The country of France uses the Euro €, the official currency of the European Union. The United States is the largest and most traded currency, followed by the Euro. At this time, one euro equals 1.13 USD. The exchange rate this year reached a peak of 1.25 USD to 1 euro in February 2018. The highest it has ever reached is 1.58 USD to 1 euro. The lowest it has ever reached is 0.88 USD to 1 euro. It is a relatively new currency, as it has only been around since 2002. I have enjoyed using a new currency, and prices appear to be “cheaper” in stores because of the exchange rate. This probably leads me to spend more money in the long run. One thing I have found interesting is the 1 and 2 euro coins. As this is not the norm in the United States, it took me some time to adjust my mindset to attributing the worth of a full 2€ to one coin. It also means that we seem to get double the amount of coins we do if we pay with cash in the states. It has been bothersome to carry around and count so many coins, but it also feels good to buy things only using coins. I have found it a good habit to give beggars or performers on the street the coins that I carry!

One of my favorite options as a souvenir is to buy a special 0 euro bill with a design on it particular to the tourist attraction. I exchanged 1 euro for a 0 euro bill that has the castle of Mont Saint Michel on it. I have never heard of this in the United States, but I think it would be fun! The money here is so colorful it reminds me of monopoly money. It was very convenient to be able to use the same currency when we visited Italy. I am sure that switching currencies would have made our trip all the more interesting. Returning home, I hope to learn about the process of exchanging money. At this point, I do not know where to go to do this.