Wildplassen

Okay, there's this thing here. The term for it (because they have a word specifically for it) is wildplassen. It refers to peeing outdoors. With 4 boys, we're no strangers to the occasional need to make a pit stop between rest stops, but some Belgians take this to a new level! Men do it all over the place. Truck drivers do it along the highway - again, not too unusual - but they do little to be descrete while doing it. I've also seen someone out for a bike ride do it - while he was still on his bike, standing with his bike between his legs, just turned a bit to the side to "aim away". Then there are the men who are at rest stops, nice rest stops with bathrooms available, who park along the chain link fence at the side of the parking area and let 'er go through the fence. Do they just not have the extra few minutes it would take to use the facilities? Or do they not have the 30 euro cents for use of the bathrooms? At one rest stop/gas station there were 3-4 men parked in a line all standing at the fence. Like an outdoor version of men lined up at urinals in an indoor bathroom.

Related to this is the type of porta-potties we've seen at large civic events (like the Gentsefeest - big party in Gent every July). For men, there are porta-urinals. Our friend, Lode (a.k.a. Neo) used the one pictured. These are basically 4 urinals backed up to each other with plastic walls seperating them. Men can step up to the urinal, with the sides (somewhat) blocking their "business" and their back to passers-by. There are no doors or screens, just their backsides blocking the view. Almost like a voting booth. Lode did use the side facing the building, helping shield him from our camera.

There are also the public urinals where there is a curved screen from about knee height to above a man's head blocking view of the urinal. There is one in Brugge next to a church. My guys thought it was amusing one day to see a man behind the screen who was nearly on his tip-toes. It was a funny scene, like something you'd see on a hidden camera show.