Urinals and other spill protectors

Gijon, Spain. May 2010

Sitting down in Gijon, Spain (20 May, 2010) for a bite of dinner in the local pub I saw, just opposite my table and right at eye height, what appeared to be a urinal. In the middle of the bar. That is certainly an efficient set up, I thought. But this was Spain. Efficiency plays second fiddle to more important qualities such as ambiance and tradition. It is a spill protector employed in the age old tradition of aerating cider by pouring it from a great height.

Gijon, Spain. May 2010

Following my previous post of the suspiciously urinal looking device discovered in a Spanish bar (above), I can update this report on the item below found in a restroom in Qatar (December 1, 2012).  Perhaps because men wear long gowns in Qatar, it turns out that there are often only squatters in the restroom. So on first entry into the country, and first use of the restroom, the 'foot washing' station (at least that is the only thing I saw anyone doing with it) in the restroom depicted here, is, it turns out, NOT a urinal, despite appearances and expectations to the contrary.