet since I visited Grandma’s house. Check out their site for all the McClean locations (“Standorte”) in Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and France.

But men in Basel have their own reason to pee with glee. In a word: Pissoirs. These open air, easy access urinals are the perfect remedy to a night of bladder-busting beer drinking. And they’re available 24-7. There are several around town. Here are just a few, complete with handy Pissoir Map (thanks to my “Johnny on the Spot” correspondent Matt Meehan for this info):

• Petersplatz – below the fountain on the corner of the square.
• Martinsgasslein – You’ll find this in a small alley that goes from the Marktplatz up the hill to the Martinskirche. You can access it from the Marktplatz just to the right of the Globus through a little alley stairway
• Gundeli - In a playground in the Gundeli on the Guterstrasse. Just across from the Post Office, at the corner of Liebsbergerstrasse
• Schlusseberg - On the small road going up from the Freie Strrasse toward Munsterplatz in the alley just to the right of the Schlusselzunft restaurant (this one could be a street up or down –if you know for sure email me).