The European Balance :: Euros Money Finances Essays

The European Balance sassy Years Day 2002 had me in Dijon, France, where I first had self-denial of euros, the new common currency for 12 European nations. It was sunny out, and the modify teller machine was on the corner of a town square, where an honest-to-goodness cathedral stood tall, peering over centuries of architectural variety. It was quite typical very European, that is because I felt myself on the brink of novelty amidst a haze of antiquity. It was deal a stylish, young woman, donning Yves St. Laurent and swaying past the Pantheon in Paris it was a politic Italian driving his Smart Car in front of La Scala. Europe has a penchant for surprising developments and we feel compelled to admire all(prenominal) swing of the Continental pendulum.At the hotel the concierge sat behind a woody counter and methodically laid out the new coins for us to cipher. ergocalciferol years, he said in a thick, French accent load up with exasperation. For 500 years, he repeated f or emphasis and to finish his thought, we name had the franc. To miscellany to the euro it is an enormous difficulty, he told us. He shook his head while shape up expressing his dismay through the peculiar amalgam of a grunt and a sigh, one that can only be heard in France. by chance most amazingly, he managed to make this noise with a French accent.several(prenominal) days later I arrived at Madrids Chamartin civilise station and I got into a taxi. After a few proceedings of silence, the driver an old man with his gray hair pulled back into a ponytail asked me, Pesetas or euros? The whole motivation behind withdrawing euros in Dijon was to have cash at a time upon arrival in Spain so here I was readying myself to digest for a Spanish taxi ride with money I could have just as easily used in eastern France, where I withdrew it. Euros, I replied to his question. Euros, he mocked with a snide, condescending tone. He punctuated his disgust with a slight chuckle it w as his way of telling me he did not see what the big deal was about this new currency. As far as he was concerned, the peseta was perfectly fine and the euro was an immature exercise in futility.