blog-caitlin

The End of the Shower

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 23:46:39 +0100

Together, we have visited a total of 144 showers during our epic journey. Sometimes showering was the adventure of the day, and other times, it was just something we had to do. Now, however, it is time to move on. This is the part where we turn off that splendid spray of water, dry ourselves off with those soft, thick towels, get dressed, and move on with our lives. It’s been great showering with you! J

The Taylors’ House’s Showers, Elk Grove, CA

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:13:42 +0100

At First Glance: So clean and so spacious! The Herscowitzes did a great job keeping our house spotless while we were gone! The kids’ bathroom has never looked cleaner!

Shower Power: Blissful! Perfect in every way. Exactly the wondrous stream I desire!

Hot or Not?: Plenty hot for all of our showers, no matter the length, or the dishwasher running or the number of baths Mom takes.

What Made it Nice: Being in my own shower!

What Made it Not-So-Nice: My rating system limits me from rating this amazing shower higher than a 10!

Overall Rating: 11 out of 10 (Hey, I’m the one rating the showers, aren’t I?)

Egga Flat Shower, Burchen, Switzerland

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:13:16 +0100

At First Glance: Reminds me of my shower at home. A bathtub-shower combination with a shower curtain.

Shower Power: Impressive!

Hot or Not?: Mostly hot, except for the last unfortunate showerers.

What Made it Nice: Large, fluffy, colorful towels, and lots of places to put things, both inside and outside the shower.

What Made it Not-So-Nice: Poor drainage.

Overall Rating: 8 out of 10

Bauernhaus Muhlematter Shower, Faulensee, Switzerland

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:12:56 +0100

At First Glance: This may be a barnhouse, but its shower is spectacular! While decorated in a clashing fifties-style mixture of too many different patterns, it has fantastic features in regards to the shower itself, making it one of our better shower experiences – if I can manage to shower with my eyes squeezed shut!

Shower Power: Amazingly powerful! It’s incredible and absolutely unbelievable how much water comes out with so much strength from such a teeny tiny little showerhead!

Hot or Not?: This was not the best. We had lots of hot showers and lots of cold showers. It was perfectly adjustable, temperature-wise, but the water heater was insufficient for this large family.

What Made it Nice: Surprisingly fantastic pressure. Also, everyone had their own color towels so that we could easily tell whose was whose.

What Made it Not-So-Nice: Poorly lit, insufficient hot water, no screen on the window, not many hooks or places to hang things. Also difficult to keep the water inside of the shower.

Overall Rating: 7 out of 10

Villabaviera Shower, Kaupering, Germany

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:38:59 +0100

At First Glance: Mom exclaimed, “That’s a nice shower!” the second she walked into the bathroom here. Maybe that’s because it’s the first fully enclosed shower we’ve had since practically the British Isles!

Shower Power: Amazing! Too powerful, but fortunately if one does not pull the knob out all the way, it is the perfect amount of pressure!

Hot or Not?: Pleasantly hot. Does not fluxuate with flushing, running water in the sink, or even running the dishwasher or laundry machine.

What Made it Nice: Plentiful large colorful towels; each person has his or her own color.

What Made it Not-So-Nice: Sharing one shower and one bathroom is tough among six people, but we make it work!

Overall Rating: 8 out of 10

Appartement Hansel Shower, Mühlbach am Hochkönig, Austria

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:35:28 +0100

At First Glance: A large corner bathtub, with a shower head capable of extreme adjustments in all directions.

Shower Power: Medium light. Angled weird, though, so one could not get under it to get the full pressure.

Hot or Not?: Warm most of the time.

What Made it Nice: Enough towels to go around, though not the softest material or prettiest color.

What Made it Not-So-Nice: Wimpy accordion-style shower door did not prevent any water from going anywhere. Hence, water went everywhere!

Overall Rating: 7 out of 10

Hahns Vienna Apartment Shower, Vienna, Austria

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 17:31:50 +0100

At First Glance: Three bathrooms: one just a toilet and a very small sink, with gorgeous decorative wall tiles, the second just a shower, a towel warmer, and a large sink, and the third a bathtub with shower head, a toilet, a large sink, a towel warmer, and much more.

Shower Power: In a word, pathetic. Which is sad, because everything else about this shower is utterly amazing.

Hot or Not?: Very hot, and not very easily adjustable. Correctly labeled, but on the underside, which is not visible to the showerer of average height.

What Made it Nice: An abundance of sturdy, three-pronged hooks all throughout the house, but concentrated most conveniently in the bathroom.

What Made it Not-So-Nice: Towels smelled of cigarette smoke.

Overall Rating: 8 out of 10

Cherry Tree Lodge Shower, Černý Vůl, Czech Republic

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:04:30 +0100

At First Glance: A shift-and-lift adjuster for pressure and temperature, a showerhead able to adjust up and down, as well as side to side, a little metal rack in the corner for shower stuff, a decent shower curtain. This shower had almost everything. The one thing it lacked was something to keep the water from flooding the bathroom floor. No little ledge or rug or anything. But if we tilt it just so, the water stays mostly within the drain’s reach.

Shower Power: Magnificent! And easily adjustable too!

Hot or Not?: Perfect! Correctly labeled, easily adjustable, only fluxuated a little bit when the toilet flushed.

What Made it Nice: Plenty of hooks in the bathrooms on which to hang things.

What Made it Not-So-Nice: I can’t find any extra towels in this place! All we have are six medium-sized towels that are stiff and uncomfortable. That leaves us no towels for the kitchen, nothing for drying our hands in the bathrooms, and we have to share towels so that the long-haired ladies can have separate towels for their heads.

Overall Rating: 7 out of 10

Ravenestrasse Apartment Shower, Berlin, Germany

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:04:05 +0100

At First Glance: A lovely puke green theme – green toilet, sink, shelf, shower floor. Gross ceiling, and I don’t even want to look behind the toilet! The inside of the bathroom door, however, had a lovely reproduction of a drawing or painting of a little girl on a fence with flowers in her hair. Very pretty, and the only thing in the bathroom that was worth looking at.

Shower Power: Pretty good, but I’ve seen much better!

Hot or Not?: Not very flexible. One turned up the cold all the way to get a decent pressure, then the hot water, just enough to make it lukewarm. If one turned the hot water on too far, it became scorching hot, and the Taylors would have roasted sister for dinner. Just kidding.

What Made it Nice: Not much, actually, beside the painting on the back of the door. Each bedroom in the apartment also had its own sink and mirror, which really eased up the pressure of sharing such a pathetic bathroom.

What Made it Not-So-Nice: The shower curtain sucked inward towards oneself. And the towels were tiny and not very good for drying. They might have made nice wall decorations, or perhaps hankerchiefs.

Overall Rating: 6 out of 10

Dinkelsbauerweg House Shower, Dinkelsbühl, Germany

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:23:51 +0100

At First Glance: Amazing decorations! The bathroom has an under-the-sea theme, but it’s very busy with all the decorations the owners have piled into this small room. A shell-shaped bathtub with a seat in the corner of it also has a showerhead with adjustable height and spray. Several stuffed animals hang from the ceiling.

Shower Power: Amazing pressure! So deliciously clean!

Hot or Not?: A very fine line between too hot and too cold, but either side of the line was tolerable.

What Made it Nice: Big, fluffy blue linens, an endless supply of toilet paper, and the adventure of showering without a curtain – again!

What Made it Not-So-Nice: If one adjusts the showerhead just so, it sprays water all over the bathroom. One has to bend sideways to get under the flow of water in such a way that it does not go everywhere.

Overall Rating: 8 out of 10