Day Four: Pricing

As Germany uses the Euro, we had to convert our currency either in America before our flight or there in Germany either in Frankfurt or Hamburg itself. Otherwise we would have to succumb to Germany's severe dislike for credit cards. Due to the rushed scheduling of our flights, we were forced to exchange in Hamburg, while waiting for my brother to arrive and take us to our hotel. At a conversion rate of (at the time) 1 Euro to $1.10, we were surprised at how similar the two currencies had become. 

Upon planning the trip to Germany, we expected everything there to be rather pricey, not only would we be living and buying in a populous city center, but we were purchasing everything in the Euro as well. However, since the two currencies had become quite similar in value, the prices in the country itself seemed to have remained very much the same. This resulted in crazy cheap prices. What six months ago would have cost us 9 American dollars then cost us only about $6.60. And German portions at restaurants were not small by any means. In fact, buying food items for our Thanksgiving dinner we were planning to host was ridiculously cheap. Enough food items for recopies we brought with us cost only about $33 for seven people!

 By far the most expensive thing we spent money on was taxi fair. We took a taxi anywhere a train or bus couldn't. And many places we were too tired to wait on. All taxis had a standard initial fare, and the average five minute ride would cost us around twenty Euros. A fifteen minute drive might run us back thirty Euros. We would ride the taxi multiple times a day. On the second to last day, we ran out of cash. No problem, we've got credit card, right? Germany hates credit cards, particularly the taxi drivers. In fact,  a few of them flat out said, "keine Kreditkarte." No credit card. Those who did accept them went through the trouble of a good several minute long process of inserting the card into a portable machine, signing a paper, waiting for the purchase to go through, and adding 'tip.' Needless to say, cash is far better.

Even at the Weinachtsmarkt, a Christmas themed market directly in front of the Rathaus held considerably cheaper prices than we were expecting. For a Christmas themed anything, of course.