The toilet installer spoke Italian and German. I speak French and English and much of my German is buried deep in my database.

However when he finished, he gave me a guided tour of the new electronic toilet and I understood, Ich verstehe.

1. It senses when you sit down and turns itself on.
2. There are controls both by the toilet and it has a remote.
3. A special button flushes it.
4. Another button causes a metal hose to descend to a strategic location and spurts water.
5. Temperature, flow and pulse of the washing device can all be controlled by buttons.
6. Seats go down automatically.

Now I have to admit I miss the hose for washing that goes with each Syrian toilet I used. And I do like the water conservation of many toilets here that you can choose either a big or little flush.

I’ve heard people refer to toilets as The Throne, but this throne would impress even the most imperious of monarchs.