A week ago I got a Euro coin back as change money and didn’t notice it right away, but at home I had to laugh when I realized someone attempted to stamp out the United Kingdom from the coin. So, I took my 40mm macro lens and shot a photo. The person had a funny idea but I don’t think that it was correctly executed as Ireland is stamped out as well and not just the United Kingdom. It could also be that it is coincidence, that the Euro coin was not damaged on purpose. But anyhow, it looks to me like someone really wanted to make a Brexit joke. What do you think?
Diary of Dennis 
That’s funny. And pretty dumb, too.
Right 🙂
Definitely done on purpose! 🙂
I am pretty sure about this too. But would have been funnier if the person wouldn’t have touched Ireland. 🙂
Britain? Britain who? 🙂
Britain off the coin 😀
I have nothing against the British but they always seemed different than the rest of Europe. Like they belong somewhere else.
Me neither. I like them. I am actually sad that they leave the EU but only from a consumer perspective. It was pretty cool to order things from the UK without the shenanigans you would have if you’d order things outside of Europe. They have some nice online stores. Apart from those stores, it was also great to use Amazon UK if something was not available on Amazon Germany. And prices have been fair in the UK too.
I know people who went there for holidays or weekend trips, and they will miss it too. Soon there will be border shenanigans again I guess. However, I still understand why they want to leave. Here in Germany, many including myself aren’t proud of the EU either. Apart from the mentioned benefits, the whole EU construct brought us many disadvantages too. For example that the EU slowly but gradually takes away our sovereignty and freedom, that we got tons of stupid EU rules which everyone has to follow, that the internet became harder to use, that we got a currency which cut all our wealth into half… there are actually more disadvantages than benefits.
If I could decide for Germany, I’d leave the EU ASAP as well and introduce the Deutsche Mark back. I think you can have all the benefits without being reigned under an insane and overly bureaucratic construct that takes away all our freedom. Agreements between countries could bring the same benefits and that without all the drawbacks.
Media tries to portrait Britons as some kind of idiots with the Brexit, but I personally think they’re just brave to be the first ones to leave. They might lose some European benefits, but what they gain is far greater than that, it’s sovereignty.
That is interesting, I was not aware of the problems but I understand the sovereignty issue. I have been looking into things to do when my wife and I visit Germany in October. We discussed taking a trip to Austria and Switzerland and maybe even France while we are in Stuttgart. I learned that it is very easy to cross the border which is one advantage, at least for us.
The biggest obstacle I have now is in getting a phone that will work there. The easiest thing would be to buy a cheap, prepaid phone when we get there but I read that unless I have been a resident there for a certain amount of time, I would not be allowed to buy a phone.
Yes, border crossing within the EU is an advantage. I am not sure if there are any differences with SIM cards in EU and US phones. Otherwise, I’d suggest just to get a prepaid SIM card and put it in your phone. What kind of cards do US phones take? Most current phones here need Nano Sim cards. If yours does take them too, you could just get a prepaid card and put it in there. But a quick Google search seems to reveal that you do not just have to identify yourself when buying a prepaid card (anti-terrorism laws), you also need a German address. So, I think you are right… but it’s about the prepaid cards. Some articles claim you still can get a European prepaid card. It’s important that you get one with no roaming fees. Otherwise, the use of the card can become expensive when you cross EU countries.
It seems there is a long discussion on TripAdvisor with people sharing their experiences. I am no expert with prepaid cards for tourists. Maybe you find some ideas if you read or click through the latest posts from 2019:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1-i12530-k11188936-Sim_cards_to_use_in_Europe-Travel_Gadgets_and_Gear.html
U.s. phones use a different system that is not compatible. Some phone can switch between systems. Only two carriers, TMobile and AT&T, allow their phones to be used in Europe but both are more expensive than my current phone company. Plus I would need to buy new phones. I may just buy one cheap phone for emergency and cancel my service after I get home.
Wow. Didn’t expect that it would be that difficult. Sounds like a plan, but still complicated.
I didn’t think it would be so difficult either. Too bad America and Europe are so different. I have to buy voltage converters too. Plus, Ich muss deutsch üben.
Especially as these are simple things that could be overlooked before the holidays. Makes me wonder how many tourists got a surprise. Good that you think about these things. Honestly, if I would travel to the US, I’d probably either realize all these things very late and things would get hectic, or not at all. Especially when it’s about the phone. I also would have thought to just get a prepaid card. But hey, now I know, if I ever make it out of Europe, I need to pay attention to the details too 😀
I hope you do get a chance to visit the United States. There is so much to see here. I bet you would like the beaches here in Florida or maybe the wilderness like Yellowstone Park.
I’ve seen a long documentary series on YouTube about America and they showed different parts along the US coasts. Including Florida. Would definitely enjoy it. We have so many interesting places in this world. I think we’d like to see them all, but it’s sadly not possible to see it all.
There is so much I have not seen in my own country.
In Germany, me neither.
Redrawing the map….one coin at a time! Might take some time
Haha, yeah 😀 But I wonder if the EU will issue new coins at some point without UK on it. The map basically only shows EU members. Norway, for example, is not visible.
Maybe down the road…perhaps a bit soon lol