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June 04, 2005

Hungary and the EU

So, what is happening to Hungary now that it has joined the EU? It is getting more expensive.

There is actually a very simple test for this. When we were walking around Budapest today, we went to a t-shirt shop to look around. I think it had the best selection in Budapest. They had shirts for the Hard Rock Cafe, the Budapest Drinking Team, "I love Budapest", Ancient Hungarian dog breeds...you get the idea.

And all these shirts cost about 8-10 euros. But the best one was a blue polo shirt with the European Union logo on it. And how much did it cost? About twice as much. No wonder the French and Dutch voted down the proposed constitution this week.

Anyway, I wanted to buy one for my friend Leigh. He is English and the only thing he likes more than a united Europe is America. But I think he needs to earn the right to wear EU blue, so he will have to wait.

Posted by Kirk on June 4, 2005 05:10 AM

Comments

More expensive than you think. When I got home and checked my Mastercard online account balance, I found an extra 3% Fee on every charge in Prague and Vienna. More breathtaking was when I checked my bank ATM transactions. In Prague I got 24+K/$ with no ATM Fee, which is GREAT. In Vienna, however, at one bank I got .40Euro/$ and at another .52Euro/$. The current rate is .81Euro/$. Means I paid a 50% fee in essence at the one bank. YIKES!!

Posted by: Rog at June 4, 2005 12:56 PM