Villas in Marbella. Mediterranean real-estate purchases have skyrocketed in the past two months. A near 30 percent rise amid a global recession. Please. Then there are the flashy cars–sales of Mercedeses have risen by 37 percent this year; and Audi and BMW trail not far behind. Jewelry, electrical goods, fine wine and art also top the recent European shopping lists.
No one can accuse the Europeans of not having fun–or at least not taking the changeover too seriously. The Dutch have discovered the Thai bhat, realizing that parking meters can’t distinguish the one-bhat coin, worth 0.02 euro, from a euro itself. Then there’s currency as…art. Museum exhibits like “Goodbye Guilder; Hello Euro,” which includes an entire floor made out of pressed guilder notes (once worth $15 million), pay tribute to the old. The Italians are in on the art act, with plans to make a lira monument out of melted coinage to be built next year. Even bank robbers are cashing in. In the past month alone, 10 armored euro-laden trucks have been robbed. And the French? Well, they’re going on strike.
