If you’re American in the kitchen, what are you in the bathroom? European.

Here's a way more detailed breakdown of the bathrooms (or W.C.s as they are generally called) of our first few European countries than you likely ever wanted to know.

The stalls of Iceland.

Iceland. We've already shared about the over-the-top majesty of Icelandic bathrooms. White, clean and modern, just like the good people of Iceland. Great lighting. Lots of mirrors and pictures of birds. Stalls so large you can do calisthenics in. Sinks that both wash and dry your hands in the same movement. Oh and all bathrooms we saw were clean and free (!). Even their "outhouses" are remarkable:

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall parking lot outhouse
...with a heater, hot and cold water, and even a hand dryer.

Denmark. Nicely done Denmark. If Iceland is a clear #1 then Denmark is a solid #2. In typical Danish fashion, the bathrooms are clean, well-maintained and have a very thought-out design. Sometimes there was a charge to use them, but most of the time they were free. The Danes are practical and intelligent people - that's just the way they roll. Why devote the same amount of space to a men's bathroom as a woman's? Men use them standing most of the time and therefore use less space and less time. So a lot of public W.C.s in Denmark have a separate smaller room of urinals (called pissoirs) and then a far larger shared section devoted to stalls. And then there's the outdoor public urinals for men, and apparently women too:

Public urinal in Helsinor, for men

And though we didn't see any of these, the Danes also have these public urinals for woman

Germany. In comparison to Iceland or Denmark, German bathrooms are pretty regular. They almost always charge for use of bathrooms, which really pissed us off, but at least they were (for the most part) clean and well maintained. Aside from the paying someone to sit at the door to collect half-a-Euro (or so) and clean up occasionally there wasn't any sort of inspired Icelandic or Danish thought given to them.

Netherlands and Belgium. Like Germany except less clean and often more expensive. Although Germany didn't have these wonderful/awful outdoor public urinals.

Ghent public pisser

France. Oh man. You lose France. You're really bringing up the rear and rank at the bottom of my list. The French idea of a urinal is a toilet without a seat. Seriously. Most men's rooms are the same as women's, just without a toilet seat. Why take away options? What a waste! Oh and they were both more expensive and far dumpier than any place we've so far been. Use your head France! That half-assed approach to your toilettes really has to go. At the Jardin du Luxembourg they actually did have real urinals and charged 0.30€ to use them and 0.50€ for use of the stall. Something of a sexist policy if you ask me. And if you argue that that makes economic sense because it uses more water then oh I would retort: 1. we have already established that France doesn't care much about water use with their "urinals", and 2. there is no economic sense behind paying three different people to staff the garden's three different bathrooms in order to collect the occasional half-Euro.

Spain. Spain is pretty like France but the W.C.s are free. Not super clean, but what do I care they're just bathrooms.