Let's talk "to lets."

I thought I was in heaven when I first spotted the signs.  They were everywhere, and of various varieties:  Room To let, Apartment To let, Shop To let.  

Man, Dublin has a smorgasboard of places for me to run whenever I feel the need, I first thought.  This isn't so bad.

Then, I looked closer and realized my eyes and my continued desire for the security of knowing about such broad access to a "facility"  should the need arise were playing tricks on me.  

Those signs all over the place were simply mirages for a wishful thinker, especially one who has an perennial unpredictable personal plumbing problem.

Still, three days in to our travels around Dublin, I found myself wondering how a "shop to let" differed from a "room to let."  

Maybe they provide a bar of good ol' Lava soap in those cuz your hands might be kinda greasy in a shop to let, I thought.  

No worries after the realization that my eyes truly were playing tricks.  

I never had any close calls and only paid once for access into those lovely personal stalls the Irish provide for their citizens and visitors.  That was in the downtown fancy mall.

The customary metal doors that we know of in public johns----often with graffiti with latches that seldom work----stayed behind in America.  Graffiti was still prevalent, however.  

I chuckled in one stall seeing evidence of someone's (certainly from a youthful generation)  epiphany that "he/she was sitting there broken-hearted because of thinking he/she (you know) but only farted.

Wonder how long that jingle has been posted around the Globe by naughty minds thinking they're oh so clever. 

In Ireland I felt like every time I entered a to let---er---toilet, I was walking into a home away from home.

After all those sophisticated, varnished wooden doors at virtually every restroom said "Welcome,"  and I found myself kinda wishing I could afford such a door for my Cape Cod-style home here at the Lovestead.

Sometimes the doors to individual johns were newly constructed, beautiful pieces of wood, as yet unvarnished.  

Besides their cosmetic appeal, they offer the visitors a wonderful sense of privacy.  Nobody's purse or runaway "to let paper" comes invading into one's stall.

It's just you and the toilet with some time to sit there and admire the door.

Now, toilets in Ireland are fairly universal in style.  Unlike those we saw in New Zealand with the two-button flushers, virtually the entire country has invested in those universal, old-style handle flushers.  

Only thing one needs to learn is to hold the thing down, or the removal process does not work-----just a lot of bubbles and a little fizz.  That means you have to start all over again and hold that baby down.

I noticed our hotel toilets required two or three flushes, so occasionally there's just a water pressure problem to deal with. 

We also dealt with an interesting public john along the sidewalk in the downtown area of the little town on the coast where the Titanic set sail.

While Annie waited outside, I went inside, did my thing, pushed the button, waited for the door to open and walked out.  Then, Annie decided she needed to use the facility.  

It wouldn't let her in because the sign outside said the to let--oops---toilet was flushing.  Took that darn thing about five minutes, and I guarantee you that I did not overload it---just No. 1.  

We got to thinking what it must be like if a busload of tourists gets off and they all need to use the facility.

By the time they all finished---with all the going and all the automated flushing and doors refusing to let them in----their allotted time to go check out the Titanic memorabilia would be gone just like the big ocean liner. 

Overall, my "toilet" experiences were quite satisfactory.  I finally learned to ask for the "toilet" rather than the "restroom" cuz the Irish are basic folks.  They don't spend a lot of time resting in that room; in fact, most of us probably don't either.  

We Americans like our euphemisms.  Just like their basic meat and potatoes, the Irish are efficient, nuts-and-bolts folks when it comes to personal matters.  

It's the "Toilet," and if you want a "room to let" or a restroom, you'll have to go somewhere else. 

Good to be home where we know exactly where the facility is---without signs or asking. 

I sure would like one of those fancy to let doors, though,  for the front  entrance of our home.