Brooke's European Adventure: March 2006

Hi everyone!!!

Everyone helps me search for coins!!!!

All you ever wanted to know....

If the post below wasn’t enough information about the exciting world of euro coin collection, this is surely going to make your day. Here is some more, very interesting information about the effort that is going to go into the collection and some fun trivia facts.

The Euro bank notes and coins were introduced on January 1, 2002 in the 12 Member states of the European Union. There are eight coins and seven different bank notes. There were over 50 billion coins produced for the introduction, all of which have one common side and one custom side (which is designed by each country). The total value of the currency produced for the introduction was 664 billion euros. That is a lot of euros. What about the rest of the European Union countries – aren’t there more than 12 (you may wonder)?? Yes, you are correct, 3 other very small independent countries did issue country euros, however, not for the general population to use as currency, these coins / notes were issued in limited amount for collectors by Monaco, the Vatican, and San Marino. (Thankfully, these countries are not included in my book given that the collector’s sets of the Vatican coins are currently selling for between 400 – 2,000 euros—Yikes!!!). Additionally, other EY member countries, such as the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sweden and the United Kingdom are members of the EU but are not currently participating in the single currency. (interesting!).

So, now we know, the book of 12 countries is an accurate population to pursue and I am off for the search, right??? Well, not quite. An additional interesting fact which I have subsequently learned about the currencies of the world is that in Finland, the Finnish government actually decided not to use the 1 cent and 2 cent coins (huh?). € 0.01 and € 0.02 coins are not used in Finland; only few were minted, for collectors. Sums are rounded to the nearest € 0.05; hence sums ending in € 0.01, € 0.02, € 0.06 or € 0.07 are rounded down, and those ending in € 0.03, € 0.04, € 0.08 or € 0.09 are rounded up. The rounding is applied to the grand total only, while individual prices are still shown and summed up with € 0.01 precision. As an accountant, I find this a very every interesting strategy (remember the movie Office Space… taking the .0001 off of the interest payments??) and as a collector – what am I going to do about this, shouldn’t this have been disclosed to me?? (Well, the obvious answer is Ebay… the 1 and 2 center is going for a couple of dollars..so, I should be okay). But I will keep you up to date on this situation – currently, the only Finland coin that I have is the 50 center, so I could end up either taking a trip to Helsinki or buying a whole set on Ebay… to be determined….

Now, onto the collection efforts… Friday night, Diane, Chris, Diane’s cousin, Todd and I decided to go out to dinner at my favorite neighborhood sushi restaurant. After being embarrassed that the owner recognized my voice on the phone when I was making our reservation and being delighted that he made room for us because I am such a good customer, we ended our cocktail hour at Diane’s apartment and came to my neighborhood to enjoy a very nice sushi and TeppanYaki (known as hibachi in the States – thank you Chris for clarifying) dinner. It was great (as expected) and when the bill came, we paid, and I earnestly waited for the coins to come with eager excitement for what might be included. To my disappointment, it was nothing that I needed (even though it turned out that Diane had a great 2 euro in her purse that she required significant encouragement begging to give away). The owner, John, wondered what we were doing with the lists and the coins, and when I explained, he wanted to get involved with the “cause”, so he opened up the cash register and went through all of the coins to see what he had. Turned out – he had a lot – 2.50 euro worth of things that I needed. I couldn’t believe that he would do that for – it was great. I had to take a picture of him sorting the coins on the sushi table – here it is. Now you definitely don’t see that everyday!!! Still 36 coins to go…..

Haarlem - great light as we were leaving the city (and it is not snowing, a blizzard had just passed through)

Haarlem

The Euro coin book... the treasure hunt begins....

The inside of the book....coins, coins and more coins!

I am coming out of the closet.....

In 1999, the US Government started a unique 10 year program called "50 State Quarters Program". Every 10 weeks for 10 years, a new state quarter will be released into the US currency population. The quarters are released by state in the order the state joined the Union. This is the first change in the quarter since the bicentennial quarter was issued in 1976, the first time a multi-year, multi-state program has ever been developed and the first time production of the traditional "eagle" quarter has been ceased. The current quarter is Nevada, and Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota and South Dakota will be issued this year. How do I know so much fascinating information about the quarter? Well, I wanted to be able to explain the start of the next story I am going to share, and it starts with the US quarter....

My dad began collecting the quarters as they were being issued with the intent to create a book for my brother and I. It clearly is not a quick process given that one will have to wait until 2008 / 2009 to even possibly complete the book, but with the elements of searching, finding and passing something down through generations, who could resist such a treasure hunt?? With this in mind, I wondered if I could do something similar in Europe. Perhaps I could collect one of each Euro coin to take back with me to the States?? It would be simple, I figured, cash and change is used here so much more frequently, I probably would have everything that I needed in my purse already - 8 coins, it couldn't be that hard. (or so I thought).

Before converting Derek's parking pass to my car, I walked several blocks from allowable parking place to the apartment. During that walk, I passed what appeared to be a coin / stamp store. One day, I took a chance and stepped into the store and asked the owner if there were any Euro coin books that I could purchase to collect euros during my stay. During that visit, I learned that like the quarter, Euros differ by country, and 12 countries in the European Union have issued euros to date. My simple "collect 1 of each euros coin = 8 coins" idea, had just become "collect 12 country euro coins = 96 euro coins". But, the idea was still good, and like I said, who can pass up a treasure hunt - especially one that just became a little more challenging? (actually, some people CAN pass up such a treasure hunt, I learned as the store owner attempted to sell me a book of all of the Euro coins- uncirculated, never used. Keeping in mind the face value of the coins is under 50 euro, the book cost 250 euros, on sale from 400 euros.... I passed that opportunity, but at least I know it is there if I get desperate :-) I would hate to have to buy the 250 euro book for one Finland penny.

So, I purchased an unfilled coin book for 5 euros and started off by first checking the change in my purchase, the coin jar at home (which contained pennies, 2 cents, and 5 cents), my computer bag, my desk, everywhere I could think of and I came up with about 30 of the coins. Not enough. So, I started paying for things in cash and, for once, was excited when I received change at the grocery store and restaurants. No longer did I dread the grocery store bill of 5.05 as this was the best bill I could ever have to maximize my change. This process helped and added another 10 or more coins to the board, but, still not enough. Then, I was faced with a key question.

I knew the best source to get coins was.... other people. Having the change was not the issue, I had plenty, but what I needed was diversity of change and that just comes from traveling and circulation. I needed access to more change. But to get that access meant I had to tell people what I was doing. What would they think?? Would they laugh?? Don't I already suffer enough stereotypes based on my job?? What will they think if I tell them I am collecting coins?? Can you get more nerdy than that??

Fear of humiliation vs desire to collect all 96 euro coins... desire was the winner. I started telling everyone. People I work with, people at dinner (as I politely ((Todd that is just for you)) check out the change, anyone I can think of. And you know what happened?? People started bringing me their change. Tons of it. I probably could actually finance the purchase of another bike with it!! I arrive at work and my staff have brought in piles of their change from home. Just sitting at my desk. People at the client empty their pockets and show me what they have. Americans that are here give me their euros before they leave. I have become a patron saint of coin collection!!!! I was amazed and impressed and the coin collection has grown even faster than ever. And now, since only the really hard coins in very far away countries are left, when someone brings me their change and we do find something in there, it is just pure excitement.

Now, don't get me wrong, I have not resorted to begging (yet), nor have I resorted to contacting anyone in another country and asking them to send in change (yet). Nor I have actually scheduled a flight to Finland (yet) (the country appearing to be the most difficult to collect), but that all of these remain as options. To date, I just share the story, and see what happens. And I have been impressed with how helpful and willing people are to share their coins. (of course, I trade coins, in case you were wondering, this is not a get rich quick scheme, although that has crossed my mind :).

So, keep your thoughts with me as I continue my quest for collection. I have some more great stories to share about the coin collection, but you have to start here to understand the rest. In case you want to tally, I have about 60 coins collected, that means 36 to go :-) I will keep you updated on how the hunting is going.

Thank you Kristen !!!!

A care package arrived on Friday in the mail. It was filled with several magazines (YES!! IN ENGLISH) and a great package of double chocolate chunk Chips Ahoy cookies and peanut M+M's. These are true treats from home and I greatly appreciate them (although, several people in the office were eyeing the treats as well. I definitely will share the magazines, but I am not so sure about the cookies... :-) Thank you Kristen!!! It was a great treat, came at a great time (during my busy season blues), and it was good to get to call and talk to you as well. Hope things at home continue to go well and Troy's road to recovery successfully continues. Thanks again!!!!

A day in Amsterdam

After touring other cities the last couple of weekends and with some work to do on Sunday, Todd and I decided to take a day on Saturday and tour the city by bike. We wanted to visit a "hidden church" we had heard of in the city center, however, it took us several minutes to realize that there are actually 3 hidden churches (that we currently know of) in Amsterdam and that each of us was thinking of a different one. See what happens when you don't have car notification to direct you? Well, after figuring out what we were thinking, we took off on a sunny Amsterdam day to see what we could find. Successful at the hidden church, I then took Todd to an art shop where several ex-pats have purchased Amsterdam art prior to returning home. After a good discussion with the store owner about the art and how to buy it, we focused in on one painting which we both liked (and which I had previously purchased for Jen and Mark who have returned to America). When that piece was presented at their going away party, another member of our group questioned the authenticity of the picture given the direction the boats were facing. I knew it was an authentic Amsterdam scene and after some color comments by the store owner about the question, he directed Todd and I to the spot where we could see it for ourselves, which was only a 15 minute walk away. So, off we went on an adventure and despite the fact that I walked into a sign, we were able to successfully see the spot. Unfortunately, no boats were currently parked in the slips (duh, it is winter), but we determined that based on the placement of the pilings, that clearly the artist's picture was accurate and we decided we will return again in the summer to document that in a photo. So, after a stop a the highest rated restaurant in the Jordaan for a muffin and a trip to the American bookstore for some pleasure reading for the upcoming plane trip to Austria, we went off for dinner at a Greek tavern that was recommended and was great. After trying to read the Greek and Dutch memos, we asked if an English menu was available. (as is often the case, it was). We were trying to make our selections and noticed on the menu was an item called "platters". No further description. When the waiter came back, he asked if we wanted to see the "platter" and since we did, he brought to us a huge tray with 15 different plates of food on it. From here, you could point and pick what you wanted. It looked great - we picked... hummus, peppers, calamari, some rice thing with a vegetable we think was a leek, and a Greek pastry with spinach. And, for dinner :-), we chose the lamb which came with fried potatoes, salad, and bread. Yes, it was alot of food, but great fun to try several different things, all of which were very tasty. This dinner was as unique as dinner on Friday night. A co-worker, Kaltoum, and I made plans to go to dinner and then go see an English comedy play called "All the great books". We had decided to go to a sushi bar for dinner which was recommended to us, however, upon arrival, we learned that they were booked for the evening. I remembered another Japanese restaurant which I saw several times as I was walking from the neighborhood where I could park my car, back to my apartment at night. It was always busy and looked like it would be good, so we decided to try there. We walked over and were welcomed into the restaurant. It was definitely a local Japanese favorite given that everything was in Japanese on the walls and menus (although with translated English and Dutch), and when you ordered on a sheet of paper, they asked you to write it in Japanese (who knows what we actually received based on our order). And it wasn't a sushi bar, it was a grill bar. They put everything that you ordered on a skewer and grilled it over an open flame. Then brought it to you on a bed of cabbage. Interesting and very good. By the time we finished, the restaurant was full and we were the only non-Japanese people in there. Definitely, this was a local favorite. The comedy show was very funny and included American jokes and some very Dutch jokes and everyone had a great time.

So the weekend is over as it is now Sunday morning and after having my glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and toast, it is time to get to work and get ready for the week. Hope everyone who is reading this is doing well and I will talk to you soon!!!

Pretty city picture.... when it wasn't snowing, hailing, or raining. We had all three during our tour of the city.

The mode of transportation when you are touring around the city... a bike!!!

Amstelkring Museum - the building on the right. This is where "Our Lord of the Attic" Church is present on the 3 - 5 floors. Right in the heart of the red light district.

Original Delft tile in the orginal kitchen on the lower floors. I thought this was really cool given our recent visit to Delft. Each picture was different - there is even one with the guy playing golf. Very cool.

The hidden church. Built in the early 1600's, when citizens were not allowed to practice Catholism. Jan Hartman lived on the lower lower floors and built the church in the attic after purchasing the 2 small homes behind his house to build the church. The 4th and 5 floor - seating which you can see in the picture, were later added based on the number of attendees. Services were held here for more than 200 years.

It's Carnival time = one big party

Several cities in Europe (and throughout the world) celebrate the days before the beginning of Lent with large parties, street fairs, and other forms of excessive celebration. In the States, the most famous city would be New Orleans and the party would be called Marti Gras, in Northern Europe, everyone goes to Germany and Southern Holland and the party is called Carnival. Hearing about the good times, parades, costumes, and the possibility of seeing a mini-canon being shot off (we did), Todd and I decided to return to Maastrict, Holland (where we had visited only 2 weeks prior) to check out the events. We were certainly glad that we did. The pictures show the people better than I could ever describe, so I will just add some additional commentary to the events. What I found so interesting about Carnival is that everyone participates. Normally, when I think of a parade in the United States, I think about people going to watch the parade. You go to watch the floats, hear the bands, see the midget Orak club cars, etc. There is a clear distinction between the "parade - ers" and "watchers". This was not the case at Carnival. Everyone was dressed up and everyone was in the parade. And when you finished walking the parade route, you stood and watched everyone else. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone - young babies, toddlers, school age kids, teenagers, young adults, middle aged adults, and old and elderly adults (most of the participants were in this category - the adults were definitely enjoying the parade more than the kids - which is also funny because in the States that is normally reversed). Everyone was fully dressed in costume and everyone participated. Todd and I, looked out of place without a costume or colorful clothes (just so that you know, our intention was to buy a hat or scarf or something when we arrived in Maastrict, however, nothing was open (except for the bars) because it was a Sunday - remember, we are in Europe not in the States. )

Which brings me to another point that we thought was interesting. There were no "street vendors". In the US, at an event like this with this number of people, normally there would be people walking around selling things - like colorful hats and scarfs to those people that don't have them - but that was not the case here. Like I said, EVERYONE was participating in the events of the day. And, people just aren't as capitalistic as we are in the States, which Todd and I viewed as an "opportunity" to make some money if we had some things to sell (yes, we always are accountants). But anyways, I digress from the "party based" theme of the day.

So, Carnival is about dressing up, and partying. You cannot forget the partying. At first, I just noticed that several of the parade participants pushed or pulled some sort of cart. It was difficult to do on the brick cobblestone streets, but I figured, that was probably just part of the
"costume". Upon further analysis, however, we learned that the carts were to carry /store / transport the beverages of the day. Everyone had beer. Everyone was drinking beer. Everyone was sharing beer.... in the parade!!! Talk about open beverage container laws!!! Just not something you are used to seeing everyday.

So, we had a great day in Maastrict. Managed to say warm, have a great lunch, and watch a portion of the parade. In case you are wondering, the parade lasted 5 hrs. Todd and I managed 3.5 of those but were tempted to leave our spots based on the freshly made Belgium waffles we could smell being made down the street. We also tried to sing the Maastrict parade theme sound which we heard several times that day. Todd had obtained the translated version on the internet which told us that the theme song was about the government stealing peoples bikes from the city when the bike was not locked up in a bike rack. Apparently, this was a very serious issue a few years ago and thus the song, which everyone sang.... including the government officials!!!

So, great day, great party, great weekend, and now.... back to work.

Todd and I left Amsterdam at 9:30 and arrived in Maastrict at 11:30. As we were trying to park the car, this is the first site that we saw. These three men marching down the street. We must be in the right place.

It is Carnival time!!!!

I just thought this was a great picture in front of the large town church - everyone in the town was carrying something colorful for the Carnival.

The town square and this person hanging from a crane. I do not know how this relates to Carnival, but I am sure it does... otherwise it is just strange...

We had lunch a great Italian place on the town square. We were looking for a place indoors due to the temps when the Italian owner came out and told us to come in and eat here. He basically pulled us into the building to eat - but we were glad because the food was great!!

Todd stakes out our spot on the parade route. Notice he finally has gloves - which were required because it was about -1 degree C on parade day - and it was snowing!