January 8, 2013 Photo of the Day: "Change is Good"
Next week, I am attending a global travel conference in Paris, so today I picked up my Euros at the bank. European money is so much more interesting than American money, not just because it is worth more - Ouch! The sizes and shapes of both coins and paper money are varied and the colors are vibrant. Although now it is so much easier to travel from country to country in Europe without changing currencies, I miss the days when the exchange rate was eight francs to a dollar. I also miss how unique and educational the old French francs were. I loved teaching my students about the cultural icons featured in vivid colors and images.
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| 20F featuring composer Claude Debussy |
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| 100F featuring artist Paul Cézanne |
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| 200F featuring architect Gustav Eiffel |
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| 500F featuring scientists Marie & Pierre Curie |
My favorite French currency is the 50F bill featuring Antoine de St.-Exupéry, aviator and writer of
Le Petit Prince. What is most charming are images of the Little Prince on his volcanic planet (Asteroid B-612) and the semi-hidden images of the sheep in white ink (
"S'il vous plaît, dessine-moi un mouton!"), and the legendary boa constrictor that swallowed an elephant (Drawing #2 which clearly is not a hat :) This delightful bill and the other French francs always made me wish that American money featured children's literature, cultural icons, and women!
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| 50F featuring Antoine de St.-Exupéry & The Little Prince |
