Beware the matless bathroom.

When I was young I would often hear of an old lady who slipped and broke her hip getting out of the bath or shower and I always found it strange. How could you break something simply by stepping out of the shower? I guess this is because all the showers I ever had you would step into at the same level as the floor. This may also explain why I would flood the bathroom every time I had a shower, but that is beside the point. Since being in Europe this time I think I understand how it is possible to slip getting out of the shower. Almost all showers here are a combined shower/bath and even if they are not the shower has a basin in it about 50cm high. Without a handrail, stepping over the lip of the basin to reach the floor can be a little tricky, and if there is no bath mat on the tiles, which there often isn’t, then it can be heart in mouth stuff. If you add to this a little old lady then it is completely understandable how they can injure themselves, in fact I applaude those who don’t have shower injuries on a regular basis. I know I have a had a few slippery moments over the past week or so, and now step out of the shower very gingerly in case I become some 10 year old boys question, how is it possible to hurt yourself getting out of the shower.