That´s all folks it´s curtains for the peseta...

If you have problems getting to sleep tonight, try counting euros because when we wake up tomorrow, the peseta will be high street history. Midnight tonight is the final deadline for all remaining single currency block currencies although banks will continue to exchange pesetas until June, after which the Bank of Spain will take up the reins. However, three out of four people in Spain claim to have adopted to the euro over the past two months and four per cent of the country now think in euros. 74 per cent of the country say they found the single currency “easy” or “relatively easy” to get used to while 26 per cent claim to have had problems adapting to the single currency. However, either way, most of the country is optimistic about the euro, 55 per cent share the opinion that the single currency will benefit the economy in one “form or another” and few people have any illusions about the euro gaining much ground against the dollar. 60 per cent believe that the dollar will remain much stronger than the euro. But, on the home front, while there are few complaints with the switch from pesetas to euros, there are few people who have not noticed an increase in prices. 54 per cent have complained about the rounding-up price hikes with the bulk of complaints coming from female consumers. Most males have noticed little change, according to surveys carried out this week by the country's various consumer groups. Only nine per cent say that prices have remained the same. There are, however. still a number of teething problems. There are calls for the one and two cent coins to be withdrawn from circulation because of their insignificant value and that they merely add to the amount of change in people's pockets. However, consumer groups are concerned that the withdrawal of the coins will spark another phase of price round-ups and further price hikes. But amidst all the europhoria, little thought or mention has been given to the small businesses which have closed over the past few months. Some 600 foreign exchange bureaux have closed their doors in the Balearics and hundreds of people lost their jobs because of the demise of most European currencies. With most foreign exchange offices stocking euros in the United Kingdom, the majority of British visitors coming to the Balearics will arrive with euros in their pockets and will probably take their change home as the euro is being accepted by a number of leading high street and airports stores in the United Kingdom.