Euro Coins? Help!

Lin , the denominations are 1,2,5,10,20,50 euro cent. 1 and 2 euro coins . Your principal concern is the 2 euro coin , its most easily confused , I think with an obsolete 500 lire coin in Italy .coinage and denominations for UK pounds and Euros I believe are the same , it's the value or exchange rates that differ. After two long european trips and a third one imminent , allow me to share my experiences . You can study the actual currency and it probably won't take you long to visually identify which is which. However over a few days , more or less you will actually start to identify them by size in the feel of your fingers . Over a period of time , it becomes a sense kind ofthing . It will take a while but you will get used to it as a second nature sort of thing . Don't be too concerned , just keep an eye onthe two euro thing and don't lose any sleep over it . I got used to it fairly quick , so will you . Just so you don't think you're alone , a few months after we visited the UK we were at the Metropolitan Museum of Art here in NYC where we are frequent visitors , and saw a British lady get very upset trying to deal with our currency . It's a universal issue . Look forward to your adventure , You will have good laughs when you return , Have a great time , Steve

Thanks, Steve! That's great info. Looking forward to Italy!
Lin

Lin,
See http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=slv8-yie9&va=euro+coins+currency

There's one funny cultural thing that happens with coinage/changein Italy. The clerks in some stores (especially supermarkets) will ask for exact change. The bill is €12,34 and you give them €20,00: Do you have €2,34 or at least the €,34? No? How about €,04? Change-making is an art form to some, but it can slow down a line! Many times I have seen a store clerk paw through the handful of change offered by an Italian customer who gave up and virtually said "Here: This is what I have, take what you want." I have found people to be honest in change-making, although honest mistakes happen. Just take a moment to count your change before you leave the counter.

On the subject of making change, I've noticed that some of the younger generation seem to be a bit "challenged" in figuring that out. I recently visited a fast food restaurant in this area, and the clerk couldn't understand how much change I was to receive, even using an electronic cash register. I used the "counting up" method and had the amount calculated mentally, while he was still trying to figure it out. I guess they don't teach that sort of basic math skills in schools these days. I suspect the situation is much the same in Europe.

<en ,your comment strikes a chord . As a ten year old my father taught me to make change ( on a manual cash register ) in order to help out in the small shop he ran in the 1950's . This probably is , as you note ,a universal dillemma .