My “souvenir” – a Euro

I usually don’t get many souvenirs when I’m traveling unless it is to purchase something that directly benefits an organization with a cause I support.

But yesterday while we were waiting for our connecting flight in Phoenix on our way back to Utah from our Maryland vacation, we walked into the International terminal and stumbled upon the currency exchange counter. We decided to purchase a Euro, the official currency of the European Union (since 1999), just for fun.

So….for $1.78 we were able to purchase one Euro:

I was curious what one Euro might buy , so I googled it and found these articles.

Well, since the dollar has fallen significantly against the Euro, not much (a few weeks ago, $1.00 was worth about 60 Euro cents. Yeseterday it was worth about 56 Euro cents). For a cup of coffee I’d have to spend 2-3 Euros but maybe as much as 8, depending on where I am.

Also, Wikipedia offers this information about the Euro.

As of around noon today [January 14, 2008], one euro was equivalent to about $1.49 and one pound was equivalent to about $1.96. Seen another way, $1 is equivalent to about 0.68 euros or £0.51.
(Staying Current on Currency: Another Day, Another Euro?, from January 2008 New York Tims The City Room)

In the article What’s the Cost of a Meal in Europe? Food Budgeting Tips 2008, a comparison is made between different countries of the cost of restaurant meals.

I found out that things vary in cost, depending on the country and where you go in the country.

I wonder how long it will be before the U.S. adopts the Euro as a legal form of tender?