Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Currency Fluctuations and the White/ Tortoise Pelikan M400


Geneva last week was surreal - every day brought a new headline, new speculations, worries about what the overvalued franc meant for Swiss economic stability. People drove across the border to buy furniture, electronics, groceries - the prices, always better, looked infinitely more so.

Newspapers wrote that Swiss supermarkets and shops had been abandoned for French ones, and vendors that had previously accepted euro payments at a fixed rate - like the public transportation system - disabled that feature when it became clear they were pretty much giving away money. I briefly wondered whether I should go across the border to get a new MacBook Pro. It all went to my head, I admit.

Happily, I didn't get too carried away. This lovely pen - and one other item which will be unveiled here in due course provided it arrives safely - were my euro indulgences. Souvenirs, if you will, of strange times indeed. The euro is gaining ground again this week, so the temptation to shop is gone. Just as well!

Oh, and how does the pen write? Very nicely, of course. I find the squared-off gold nibs of high-end pens to be trickier to use than plain old steel nibs; you need to hold the pen *just so* for the ink to flow properly.

7 comments:

  1. It is always gratifying to read handwriting, especially that which is legible and artistic. Really adds a lot to a blog!

    Interesting financial times across the pond. It seems that people are taking advantage of the lower prices across your country's border this week.

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  2. So what you're telling me is that I need to call my relatives in Lucerne and tell them to skip the border and get me some pens, right?

    That pen is flippin' gorgeous. Take THAT, unstable currency systems.

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  3. Poor Switzerland. We should all have such problems!

    Beautiful pen, congratulations.

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  4. Goodness, that's a lovely pen! Way to take advantage of the situation!

    I also have to ask...what is the ink?

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  5. @Cameron: Hardly artistic, but thanks! :-)

    @Speegle: I'm afraid Lucerne, being smack dab in the middle of the country, is probably too far from any border to take advantage. Although they can always shop on eBay like I did...

    @Richard: Indeed! It feels so odd to take advantage of a situation I so little understand - but such is life. The euro is back up to CHF 1.15; so it looks like order is being restored quickly.

    @LFP: Parker Penman Emerald - It's been discontinued for ages, but Herr Wepf gave me a bottle :)

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  6. This amazing pen takes the whole "zombie-apocalypse" situation some newspaper augured ad absurdum. Nice.

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  7. Congrats on a fine pen, Adwoa! And the price was fantastic, too. My one says 'hi'.

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