This made me literally laughed out loud! I seem to have very poor luck when it comes to bathrooms/showers. Our first flat in Paris had a proper shower room but for some reason we flooded the floor no matter what we did. It was very damp so even washing the curtain wasn’t enough to prevent it from going moldy so we had to buy a new shower curtain every few months.
Second flat was even better. Our shower was in the kitchen. We had a small partitioning wall and a sliding door which “separated” it from the kitchen. There was barely enough room to squeeze around the sink to get into and out of the shower.
My friend had it even better: Her shower was also in the kitchen but it was just literally a plastic box right beside the oven. She managed to melt her shower when she accidently set something on fire on the stove. The firefighters came and there were lots of pictures taken. I still think she may have done it on purpose just to get the firefighters to come… I should mention that she and I (when I was brave enough to cross half of Paris to join her) would jog around Jardin des Plantes at exactly the time when the firefighters did their exercises there too.
Third flat had a bath with a hand-held shower just like you described. Since we had bought the flat I worked up the courage to do some home improvement. We added a row of tiles, I drilled some holes (yikes) and we set up a proper shower and glass partition.
Fourth flat I don’t even remember as we didn’t stay in it long enough. Then there was 3 years in the UK where they actually know how to do bathrooms. Shower was lovely but not enough pressure for my liking. It worked on some kind of pump system and used electricity which was VERY handy when our boiler stopped working. No heat, but at least we had warm showers!!
We’re back to the horrible hand-held shower in the bath system and the bathroom dates back to the 60s I think. It’s hideous anyway (everything is dark brown!). We are going to have the bathoom and wc renovated and I can’t wait!!
Fraussie
December 8th, 2011 at 9:52 am
I’m glad I’m not alone in this though your experiences sound horrendous. I once had a toilet in the kitchen in a holiday rental which was pretty bad. Hope you get your renovations done soon! Our new house in Blois (first photo) doesn’t have a curtain or partition, but that’s easy to do something about.
OK… I have to ask… what is your recommended technique for using a hand-held shower attached to a bath without a curtain or a partition? I have yet to find one that works so would greatly appreciate any suggestions you may have. I spent 3 months with a host family whilst doing a linguistic stay a few years ago. I used as little water as possible as I was so worried that I would get water on the beautiful parquetry floor of the bathroom. I don’t think I ever felt really clean during the stay.
Fraussie
January 13th, 2012 at 9:45 am
Well, that’s a hard one because I’ve never really mastered the art myself. I think you’re supposed to have a bath and just rinse off with the shower. If there is a parquetry floor in the bathroom though, I’d say it has been treated to resist water. The one at Le Mesnil Jourdain is like that. I basically kneel down and make sure I turn the shower towards the wall. Relationnel just goes ahead and doesn’t worry (that’s why I have my shower first!). I’ve never had to deal with the problem more than a few days fortunately. I could put the question on http://www.survivefrance.com and see what they have to say.
[…] timbers and white walls and furniture. Like Le Clos Postel, the bed is very comfortable and the shower is attached to the wall! At breakfast next morning in Yvonne and Jean François’ beautiful open-plan kitchen/dining […]
[…] We’ve set aside two weeks to make a laundry at Closerie Falaiseau. Like most French houses, it doesn’t have one. I’ve talked about this before. In fact, Jean Michel has already drilled a 10 cm diameter hole through a 70 cm wall to evacuate the water from the washing machine in the downstairs bathroom into the drain and not the shower! […]
This made me literally laughed out loud! I seem to have very poor luck when it comes to bathrooms/showers. Our first flat in Paris had a proper shower room but for some reason we flooded the floor no matter what we did. It was very damp so even washing the curtain wasn’t enough to prevent it from going moldy so we had to buy a new shower curtain every few months.
Second flat was even better. Our shower was in the kitchen. We had a small partitioning wall and a sliding door which “separated” it from the kitchen. There was barely enough room to squeeze around the sink to get into and out of the shower.
My friend had it even better: Her shower was also in the kitchen but it was just literally a plastic box right beside the oven. She managed to melt her shower when she accidently set something on fire on the stove. The firefighters came and there were lots of pictures taken. I still think she may have done it on purpose just to get the firefighters to come… I should mention that she and I (when I was brave enough to cross half of Paris to join her) would jog around Jardin des Plantes at exactly the time when the firefighters did their exercises there too.
Third flat had a bath with a hand-held shower just like you described. Since we had bought the flat I worked up the courage to do some home improvement. We added a row of tiles, I drilled some holes (yikes) and we set up a proper shower and glass partition.
Fourth flat I don’t even remember as we didn’t stay in it long enough. Then there was 3 years in the UK where they actually know how to do bathrooms. Shower was lovely but not enough pressure for my liking. It worked on some kind of pump system and used electricity which was VERY handy when our boiler stopped working. No heat, but at least we had warm showers!!
We’re back to the horrible hand-held shower in the bath system and the bathroom dates back to the 60s I think. It’s hideous anyway (everything is dark brown!). We are going to have the bathoom and wc renovated and I can’t wait!!
I’m glad I’m not alone in this though your experiences sound horrendous. I once had a toilet in the kitchen in a holiday rental which was pretty bad. Hope you get your renovations done soon! Our new house in Blois (first photo) doesn’t have a curtain or partition, but that’s easy to do something about.
OK… I have to ask… what is your recommended technique for using a hand-held shower attached to a bath without a curtain or a partition? I have yet to find one that works so would greatly appreciate any suggestions you may have. I spent 3 months with a host family whilst doing a linguistic stay a few years ago. I used as little water as possible as I was so worried that I would get water on the beautiful parquetry floor of the bathroom. I don’t think I ever felt really clean during the stay.
Well, that’s a hard one because I’ve never really mastered the art myself. I think you’re supposed to have a bath and just rinse off with the shower. If there is a parquetry floor in the bathroom though, I’d say it has been treated to resist water. The one at Le Mesnil Jourdain is like that. I basically kneel down and make sure I turn the shower towards the wall. Relationnel just goes ahead and doesn’t worry (that’s why I have my shower first!). I’ve never had to deal with the problem more than a few days fortunately. I could put the question on http://www.survivefrance.com and see what they have to say.
[…] timbers and white walls and furniture. Like Le Clos Postel, the bed is very comfortable and the shower is attached to the wall! At breakfast next morning in Yvonne and Jean François’ beautiful open-plan kitchen/dining […]
[…] I took my shower in Paris, I had trouble getting used to the taps and the shower rose being at the wrong end! Then […]
[…] We’ve set aside two weeks to make a laundry at Closerie Falaiseau. Like most French houses, it doesn’t have one. I’ve talked about this before. In fact, Jean Michel has already drilled a 10 cm diameter hole through a 70 cm wall to evacuate the water from the washing machine in the downstairs bathroom into the drain and not the shower! […]
[…] can’t wait to have a shower in my own bathroom, where the temperature is consistent, the water doesn’t spray out in funny […]