Chapter 1402 Dutch Sauna

After the two cars entered Delft, Chen Zetao never mentioned the cars again.

Delft is also divided into the 'Old Town' and the 'New Town'. The New Town is the area where the Delft University of Technology is now located. It has developed transportation and wide roads, while the Old Town is a different story.

Delft's old town is built along a river, with canals of all sizes crisscrossing the city, much like Venice. And it's largely the same as it was hundreds of years ago. The streets are incredibly narrow, barely wide enough for two cars to drive side by side. As a result, most of the roads in Delft's old town are one-way.

It sounds like a wide double lane, right? But cars are parked on the street: for safety, parking is located on the side of the road, along the river. This means the narrow road is practically one car wide. If one car breaks down, it means no one else can pass!

Why do the Dutch love to ride bicycles? Why do they buy small cars? It's simply because large cars are inconvenient, and many of the roads here are paved with cobblestones. Xiao Peng almost broke the chassis of his sports car while driving around! I can't speak for other places, but just the old town of Delft? Driving there is, to a large extent, a torture.

Xiao Peng drove Chen Zetao to an old building and whistled, "Lucky! Last parking spot!"

He hurriedly parked the car inside.

"What about Kasin and Bruch?" Chen Zetao asked, "There's only one parking space!"

As a result, Khedira behind them parked his car directly behind Xiao Peng's car, and the advantage of having a small car was directly reflected: two cars used one parking space.

Chen Zetao took a look and said, "You really came here to take a shower!"

It turned out that the old building in front of them was called 'Dek Baths'.

Xiao Peng nodded and said, "Let's take a sauna."

Chen Zetao asked in confusion: "Brother Xiao, don't you have a sauna at home?"

Orange Garden, once the summer residence of the Dutch royal family, boasts an unimaginably extravagant atmosphere: a massive bathroom, perhaps larger than the homes of 80% of the population of Daxia. The decor is truly astonishing! Chen Zetao had once experienced it and was deeply impressed, so he couldn't understand why Xiao Peng chose to go outside instead of taking a sauna at home.

How could this place possibly compare to the comfort of his own sauna?

Saying it's to save resources? Even if he were beaten to death, he wouldn't believe Xiao Peng was such a conscious person! Haven't you seen a lot of people at home with cars that can reach over 50 mpg? Those are the people who dare to drive their sports cars on the highway for half an hour to find a gas station!

After hearing this, Xiao Peng said, "When it comes to taking a sauna, of course it's more comfortable with more people, right?"

Chen Zetao thought about it and thought, well, that seems to be the case.

Several people entered the bathhouse and bought tickets. As soon as they entered the changing room, Chen Zetao was dumbfounded: "Mixed... mixed bathing?"

There were men and women in the locker room, all changing and chatting as if it were a perfectly normal thing. But Chen Zetao was a little dumbfounded.

Xiao Peng and the others, however, acted as if they were used to it. "Brother Chen, don't be so surprised. This is the Netherlands. Of course, saunas are mixed."

When it comes to the issue of 'mixed bathing', the first thing that comes to mind for people in Daxia is Japan.

Japan has a long tradition of mixed bathing, which reached its peak in public baths during the Edo period, with specialized "bath girls" (yunasa) offering naked services such as washing customers' heads and backs, as well as providing sexual services. Later, the shogunate, feeling embarrassed, banned the practice. However, the tradition of mixed bathing persisted.

Don't expect mixed bathing to be all that glamorous, though. Basically, bathhouses are open to everyone, regardless of gender, age, or occupation. Bathing with monks and nuns is perfectly normal. If you're looking to admire the opposite sex's bodies, you're likely to be in for a nasty surprise.

In the 16th century, a Portuguese missionary named Lufros wrote in his memoirs: "We Europeans bathe indoors, away from others, while in Japan, men and women, even monks, bathe in public places, sometimes even at doorsteps at night." He then used this incident to criticize Japan's antiquity and backwardness!

This is definitely the "famous double standard" that Europeans are accustomed to. In fact, mixed bathing between men and women is definitely something left over from Europeans!

Since ancient Rome, European bathhouses were essentially mixed-gender bathing places. Not only were they open 24 hours a day, they also became places for infidelity. Back then, bathhouses in Europe served a similar purpose to today's nightclubs and bars.

It wasn't until the arrival of the Ottoman Turkish army that the Romans were forced to wear trousers and the bathhouses were closed, turning them into separate Turkish baths for men and women. Later, Europe entered the Middle Ages, a time when bathing was not practiced, which led to some places becoming "indoor bathing away from others."

But these are "certain places." Mixed bathing persisted in northwestern Europe, beyond the reach of the Ottoman Empire. It's still a common tradition in places like the Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Finland, and Norway. Most saunas here are mixed, so be sure to ask before you arrive.

Look, mixed bathing between men and women in Japan is considered "backward", "dirty" and "ignorant", while mixed bathing between men and women in Europe is considered "adhering to tradition" and "natural and simple". Isn't this double standard?

Chen Zetao has been living in France. Although there are "nudist camps" everywhere in France, there is really no custom of "mixed bathing of men and women", so he was a little hesitant for a while.

Xiao Peng quickly stripped himself naked and said to Chen Zetao, "Brother Chen, I advise you to take off your clothes quickly. There are special staff in the bathroom who are responsible for checking whether you are naked. If you don't take off your clothes, you won't be allowed in!"

"Why?" Chen Zetao asked puzzledly.

Xiao Peng replied, "I'm afraid you'll bring in things like lighters and cell phones that aren't heat-resistant. If they catch fire or explode, the consequences could be serious. Don't overthink it. You come here to bathe for your health! Who would go to a sauna to admire a woman's body? Come on, it's legal to sell porn here, so why put yourself through such high temperatures? Plus, there are so many old men and women in there. This is just a place for men and women to mingle and chat. When I first came here, I was just as reserved as you, but after a few showers, I became addicted. Bathing here is more fun when there are so many people. It's just like the big bathhouses back home. Okay, I won't try to persuade you anymore. Let's go to the shower room first."

Chen Zetao's face was filled with black lines. How could he stop at this point? He still had something to ask Xiao Peng!

Okay, take it off!