Things I Like About Sweden, Part 1: Public Restrooms

I've started a list of pros, cons, and "meh"s about living in Sweden.  The list is getting pretty long, so I'll tackle it one step at a time.

A big thumbs up in Sweden: public restroom design (I'm talking about the normal ones in restaurants and airports and such, not the stinky little buildings that you have to pay 5 kronor for on the sidewalk in Stockholm).  Instead of rows of open stalls with partitions on the sides, each toilet has it's own private room, a door with full coverage, and a lock that turns red on the outside so the people waiting know that the toilet is occupied.  A lot of the time you even get your own private sink. 

Why haven't we figured this out yet in America?  It seems so silly to have to peek underneath all the bathroom stalls in order to figure out which ones are free, half the time the door doesn't lock at all, and you have to lean over and hold it shut with your hand.  Or, you end up with a big gap between the door and somebody's little kid is running around peeking in at you, all the while you just want to pee in comfortable privacy.

Another feature of Swedish restrooms that make us Americans look downright primitive are dual-flush toilets.  Almost all toilets have two different buttons that let you choose whether you want a big flush with lots of water or just a little flush...I obviously don't need to describe the specific situations as to why you need a big or little flush.  Dual-flush toilets cut back on 50-75% of water usage, and for some reason toilet-clogging doesn't seem to be a big problem here. 

So, like many other things Swedish, the restroom design here is more practical, functional, clean, and comfortably civilized than it is in the States.  Not to mention a far cry from the olden days of Peace Corps Guatemala: