People of Vienna get used to euro coins and notes

1. Hofburg Palace 2. Horse drawn carriages 3. Coach men showing each other the euro bank notes 4. Woman getting out of carriage and paying with euro banknotes 5. Exterior Museum of Imperial Apartments 6. Ticket desk 7. Man paying with euro 8. People arriving at Vienna airport 9. Exchange Bureau 10. Man withdrawing new bank notes 11. Cashier counting bank notes 12. Woman giving money to customer 13. People queuing in front of exchange 14. SOUNDBITE (English) Vox pop "It's a new era for Europe and I think for all the whole world." 14. People looking at exchange 15. SOUNDBITE (English) Vox pop "As soon as our purses include only euro, it's definitely going to be easier. The most confusing part for us was double pricing schillings and euros, so I give it two or three weeks and that's it for people to get used to the euro." 16. Same woman paying for coffee in coffee 17. General view of cafe STORYLINE: The old mixed with the new in the Austrian capital of Vienna on New Year's Day as tourists visiting the Hofburg Palace paid for horse-drawn carriage rides with euros on the first day of the largest currency swap in history. Famous for the Imperial Apartments and the Spanish Riding School, visitors had come to the palace to see the history of times gone by. But modern history was also generating excitement as the crisp, pastel-coloured euro notes with shiny foil hologrammes began to circulate. At Vienna airport, many people lined up at exchange bureaux and cash withdrawal machines to get the new currency. To get euros into people's wallets quickly, European officials are using a two-part strategy intended to vacuum most local currencies from circulation within two weeks. They have arranged for most cash machines to dispense euros in the first days of the New Year and shop owners may only change in euros. This man welcomed the euro, hailing its inception part of a new era for Europe and for the rest of the world. Old currencies will be good for up to two months, depending on the country, and can be exchanged at central banks for years. This woman was optimistic about the general public's reception of the new currency, saying it would just be a matter of weeks. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/c007178be13e9b6a2cc1913f8cdbeb57 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

Comments