Measured by the breakfast standard

With all the talk online about the U.S. dollar being toast, some things are remarkably stable.

I was reminded of this when I had to make my travel arrangements for the World Money Fair in Berlin for the last week of January 2011.

The euro is actually a couple of cents cheaper than what it was when I was there in January of this year. The Estrel Hotel’s room rate was the same 130 euro a night.

The buffet breakfast though has been raised by a euro to 18. It has gone up a euro a year since I have been attending. By American standards $25, which is the cost when converted to dollars, for a breakfast buffet is high and going higher especially when one considers the cold cereal and yogurt options plus the big bowl of cold hard boiled eggs. To be sure, you can have scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages, but they have to be some scrambled eggs and some sausages to justify the $25 price.

I am sure I will be off to the nearby McDonald’s for an Egg McMuffin and coffee instead. It was 2.99 euro the last time. I expect it will be higher when I get there in January, but even if I buy a second cup of coffee, I will be money ahead on the hotel breakfast.

So at least for the next three months, the only toast on my mind will be what I would be searching for in Berlin for breakfast.