The European Balance :: Euros Money Finances Essays

The European Balance New Year’s Day 2002 had me in Dijon, France, where I first had possession of euros, the new common currency for 12 European nations. It was sunny out, and the automated teller machine was on the corner of a town square, where an old 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 like a stylish, young woman, donning Yves St. Laurent and swaying past the Pantheon in Paris; it was a suave Italian driving his Smart Car in front of La Scala. Europe has a penchant for surprising developments and we feel compelled to admire every swing of the Continental pendulum. At the hotel the concierge sat behind a wooden counter and methodically laid out the new coins for us to see. â€Å"500 years,† he said in a thick, French accent laden with exasperation. â€Å"[For] 500 years,† he repeated for emphasis and to finish his thought, â€Å" we have had the franc.† â€Å"To change to the euro – it is an enormous difficulty,† he told us. He shook his head while further expressing his dismay through the peculiar amalgam of a grunt and a sigh, one that can only be heard in France. Perhaps most amazingly, he managed to make this noise with a French accent. Several days later I arrived at Madrid’s Chamartin train station and I got into a taxi. After a few minutes of silence, the driver – an old man with his gray hair pulled back into a ponytail – asked me, â€Å"Pesetas [or] euros?† The whole motivation behind withdrawing euros in Dijon was to have cash immediately upon arrival in Spain; so here I was readying myself to pay for a Spanish taxi ride with money I could have just as easily used in eastern France, where I withdrew it. â€Å"Euros,† I replied to his question. â€Å"Euros,† he mocked with a snide, condescending tone. He punctuated his disgust with a slight chuckle – it was 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.