I was traveling around Rome this past weekend for work, and seeing as I have to pee constantly these days, I got an exclusive, first-hand look at every public loo in my vicinity. Let me tell you, it was not pretty. Those of you familiar with Italy are no strangers to the russian-roulette-type game using public restrooms here is. While I count myself very lucky to have found toilet paper in each one, and amazingly didn’t encounter any “Turkish-style” holes in the ground (though I actually don’t mind those, but that’s another story), I cannot say the same for being able to properly wash my hands. Being more germ-phobic than usual right now, I was really rather mortified by the state of their sanitary services. Either there was no soap or there was no way to properly dry your hands, and hardly ever any hot or even warm water. In one restaurant washroom they had the audacity to post a sign reminding their employees to wash their hands beside an empty soap dispenser! I don’t know, maybe I’m expecting a lot from this country’s capital city, but considering they were not spared H1N1 break-outs here either, I find this all downright alarming. And gross. Ew.