Here's my method; I get about USD 100 in Euros from a currency exchange
bureau, not a bank (banks are sooo completely clueless about small
foreign currency transactions} I use AFEX here in SF. Then I arrive
with some moderately small E notes .. forget the 100 euro notes, taxi
drivers don't like them.. When I regain my senses the next morning I
consider dealing with the ATM. I always try to have about $100 US in my
pocket when I leave home in case the van doesn't show and I have to get
a taxi and then on returning from Europe I may be in a state of
collapse and need to pay for a taxi instead of the normal van. I get
good mileage out of that $100 in my years of travel.

Most of the time now I have a substantial amout of Euro left over from
the last trip so it is moot.
bill

On Thu, 25 Aug 2005 20:20:40 -0700, bill frogg wrote:

    > Then I arrive
    > with some moderately small E notes .. forget the 100 euro notes, taxi
    > drivers don't like them.

Depends on the country.
I use Eur100 notes to pay for single beers or a Mars(tm) bar with not any
eye batted here.
--
Tim C.

Tim Challenger <[email protected]> wrote:

    > On Thu, 25 Aug 2005 20:20:40 -0700, bill frogg wrote:
    >
    > > Then I arrive
    > > with some moderately small E notes .. forget the 100 euro notes, taxi
    > > drivers don't like them.
    >
    > Depends on the country.
    > I use Eur100 notes to pay for single beers or a Mars(tm) bar with not any
    > eye batted here.

My partner certainly had eyes batted at him when he tried to pay for a
couple of drinks at a kiosk in Vienna with a 50 euro note, though that
was rare- we didn't find change a problem most of the time. Recently, an
unnecessarily rude bus driver in Dublin (route to the airport)
complained to me because I paid the 5 euro fare using 5 1-euro coins.

--
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
photos at http://homepage.mac.com/davidhornecomposer

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 08:49:47 +0100, [email protected]
wrote:

    > Tim Challenger <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    >> On Thu, 25 Aug 2005 20:20:40 -0700, bill frogg wrote:
    >>
    >>> Then I arrive
    >>> with some moderately small E notes .. forget the 100 euro notes, taxi
    >>> drivers don't like them.
    >>
    >> Depends on the country.
    >> I use Eur100 notes to pay for single beers or a Mars(tm) bar with not any
    >> eye batted here.
    >
    > My partner certainly had eyes batted at him when he tried to pay for a
    > couple of drinks at a kiosk in Vienna with a 50 euro note, though that
    > was rare- we didn't find change a problem most of the time. Recently, an
    > unnecessarily rude bus driver in Dublin (route to the airport)
    > complained to me because I paid the 5 euro fare using 5 1-euro coins.

Really? It's probably happened to me a handful of times in all my 15 years
here (even using equivalent Schilling notes before the Euro).
Even then generally when the shop/taxi whatever has just opened up and
hasn't worked up a large float of change yet.

They do often glance at the notes to check the validity.
--
Tim C.

Tim Challenger <[email protected]> wrote:

    > On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 08:49:47 +0100, [email protected]
    > wrote:
    >
    > > Tim Challenger <[email protected]> wrote:
    > >
    > >> On Thu, 25 Aug 2005 20:20:40 -0700, bill frogg wrote:
    > >>
    > >>> Then I arrive
    > >>> with some moderately small E notes .. forget the 100 euro notes, taxi
    > >>> drivers don't like them.
    > >>
    > >> Depends on the country.
    > >> I use Eur100 notes to pay for single beers or a Mars(tm) bar with not any
    > >> eye batted here.
    > >
    > > My partner certainly had eyes batted at him when he tried to pay for a
    > > couple of drinks at a kiosk in Vienna with a 50 euro note, though that
    > > was rare- we didn't find change a problem most of the time. Recently, an
    > > unnecessarily rude bus driver in Dublin (route to the airport)
    > > complained to me because I paid the 5 euro fare using 5 1-euro coins.
    >
    > Really? It's probably happened to me a handful of times in all my 15 years
    > here (even using equivalent Schilling notes before the Euro).
    > Even then generally when the shop/taxi whatever has just opened up and
    > hasn't worked up a large float of change yet.

I didn't know whether to be surprised or not. Certainly, I wouldn't have
used such a denomination for a couple of bottles of water myself. It was
the only problem we had- certainly nothing like Hungary, where even some
museums didn't seem to want to make change.

--
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
photos at http://homepage.mac.com/davidhornecomposer

Tim Challenger <[email protected]> writes:

    > On Thu, 25 Aug 2005 20:20:40 -0700, bill frogg wrote:
    >
    > > Then I arrive
    > > with some moderately small E notes .. forget the 100 euro notes, taxi
    > > drivers don't like them.
    >
    > Depends on the country.
    > I use Eur100 notes to pay for single beers or a Mars(tm) bar with not any
    > eye batted here.

A lot of places in the Netherlands have little signs saying, roughly,
"Keep your ridiculous German banknotes to yourself, silly touristes, we
only take sensible money here".

Des

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 08:48:52 +0200, Tim Challenger
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >On Thu, 25 Aug 2005 20:20:40 -0700, bill frogg wrote:
    >> Then I arrive
    >> with some moderately small E notes .. forget the 100 euro notes, taxi
    >> drivers don't like them.
    >Depends on the country.
    >I use Eur100 notes to pay for single beers or a Mars(tm) bar with not any
    >eye batted here.

Things are expensive in Austria :-)
--
Martin

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 08:48:52 +0200, Tim Challenger
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >> Then I arrive
    >> with some moderately small E notes .. forget the 100 euro notes, taxi
    >> drivers don't like them.
    >Depends on the country.
    >I use Eur100 notes to pay for single beers or a Mars(tm) bar with not any
    >eye batted here.
    >--
    >Tim C.

I'm sure they're cheerfully accepted.

Provided, of course, that you don't expect change.

Cheers, Alan, Australia

Des Small wrote:

    > Tim Challenger <[email protected]> writes:
    >
    >
    >>On Thu, 25 Aug 2005 20:20:40 -0700, bill frogg wrote:
    >>>Then I arrive
    >>>with some moderately small E notes .. forget the 100 euro notes, taxi
    >>>drivers don't like them.
    >>Depends on the country.
    >>I use Eur100 notes to pay for single beers or a Mars(tm) bar with not any
    >>eye batted here.
    >
    >
    > A lot of places in the Netherlands have little signs saying, roughly,
    > "Keep your ridiculous German banknotes to yourself, silly touristes, we
    > only take sensible money here".
    >
    > Des

What do they do, study the serial numbers on the Euro notes and check
where they were printed?


T.

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 19:15:26 +1000, Alan S <[email protected]> wrote:

    >On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 08:48:52 +0200, Tim Challenger
    ><[email protected]> wrote:
    >>> Then I arrive
    >>> with some moderately small E notes .. forget the 100 euro notes, taxi
    >>> drivers don't like them.
    >>Depends on the country.
    >>I use Eur100 notes to pay for single beers or a Mars(tm) bar with not any
    >>eye batted here.

    >I'm sure they're cheerfully accepted.
    >Provided, of course, that you don't expect change.

LOL too 'kin true.
--
Martin

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 10:57:29 +0200, Martin wrote:

    > On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 08:48:52 +0200, Tim Challenger
    > <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    >>On Thu, 25 Aug 2005 20:20:40 -0700, bill frogg wrote:
    >>> Then I arrive
    >>> with some moderately small E notes .. forget the 100 euro notes, taxi
    >>> drivers don't like them.
    >>Depends on the country.
    >>I use Eur100 notes to pay for single beers or a Mars(tm) bar with not any
    >>eye batted here.
    >
    > Things are expensive in Austria :-)

LOL!
Your mind works on a different level to mine :-)
--
Tim C.

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 19:15:26 +1000, Alan S wrote:

    > On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 08:48:52 +0200, Tim Challenger
    > <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    >>> Then I arrive
    >>> with some moderately small E notes .. forget the 100 euro notes, taxi
    >>> drivers don't like them.
    >>Depends on the country.
    >>I use Eur100 notes to pay for single beers or a Mars(tm) bar with not any
    >>eye batted here.
    >>--
    >>Tim C.
    >
    > I'm sure they're cheerfully accepted.
    >
    > Provided, of course, that you don't expect change.

Austrians will accept anything if it's money.

I haven't noticed it recently, but a while ago, if the waiter/ess thought
you were being a bit stingy with the tip, they'd rummage around in their
money-pouch, pretending to be unable to find the right change. Sort of
tempting you to say, "oh alright, round it up a bit more then". When that
happened to me I always let them find the right change, and any tip I was
going to give got reduced to zero.

--
Tim C.

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 12:38:45 +0200, Tim Challenger
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 10:57:29 +0200, Martin wrote:
    >> On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 08:48:52 +0200, Tim Challenger
    >> <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>
    >>>On Thu, 25 Aug 2005 20:20:40 -0700, bill frogg wrote:
    >>>> Then I arrive
    >>>> with some moderately small E notes .. forget the 100 euro notes, taxi
    >>>> drivers don't like them.
    >>>Depends on the country.
    >>>I use Eur100 notes to pay for single beers or a Mars(tm) bar with not any
    >>>eye batted here.
    >>
    >> Things are expensive in Austria :-)
    >LOL!
    >Your mind works on a different level to mine :-)

but here I wouldn't dream of paying for a local beer, never mind with
Eur100 notes :-)

The latest oddity is that the local supermarket is selling half litre
Bitburger cans for far less than the local fizz and only we seem to
buy it. The question is how much do we have to buy and drink each week
to convince the supermarket that there is a demand for it.
--
Martin

Tim Challenger <[email protected]> wrote:

[]
    > I haven't noticed it recently, but a while ago, if the waiter/ess thought
    > you were being a bit stingy with the tip, they'd rummage around in their
    > money-pouch, pretending to be unable to find the right change. Sort of
    > tempting you to say, "oh alright, round it up a bit more then". When that
    > happened to me I always let them find the right change, and any tip I was
    > going to give got reduced to zero.

I'm not sure if I overtipped in Vienna, but I gave 10%, and that seemed
to be appreciated. Low expectations can be wonderful- I'd expected
surly, indifferent, rude staff everywhere, and everyone seemed fairly
friendly. (A fair amount of the staff seem to be from elsewhere- maybe
that makes a difference.) We were even 'nicely' barred from the Sacher
Cafe, if that's possible.

--
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
photos at http://homepage.mac.com/davidhornecomposer

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 11:49:32 +0100, [email protected]
wrote:

    > Tim Challenger <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    > []
    >> I haven't noticed it recently, but a while ago, if the waiter/ess thought
    >> you were being a bit stingy with the tip, they'd rummage around in their
    >> money-pouch, pretending to be unable to find the right change. Sort of
    >> tempting you to say, "oh alright, round it up a bit more then". When that
    >> happened to me I always let them find the right change, and any tip I was
    >> going to give got reduced to zero.
    >
    > I'm not sure if I overtipped in Vienna, but I gave 10%, and that seemed
    > to be appreciated. Low expectations can be wonderful- I'd expected
    > surly, indifferent, rude staff everywhere, and everyone seemed fairly
    > friendly.

10% is on the upper limit - unless you were especially delighted with the
service.
Generally you just round up to the nearest 1 or 2 Euros. On a meal of say
Eur52.50 I'd round up to 55. For a single beer just round up to the next
50c at the most.

    > (A fair amount of the staff seem to be from elsewhere- maybe
    > that makes a difference.)
I don't think it makes a difference.
Many serving staff in the catering and hotel business come from the new EU
member states. I really notice it in the mountains, either summer
motorbiking or winter boarding, there are less and less locals. Mostly
Hungarian, Slovenian and - surprisingly - German.

    >We were even 'nicely' barred from the Sacher
    > Cafe, if that's possible.

    :-)

--
Tim C.