I have always liked foreign currency. My dad used to travel for work and bring back coins and bills from far away places; pounds from England, francs from France, rubles from Russia. My Canadian grandparents once sent me a framed set of Canadian bills and coins. Perhaps because of this, money from other places has always reminded me of Monopoly money, with pretty pictures, colorful images, and zero value (at least in L.A. County).
Now, for the first time, I actually have to take foreign currency seriously! In a few weeks, Euros will cease to be value-less pieces of paper that hang framed in my bedroom, and will become train tickets and museum entry fees and food. Because of this, I have been avidly following dollar to Euro exchange rates.
For instance, at this very moment, one American dollar is worth 0.779 Euros. If a (hypothetical) American student had (hypothetically) saved up $4,000 for her (hypothetical) semester in Paris, that means she currently has 3,116 Euros to live off. Last week, the same (hypothetical) $4,000 was only worth 3,000 Euros, when the exchange rate was 1 : 0.75. If 116 Euros doesn't seem like a lot to you, to this (hypothetical) American student it is 6 days of food, a train ride to Oktoberfest, or a weekend in Normandy. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it.
But only if you happen to be in Amsterdam.
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