the german shower block

i'm in a shower cubicle in berlin.

there are different customs everywhere although some are close to universal.

the showers and the whole campground are german clean.

the man on the cubicle next to me clears his nose.

i look down.

the cubicles are all open at the bottom for ease of mass cleaning but there is a rounded aluminium strip on the floor between each cubicle which stops water and other debris from flowing into someone else' cubicle.

like mine.

 

paying for showers is not unusual.

here it is 50 cents (1$A) for 4 minutes. In Goslar it was only 3 minutes.

in this conservation consumer culture shower time is limited but you learn that 4 mins is how much water time you are allotted not how long you have for your shower.

the idea is to wet, then soap, then rinse.

 

in Goslar this was enforced. you push the button in the shower for water and you get about 10seconds then it stops. you manually restart the water flow.

 

so i insert the coin and the digital readout tells me i have 4.00 mins.

i strip off, throw undies on the floor ready to be washed, soap ready.

i push the water button.

as i stand on the edge óf the expected water reach i am hit by an avalanche of water.

i am thrown back.

recovering i now plunge in - the pressure almost hurts.

and zo...

wet, push to stop, soap up including undies

rinse, stop, soap up remaining crevices

rinse, stop, done, look at clock, it reads 3'31"

i've used 29 seconds of water.

 

so this is the consumer bit.

people obviously use 4 minutes of water because i haven't had a credit yet from the last person.

so do i just stand under a hot fire hose for another 3'31"?

tomorrow i will shave in the shower.

a man in the next cubicle clears his throat and spits on the floor

i'm done.

 

blessings

rossnjen