European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 12, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                July stars and stripes Page 27 tips for playing the currency game act photos local men play a game of floating chess while soaking in the Thermal Baths in a Day at the spa is a luxury just about anyone can be of the former soviet bloc countries Are among the 27 members of the european but Only one Slovenia has adopted the euro As its official the Only Legal tender in the other countries Are their own although rental car will often quote prices in euros As a to avoid confusion Over How the Exchange rate might be ask for prices in the local whatever you never agree to let a merchant charge your credit card in this is a scheme called dynamic currency its sold to travel ers As a but its really a Legal moneymaking Opportunity for the merchants who calculate Price at an unfavourable Exchange rate and pocket the difference As a the bulgarian lev is officially tied to the meaning when the euro rises or so does the but the Cost of living is cheap compared with the and Bulgaria is one of Eastern Europe Best travel Romania dropped four zeros off its currency in 2005 and phased out the old Money As of this the new Bills Are plasticized so they cant be arms Are and credit cards Are accepted by larger shops and currency left Over from one country can be exchanged for another at Banks and private Exchange for current Exchange see the Seattle times from Page 26 Yogurt soup with a whole baked Trout and polenta with cheese and dessert was crepes with bananas and ice the Bill was 20 bulgarian about with we might have snagged one of the Gourkos 11 rooms with Balco air conditioning and Cable to but the hotel was so we went next door to the nomads Hostel where we paid for a private room with the same great bathroom in the i omitted the word Eastern european hostels dont tend to use at no we met a Man in his 60s from Atlanta and a new zealand or in his 50s As Well As a peace corps worker in his Fedio and the Young ran the Hostel like a inviting guests onto the Balcony in the evenings for homemade Brandy and we used discount trains and Max taxis or mini vans to get from town to if we had been in Italy or we might have rented a but hiring a guide with a car for Day trips turned out to be an afford Able luxury in Romania and in Veliko Wear ranged a Day in the Countryside with Hostel owner Fedio for about to visit some of the traditional romanian villages in the Rural Mara mures near the Ukraine we found Nico lae Prisacarou in the Village of Vatu Nicolae charged the equivalent of a plus or about for two a considering rental cars Start at around per Day plus insurance and he spoke excellent English and seemed to know at the weekly animal Market in the we mingled with the locals who came with sheep and boxes of pigs to a few Miles away in the Village of we met Gheorghe woo owns a wooden Watermill where villagers do their Nicolae also helped us find a room in a Guesthouse owned by loan and Deana Boolean who live Swiss famil Robinson style with other relatives in a compound of traditional wooden we paid each including breakfast and a Home cooked evening meal for a cozy room with a modern bathroom heated by a Wood the Surprise for me was stylish it May not be the next but there Are plenty of Parks and gardens to easily fill a relaxing couple of we checked into the 20room Maria Luisa hotel a boutique business hotel in a renovated older building across from a synagogue and a the Price was for a less than what we paid in Rome last year for a Small in the upper floor of an office building near the train the Maria Luisa breakfast Buffet kept us going All and service was old world i came Back to the room to find that the maid had folded my clothes and lined up my toilet Ries according to the size of each tube and at a restaurant called before the High wooden floors and Moody jazz reminded me of Vienna or Paris except for the dinner for two a roasted red Pepper and baked cheese baked Trout and a Hal Fliter of White wine was transportation was a a single fare Tram ticket is 50 cents compared with for a trip on the Paris metro and on the London unlike in those Howe inspectors regularly Check for when a Man with a badge asked for ours and saw that we had Only he demanded we pay a Fine of 7 or times the Normal suitcases and backpacks require an extra of at least be fined us for Only one bag instead of what a act photos you can sip a cappuccino in style for a modest Price in cafes like this one in the dry novo monastery near Veliko operates a Small double rooms go for a