Following the Equator

Friday Fun Fact: Trevi Fountain coins

The simple legend says that if you toss a coin into Rome's famed Trevi Fountain, you will ensure your return to the Eternal City.

There are several more elaborate variations, including one that says it's lucky to throw three coins with your right hand over your left shoulder. No one knows for sure when the superstition began, but there's no doubting it's lasting legacy.

As much as 800,000 euros—more than a million U.S. dollars—is pulled from the fountain annually. (The coins are collected every morning between 6 and 7 a.m.) Where does that money go? To help Rome's poorest people. The charity Caritas uses the funds to run food and social programs and even opened a supermarket for the needy.

Photo: cfwee via Flickr (CC license)

Friday Fun Fact: First paper money

Like many things, banknotes and paper money first originated in China.

The world's first documented banknotes, made of animal skins, appeared in ancient China about 118 B.C. And the jiaozi (left), which first appeared in the 9th century, is generally regarded as the world's first paper money.

U.K. begins offering foreign currency ATMs

Looking for euros in London? Here's a new, easier way to get them.

Britain's Post Office is testing 13 ATMs that dispense euros and U.S. dollars. The trial is aimed at cutting down long lines at the Post Office, and if the test is successful, foreign currency ATMs could be introduced across the United Kingdom.

This is particularly useful for student travelers who are visiting London (where the pound is the currency of choice) before traveling to other parts of Europe (where the euro rules).

The Times Online also reports, "Some airports already have euro/dollar exchange machines and Marks & Spencer introduced foreign currency ATMs at 21 stores in January, while HSBC is bringing them in at railway stations and shopping malls."

While exchange rates might be higher at airport machines, the Post Office ATM rates are the same as at the counters—without the wait.

Photo: William Spaetzel via Flickr