Guest post by Ben Wosskow
In March 2013, the U.N. announced that an estimated 2.5 billion people don’t have access to working toilets, and pledged to halve this number by 2015.
However, for the 4.5 billion people who do have access, it’s a very different story. It’s been estimated that we spend over a year of our lives on the loo. With this in mind, we’ve investigated ten of the best loos with a view.
The London skyline, with its landmark structures and skyscrapers, is one of the most famous in the world. Iconic buildings like the Gherkin and Big Ben rise from the bustling streets, attracting tourists from around the globe. At 306 metres, architect Renzo Piano’s Shard is the tallest building of them all. The 68th floor of this incredible structure boasts the most exhilarating toilet view in London. Visitors are treated to a breath-taking view of the sprawling metropolis, from a ceiling-to-floor window.
Here’s another loo with an impressive city view. Workers at the Commerzbank tower – the tallest building in Germany – can look out over the rooftops of Frankfurt in this lofty bathroom. The architect of the building clearly had a sense of humour, as the location of the toilet makes it look like users are urinating on the building of Dresdner bank, who were direct competitors when the Commerzbank tower was built. (Commerzbank has since acquired Dresdner, completing the transaction in 2009).
Chinese city Chongquing is home to ‘Foreigner Street’, a theme park devoted to international culture. The park features replica Egyptian pyramids, a smaller copy of Christ the Redeemer, and what is claimed to be the world’s largest public toilet. The sprawling bathroom contains 4 floors, and over 1000 toilets. If they can take their eyes off the novelty-shaped urinals, the uppermost floor provides guests with a view over the park.
The NamibRand nature reserve is one of the biggest privately-owned nature reserves in Southern Africa. The park is home to a plethora of wildlife, including cheetahs, vultures and jackals. It’s also home to this unusual toilet, which looks out onto a vast, sandy plain.
Kenya’s Meru National Park was made famous by Born Free, the 1960 book and subsequent film about a couple’s efforts to release a lioness into the wild. A luxurious safari lodge, Elsa’s Kopje can be found within the park’s boundaries. Guests are invited to enjoy the facilities, including this incredible bathroom, which comes complete with stunning views over the African plains.
This photo was taken from the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. The first thing you notice is the stunning view. Look closely, and you’ll see the best loo-with-a-view in Africa – a long-drop toilet provided for visitors to Shira Camp. Situated on Kilimanjaro’s Shira Plateau, this toilet sits at a dizzying 3,847m above sea level.
Alcatraz was notoriously difficult to escape – authorities maintain that throughout the facility’s 29-year history, no prisoner ever successfully broke out. Part of the prison’s success was down to constant surveillance – carried out in part from lofty guard towers. One of the towers was equipped with a toilet, providing a 360° view of the surrounding San Francisco bay.
Going to the toilet on the slopes can often be a chilly and unpleasant experience. However, this stunning Alpine view, found in a mountainside bathroom in the Austrian SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser, makes up for the cold. The SkiWelt is Austria’s largest interconnected skiing region, with 279km of runs, 91 cable cars, and a series of breath-taking bathroom views.
Standard aeroplane toilets rarely feature windows. However, they’re slightly more common in business and first-class cabins. This luxurious loo, complete with faux-wood panelling and a porcelain sink, features on some Emirates flights. Not only does this toilet offer far more space than the cramped cubicle most flyers are used to, it also provides flyers with a sensational view of blue skies and drifting clouds.
Hikers are usually reduced to doing their business in the woods. However, park authorities at Montana’s Glacier National Park have thoughtfully provided this toilet for passing ramblers. With over 1,000,000 acres to explore, this loo-with-a-view could be hard to find. Those who are lucky enough to stumble upon it can use the facilities whilst gazing at the vast Agassiz Glacier.
This article was written by Ben Wosskow of LoveHomeSwap.com, a leading home swapping site boasting over 48,000 properties across over 150 countries.
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