Subject: Re: Euro Transition- Country Updates?
Hi Erina, here in Spain things are pretty smooth right now. The local currency disappeared from the streets sooner than the politicians had thought. There has been a certain amount of Euro inflation, but I think that we have noticed it more than other years because we are checking more carefully the prices.

And the complaint about the 1 and 2 cent coin. We had almost stopped using the minuscule 1 peseta coin, and now we have to use centimes. Well, I donīt know. Itīs a question of getting used to it. After all, in Germany they were using the pfennig coins, werenīt they? Our neighbourhood fruit seller tried a couple of times not to give back to my mum the correct change, and wanted to keep the 1 and 2 centimes coin. She maintained that they were going to be taken out of the market. Funny, but she lost a customer after the third time she tried to do it.

The biggest problem will be the big amounts of money. How much do you pay for a car? How much does a house cost? How much money could I have won, had I guessed the 6 numbers of past Saturday lotto (I wouldnīt have changed our plans for Italy, same places, nothing fancier)?

Antagonism ... I havenīt seen much in Spain. Maybe older people that found it difficult. But it has had an enthusiastic welcome from most of the people. My brother travels a lot in Europe due to his work. He is quite happy with the fact that if he is travelling to some country in the Eurozone (or Bosnia or Montenegro, BTW) he doesnīt have to carry another currency. The only place where they met grumpy people was Vienna at the end of February. The taxi drivers and some restaurants asked for real money (aka Austrian Schilling). Well, after all they are Viennese, and they have always been peculiar.

Iīm looking forward to the italian Euro and also to the greek one. Ours is OK, although I donīt really like when you have the face of the king in the coins, I think there are prettier and more symbolic things. A couple of weeks ago the local newspaper gave us a huge sheet with all the different coins, and some of them are pretty aseptic.

I think that it could be interesting (both for the European Ziners and the visitors) to write a small table with the prices for normal things like a cup of coffee, a cinema ticket, a good meal, a beautiful bag that you have to had, the museum entrance...? What do you think? I could ask my sister how much did it cost a chocolate McFlurry at the McDonalds in Foix two weeks ago (not that she will remember :)) )

Kind regards, Covadonga in Bilbao Spain