If you need something to do on a train or are having trouble getting used to local currency you can play the Euro Game. There are two variations the first of which requires as many coins as possible. Denominations are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, and 1 and 2 euro coins. The game consists in flipping these to the head side and identifying the value of each coin. This should be relatively easy and once you’re familiar with values you can challenge yourself or other players to see who can add multiple coins the fastest. Once you’ve mastered the mathematics of the Euro Game try your hand at geography and culture.
The Euro is shared by 24 countries (including the Vatican, San Marino and Monaco) and each mints its own coins. They also decide how to decorate one side of each denomination. That means there are 192 variations and once you’ve made a few purchases and gotten some change you’ll notice the difference between Italian, Irish, German and French coinage.
There are two ways to play this variation. Either you challenge fellow travelers and attempt to gain the most coins throughout your journey or once you have a pocket full take turns identifying country of origin and symbols on each coin. The player who correctly identifies the most coins (or has the highest value) at the end is the winner and should wash their hands. The stakes are up to you.
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