Dangerous Design

I can't remember if I've posted about out some of the interesting things in Belgium house design or not, but I'm going to do it again if I have.
The first interesting thing about Belgian houses is that, from what we've been told, is that it is against the law to refuse people a restroom. So, if someone comes to the door needing the toilet, you let them in. Because of that, every Belgian house we've been in has a small, airplane-like, bathroom on the main floor, and usually in the foyer. They usually have just a sink with cold water only and a toilet. I find this unusual, but, hey, if I'm out jogging and nature calls, I don't have to rely on using nature if I'm close to a house.
The Belgians must not be a big people, because the second interesting thing about Belgian houses is that they all have crazy stairs. We have stairs all over our place and they're all different sizes. They might just be a single step from kitchen to living room, or 2 stairs down to the garage. They may be 2 marble steps with vicious edges leading up to 12 narrow, steep, curved stairs going to the second floor. The stairs leading up are also short, my husband has to duck when using them, and if not paying attention, will bonk our son's head when carrying him. The steps themselves are very narrow, my size 6 foot is all that will fit on one. We have all slipped or missed a stair or  two in the house, but this past week, the dangerous design took it's first victim.
Our buddy, Travis, came from his part of the world to visit us for a week or two. There were some European things that he was hoping to see and was going to use our place as his launching pad. The big event of the vacation was going to be a huge trance music festival in Holland that he was particularly excited about. After dinner and having a great Belgian beverage, our son took him upstairs to see his room. On the way back down, the combination of socks, a beverage after being in a dry country for months and our darn Belgian stairs took him unaware and pulled him down.
At first, it just was sore, so he had another beverage and we chatted around the table. The next morning it wasn't really swollen or discolored, but he was hoping to get some medicine to help with the pain. We headed to the closest hospital and found the "Urgencies Room." After getting to practice his French on the receptionist and the doctor practicing his English on Travis, it was determined that he had broken a small bone off in his foot. "It is not broken, but it is fractured, " is exactly what the doctor told me. They have him some of the half arm crutches and sent him away with some prescriptions and an appointment for the following week.
Now, he's been hanging around our place, alternately, working his way through the DVD library and enjoying the rare Belgian weather. He has a plaster cast and the orthopedist told him No Weight Bearing Activities for another month. This has put the kibosh on his awesome music festival and has greatly changed the vacation as a whole.
Let this be your warning when you come to Belgium, Beware the Stairs!