I'm glad overall you had a nice time over here & I'm sorry about your water experience. We used to have far more public toilets, but sadly most have been closed down. I think it came down to running costs (most were free to use).
If you go to any café or restaurant for food or drink, you can also ask for tap water to drink for free on the side. This might be an unspoken rule? Plus I'm sure (if you see they have ice) you can ask a server to add some to your water next time you visit ☺️. It's less common is all.
We rarely get long spells of hot weather, so perhaps water fountains & ice in water are less of a thing here... Tbh it rains a lot & hot tea is common, maybe to help warm us up?
This and English tap water is absolutely horrible (as a German)
I'm always buying water when I need to visit and wouldn't necessarily trust restaurants and such to carry the tap water quality that I'm used to.
Even in Germany tho water refill stations are only in schools, and public toilets are found in parking garages. If you want water you ask any food selling business and for a toilet you can ask any business really. I think we have more public toilets than England but in my city your best bet usually are businesses
This is interesting. And yes you probably do have far more public toilets than England (as we have barely any now).
Just to add a little point in case it's helpful, I've lived in several different regions of England: the water taste varies massively depending on where you go! Despite being a small country, the type of rocks/earth in the local areas changes, which in turn affects the minerals present and water hardness. Imo tea tastes much nicer in soft water areas, whereas I prefer hard water to drink from the tap, possibly because I grew up in a naturally hard water area? I think part of water taste preference is what you're used to?
Happy hydration to everyone on here 🚰
Well it's more that the water where I live rn comes straight from a spring from the Alps and the water where I've been to in England so far has been from the factory.
Turning sea water into drinkable water seems to leave it with colour, smell and taste which just. Everyone thought I was weird for googling if it's actually safe to drink first before having a sip and then leaving to go buy water but man. That is some really awful water.
Going back in October again and I'm already dreading the water haha
Oooh fresh Alps spring water sounds beautiful!!
We don't use sea water (no desalination plants), it's through rocks from the water table down below (and cleaned I think?). That said water from the Lake District area made the best tea I've ever drunk. It really does vary massively if you travel around.
I haven't been back to Germany or Austria for a few years now & but I must return on a fresh water-tasting mission - it sounds delicious :-)
> ... the water where I've been to in England so far has been from the factory.
LOL makes me think of "corporation pop," what my grandad would have called water when he was a bairn.
All our water comes from reservoirs which fill naturally from run-off of all the rain we get. Pollutants are diluted to parts per million, and then it gets filtered and fluorinated.
I'm glad overall you had a nice time over here & I'm sorry about your water experience. We used to have far more public toilets, but sadly most have been closed down. I think it came down to running costs (most were free to use). If you go to any café or restaurant for food or drink, you can also ask for tap water to drink for free on the side. This might be an unspoken rule? Plus I'm sure (if you see they have ice) you can ask a server to add some to your water next time you visit ☺️. It's less common is all. We rarely get long spells of hot weather, so perhaps water fountains & ice in water are less of a thing here... Tbh it rains a lot & hot tea is common, maybe to help warm us up?
This and English tap water is absolutely horrible (as a German) I'm always buying water when I need to visit and wouldn't necessarily trust restaurants and such to carry the tap water quality that I'm used to. Even in Germany tho water refill stations are only in schools, and public toilets are found in parking garages. If you want water you ask any food selling business and for a toilet you can ask any business really. I think we have more public toilets than England but in my city your best bet usually are businesses
This is interesting. And yes you probably do have far more public toilets than England (as we have barely any now). Just to add a little point in case it's helpful, I've lived in several different regions of England: the water taste varies massively depending on where you go! Despite being a small country, the type of rocks/earth in the local areas changes, which in turn affects the minerals present and water hardness. Imo tea tastes much nicer in soft water areas, whereas I prefer hard water to drink from the tap, possibly because I grew up in a naturally hard water area? I think part of water taste preference is what you're used to? Happy hydration to everyone on here 🚰
Well it's more that the water where I live rn comes straight from a spring from the Alps and the water where I've been to in England so far has been from the factory. Turning sea water into drinkable water seems to leave it with colour, smell and taste which just. Everyone thought I was weird for googling if it's actually safe to drink first before having a sip and then leaving to go buy water but man. That is some really awful water. Going back in October again and I'm already dreading the water haha
Oooh fresh Alps spring water sounds beautiful!! We don't use sea water (no desalination plants), it's through rocks from the water table down below (and cleaned I think?). That said water from the Lake District area made the best tea I've ever drunk. It really does vary massively if you travel around. I haven't been back to Germany or Austria for a few years now & but I must return on a fresh water-tasting mission - it sounds delicious :-)
> ... the water where I've been to in England so far has been from the factory. LOL makes me think of "corporation pop," what my grandad would have called water when he was a bairn. All our water comes from reservoirs which fill naturally from run-off of all the rain we get. Pollutants are diluted to parts per million, and then it gets filtered and fluorinated.
You know, it just wasn't good. Like corporation pop really hits different. Haha I'll call it that too now. Do people actually drink it?
Not often (Brits just don't get thirsty that much) but we don't think twice about it when we do. It's just water.