Spending Money:

It probably doesn't matter a great deal what system you use for spending money i.e.: credit cards, debit cards, travelers' checks, etc., especially if you're only going to be there for two weeks. You can use your ATM or credit and debit cards in machines in France to access cash the same way you do here. You must have a 4 pin code - not 5 pin - and will find machines that accept Visa, MC, Discovery, Plus, Cirrus and perhaps some others. It's probably a good idea to bring two cards with you in case a machine is feeling stingy that particular day and refuses to give you any money on one card. It's happened... Let me add something here about traveler's checks. They are fast becoming a nightmare to use. More and more you will find that merchants just don't want to deal with them. So...Don't bring 'em!

The Euro: What's going on here? Does it really exist? Here's the skinny on the Euro: In January 1999 the euro was officially introduced and the currencies of the 11 participating members were irrevocably fixed to the euro. Although exchange rates ceased to exist between the members, they still exist for the euro and the dollar. The dual currency period was January 1999 to January 2002 where the Euro existed alongside current member currencies.

On January 1, 2002 euro notes and coins were introduced into circulation. July 1, 2002 was the dreaded day (dreaded by people like me who love the visual beauty of the franc) where the euro became the only legal tender for member nations. Of course, us Americans are dealing with the exchange rate between the euro and the dollar rather than between the franc and the dollar. Unfortunately, the people who designed the Euro coins never consulted one of us artists. They are UGLY... and so difficult to tell one coin from another denomination coin. I've even had French retail business owners tell me they were having problems. If you're like me you'll probably need to pull out your reading glasses to see what coins you have. Well, it's not so bad anymore. I guess I've gotten used to them.

Shopping in the supermarkets for common items is an exercise in understanding. For example, when you buy milk you will see choices expressed on the labels that don't provide the usual associations for us. We like our skim milk, or 1% or 2% or whatever. In France when you see "lait entier" that means whole milk and probably has the most fat. "Demi-Ecreme" would be closer to our 2% and the brand that says "Silhouette" would be the equivalent to our least fatty milks. Same thing with cheeses - which are among the most delicious in the world. Just look for the percentage of "matiere grasse" on the container. This means animal fat and if you want to watch how much you're eating just buy the one with the lowest percentage. Of course, it won't taste as good as the fatty cheeses, but hey, we're talking trade-off here!

Speaking of spending money, here are some web sites in French that are guides to restaurants, travel and events:

www.eatinparis.com This has an English option too.
http://www.voyages-sncf.com/ A guide to the trains in France and you can click on the Union Jack for English version. You can find that under "mon guide SNCF".
www.allocine.com A guide to films that has an English option.
www.gites-de-france.fr A great guide with an English option that can help you find lodging anywhere in the country!

As of June 2009 these links are still good.

It's interesting to know that the French system of credit cards and check book banking is different from ours in several important ways: For example, all French credit cards are tied into checking accounts and are therefore debit cards. What's more, they charge no interest! Same with their checking accounts - no interest. There is apparently a movement now to start charging interest for these services, but the French consumer organizations' strength will make it very difficult to make those changes.