Barcelona has the Euro

So the party hats and streamers have been binned, the hangovers may be with some of us and the only place open in Barcelona seems to be Disco Bar Joe's, but the country has now officially entered the dual currency phase of the Euro.

Banks were selling starter kits of coins before Christmas priced at 2,000 pesetas, the idea being that people could get used to the coins before the first of January. I can tell you that one of the coins looks a bit like a 1p piece, another a bit like a 5p and I know someone who knows someone who illegally used some coins to pay for something in December, but the notes were not officially available until today and a television presenter went to a cash machine on live television in the early hours to demonstrate how easy it was to withdraw Euro notes.

In fact Spain seems to be quite well geared up for the change in currency and my bank (la Caixa) has been operating my account dually in Pesetas and Euros for a few months now. The government has been busy sending every household a plastic card with Euro/Peseta conversions; look at the amount you want, angle the card and the conversion magically appears. It is of no use today though as I doubt if anyone in Spain can see straight and will probably have the effect of creating a mini-boom for opticians. Maybe the government is planning a lens tax for 2002.

So, you ask, what is the new currency like? Well, I set out this evening in the cause of investigative journalism to get my hands on the long anticipated currency and made my way the nearest bank. I put my card in, typed in my PIN and was offered notes in denominations of 2,000 and 5,000. Not Euros though.

Disappointed, but determined, I made my way to Sants station, through which I don't know how many people pass every day. I struggled through the masses of New Year's day travellers and finally fought my way to the cash machine. Trembling, I put my card in the slot, typed my PIN again and, hey presto!, was offered 5,000 or 10,000 peseta notes this time.

I am ready for the Euro, but when will it be ready for me?

 

UPDATE: 2nd January 2002, 13:00

No luck at the station again, but I had a key cut - could only pay in pesetas and visited the supermarket; not enough pesetas so paid in Euros on my plastic.

UPDATE: 2nd January 2002, 16:00

The Euro does exist after all. After finding a second cash machine in the station, clearly marked that it had been converted, I was able to get my hands on some notes that would not look out of place next to a monopoly board. I went to check the other cash machine and it still offers Pesetas, so perhaps we could have got them yesterday, after all.