I just thought I'd point out, that the article here on Ignatz-Mice providing advice on the Prive-Huis is so "old" that it quotes prices in the former Dutch currency, the florin ("fl"), rather than in the present currency, the Euro. But if the Greek populace continues to resist efforts to fix the economy, the Euro may piffle out, and we'd be right back to florins (or was it florints?). Kind of like widths of neckties and suit lapels, length of skirts, and whether or not bell-bottoms are stylish: you keep around yesterday's styles long enough and they become tomorrow's all over again.

http://www.ignatzmice.com/Prive_Guide

Hi book_guy,
I'm afraid all the articles linked off the main page run the risk of being horribly out of date as I did not write them and don't really have much first hand knowledge with which to update them. I don't live in Amsterdam. I could do searches etc but A) I'm short on time these days and B) I'd like to know that the info I'm putting up is actually correct. So I welcome input from long time, trusted contributors if the articles can be improved.

As for our ancient Privehuis guide, if you (or another volunteer) can provide the necessary updates including the correct prices in euros, I'll make the changes and credit the contributor. I've never visited a prive so don't really have much knowledge on the subject.

I'm no expert but I personally don't know anyone who thinks their life actually improved due to being on the euro. So maybe ditching it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. But what do I know?

I thought the Dutch currency was called the guilder. At least that's what I remember from the 90s...one of the notes had a big yellow sunflower as I recall.

I've been holding on to all the Greek euro coins that I come across in the hopes that they'll be collectibles soon.

It is now a when, rather than an if, the Euro breaks. It would be best for everyone if it were done by an orderly demerger back into national currencies. I was in Holland when it was introduced as a trading currency a few years before the notes and coins were circulated. At the time, New Year 1999, the going rate was 50 guilders (florin) if my memory serves me correctly. By 2003, the standard price was up to 50 euros. A 120% price rise in the space of four years. That the ladies were charging this much more must reflect the increase in their own costs - room rental etc - that they had to cover?

I really hope the euro stays. Having a single currency is soooo practical when you travel around in europe.
I remember the days that i sometimes carried 2 wallets with 4 or more currency's when travelling ... Not fun.

Re the price increase in RLD's, If I recall correctly wasn't the 50 guilders entry price in the expensive RLD's ( now 50E )
before the introduction of the euro for fuck OR suck? In rld's like Alkmaar the price stayed somewhat the same.
Also remember that you cannot compare current prices with the ones of 10 or 20 years ago. Those times are gone.
Going back to pre-euro times will not cause a price drop IMO. This is a market and it will adapt to income vs costs and
supply/demand. With the current window rent prices the girls simply cannot survive otherwise.

Much of the euroscepticism comes from populist political parties - often combined with nationalism - who seek some scapegoat. The current crisis is not caused because of the EU. Of course there is this problem called Greece...

Just my 0.2 euro cents ( or 0.4 guilder cents if you prefer that )

The discussion is beyond the remit of this forum, but it was obvious all along that the one-size-fits all policy on interest rates was never going to work, with the national economies so out of kilter. That has nothing to do with nationalism, it is just economic common sense. A single currency cannot operate without a single treasury baacked by a single government, which can rein in inexpenditure and introduce or withdraw 'liquidity' into the market as and when needed.

The Spanish economy for example has been ruined by having Eurozone interest rates set for the needs of Germany. For obvious political reasons there is no chance whatsoever of the Euro surviving in its present form. As for price inflation, I mentioned the first four years after its introduction when the Eurozone base rate was low for the benefit of the German economy, which left other countries with no way of keeping price inflation down by raising their base rates accordingly. The Eurozone is going to break anyway, the best hope is that it does so gently.