Gemütlichkeit

Dear Subscriber GEMüTLICHKEITThe Travel Letter for Germany, Austria & Switzerland Dollars to euros After “where should we stay in xyz?,” the question we hear most is GERMAN WINE ROAD how best to change dollars into for- One of the clever tourism marketing schemes of modern times is the wine road. Like many eign currency, mainly euros. The an- European countries, Germany has its share of such routes. This one is its first. swer is simple; take your ATM debit card to Europe and withdraw the he Deutsche Weinstrasse, the northern end, west of Worms, it cash you need from bank ATM ma- Germany’s first wine road, is can easily be covered by car in half a chines. Be sure you have a four-digit T one of the country’s best kept day. But there are so many attractions PIN and you might also want to talk secrets. Lesser known to foreigners than along the way that you’ll want to lin- to your bank about raising the daily the Rhine and Mosel by Sharon Hudgins ger awhile in this pleasant part of the maximum amount that can be with- wine regions, the route country. drawn. To pay for larger purchases, wends its way down part of Germany’s Situated in Germany’s southwest- such as hotel bills, use a credit card, Pfalz region, through vineyards and ern quadrant, the Pfalz region has an preferably one that doesn’t charge a villages nestled in the foothills of the especially mild climate, with 1,800 foreign transaction fee (Capitol One forested Haardt Mountains overlooking hours of sunlight annually. It’s also and a few others). the Rhine River plain. Germany’s largest cultivated area, Not convinced? You’ve got The route’s establishment in 1935 where soil and sunlight combine to company. I read listservs and online was a government strategy to increase produce abundant and hugely varied forums where some folks actually wine sales. Villages on it were directed to crops of fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, sing the praises of exchanging large add an der Weinstrasse to their name, and and nuts. amounts of dollars for euros here in roads were marked Weinstrasse. The Pfalz is well suited for grow- North America, then carrying them to Extending for about 50 miles on a ing grapes, too, the first of which were Europe. Still others rely on traveler’s north-south axis between Schweigen- planted there by the Romans 2,000 check or debit cards pre-loaded with Rechtenbach, near the French border years ago. Today, it is the second-largest euros. west of Karlsruhe, and Bochenheim at Continued on page 3… Bill Clinton won an election by adhering to the phrase, “it’s the economy, stupid.” When it comes to Stopover Gruyères changing money, it’s the exchange ruyères is a one-day town. De- The Gruyère Castle (adults CHF rate, stupid. spite its postcard beauty and 9.5, seniors CHF 8.5, Kids 6-16 CHF 3) Recently a man headed to Europe G dramatic setting, the village can is worth a look but don’t waste your for the first time asked me what I be easily be seen, cheese factory and all, money or time at the Wax Museum. thought about purchasing one of in a single day. In the HR Giger Museum, part of the those cards pre-loaded with foreign We visited the town, Château Saint Germain, are the eerie currency. He wanted 2,000 euros. The by Bob Bestor set on a hilltop within the works of the man who designed the balance on the card would diminish monsters for the Alien movies. as the card was used. Sounds safe walls of a 15th Century castle, on a cool, and easy and, in fact, is. But there’s drizzly April day and, except for one The demonstration cheese dairy, just the tiniest catch; it would cost bus load that hustled directly to one of whose presentation is not quite up to him about $400. Here’s how. To get the town’s restaurants—no doubt for the the fromagerie in the Appenzell vil- a card pre-loaded with 2,000 euros, obligatory fondue — we literally had the lage of Stein, is at the base of the hill he said, would cost “about $3,000.” place to ourselves. below the village and provides an I noted that the exchange rate that The main street of wonderfully interesting couple of hours. There is day was one euro to $1.30 and the preserved old houses is mostly souve- commentary in English on the cheese- company that wanted to sell him nir shops and places to eat, more like making process, something one ob- the pre-loaded card was charging Disneyland than a real town with real serves from a gallery above the vats, $1.50 for each euro. With an ATM people. We can only speculate on what Continued on page 10… debit card he could get close to the Gruyères is like in fine weather, no doubt Exchange rates as of 9/13/2010 1.3 exchange rate. Thus the difference thick with tourists and umbrella-capped 1 euro = $1.28 in cost between using his ATM card café tables lining the cobbled streets. Swiss franc = $0.99 Continued on page 2… 1 gallon diesel, Germany=$5.80 www.gemut.com September 2010 www.gemut.com http://theeuropetraveler.com DEAR SUBSCRIBER rate was 1.45. She probably paid 1.55. of my transactions, the best possible Continued from page 1 Thus her 3,000 euros, if purchased that exchange rate, and I usually don’t day, cost $4,650. But last spring the dol- have to pay for several weeks. If I had and buying the pre-loaded card was lar did something a lot of people didn’t a Capitol One card there would be no $400. There might, of course, be some expect. It got stronger. This summer the foreign transaction fees. Don’t take a ATM transaction fees, but far less than exchange rate has ranged from 1.19 to Discover card to Europe, it won’t be $400. At the end of our conversation he 1.31. Let’s figure an average of 1.25. Us- accepted. agreed that buying euros in this way is ing that number, had our Venice-bound One note about credit card use in a very bad idea. traveler used an ATM to obtain money Europe: many automated machines Traveler’s checks? Remember as needed, her 3,000 euros would have that dispense such items as rail and those bygone days when we used to cost her about $3,750, a difference of parking tickets require a credit card buy them in foreign denominations; $900. Of course currencies fluctuate with an embedded chip. Generally deutschmarks, francs (both Swiss and constantly and given other circum- speaking, European credit cards have French), and lira. No changing dollars stances she might have made money. the chips and North American cards in Europe. They worked well, were But, just as it isn’t smart to “time” the do not. These are called “chip and accepted by most businesses, though stock market it’s not prudent to try to PIN” cards. In some cases you’ll be the rate of exchange our U.S. banks, guess the future value of currencies. OK if you can enter your PIN, so be Thomas Cook and American Express Buying euros a few at a time is akin to sure you know your credit card’s PIN. gave us was well above the inter-bank dollar-cost-averaging when investing At a rail station you can usually buy rate we now get with ATM and credit in stocks or mutual funds. That way from a real person at a ticket window, cards. But that was then, this is now. the averages work in your favor. You but in other circumstances you may be Try to cash a traveler’s check in Europe might not make as much but you also out of luck; your card may not work at and you may get a shrug and a shake don’t lose as much if things don’t go automated gas stations, toll-road col- of the head, even in a bank…provided your way. It’s the same with foreign lection stations, and unattended park- one’s open when you need money. So, currency. Buying a little bit at a time is ing garages. other than the lousy exchange rate and prudent. Of course the elephant in the Continued on page 12… room in this discussion is the incred- the difficulty in cashing them, travel- Using Gemütlichkeit er’s checks are perfect. ible naivete of traveling in airports and • Hotel prices listed are for one night. Discounts A woman who regularly posts on a foreign countries with large amounts are often available for longer stays. popular travel listserv I follow claims of currency…of any denomination. • All hotel prices include breakfast unless oth- erwise noted. And, you should never, ever swap buying a few thousand euros before • Local European telephone area codes carry leaving for Europe is the way to go. No money at a currency exchange booth in the “0” required for in-country dialing. To phone worries about finding ATMs or banks, an airport, rail station or on the street. establishments from outside the country, such as from the USA, do not dial the first “0”. and every business accepts them. Last For bigger purchases abroad, hotel winter she informed the list that she bills, restaurant meals, etc.

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