The problem with the single currency was that s an unanswered question, did north and south europeans like each other enough to share a currency? And all these regional stereotypes immediately came into play. I first noticed this in brussels, in belgium. It is actually taken for granted that the north of belgium is germanic,. But once you go further south than belgium, you cross the border into northern france, and you are in the north again. If you're based in sydney, where i was, if you want to go to genteel city with a mild climate and meets of starched establishment types, you need to head south