Dutch Toilet

 

A Public Library in Holland

In the town of Maastricht, Holland, I began my journey of finding the nearest library. I love visiting libraries for three main reasons: free internet access, free international newspapers, and free toilets. After spending some time in the library, I needed to use the free toilet. I went into the bathroom and found three large stalls. I tried to open the stalls, but there was no handle. There was also no way to climb over or under the stalls because they went from the ceiling to the floor and were like three individual rooms. I then thought maybe the toilet costs money. I jammed some coins into the small slot, but they became jammed and did not help open the doors. Becoming an emergency, I asked the security guard how to get into the stalls. He said one must get a handle from the main desk. I tried to take one but the lady behind the desk would not let me. I had to convince her that I was not going to steal a door handle and she finally gave me one. I ran to the bathroom, opened the door, and did my business. When I was done, I realized that I could not open the door. I had left the handle in the outside of the door. I waited about thirty minutes and began to bang and yell on the door. Finally a man opened the door. I was considering keeping the handle so this would not happen again but decided just to return it. I had learned my lesson and would never be trapped inside a Dutch toilet ever again.


Map of Maastricht, Holland