A kilo of lychees became the euro's first cash purchase as the new currency changed hands seconds past midnight on the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean. Reunion's geographical position made it the first European territory to see in the new year and handle the currency.
At a street market in the regional capital of Saint-Denis, the mayor, Mr RenΘ-Paul Victoria, plumped for the fruit after a brief barter with the stall-holder.
"Seventy-six eurocents for a kilo? Why can't I have them for a round 75 eurocents, madame?" Mr Victoria asked in an event staged for local television cameras. "Okay, I'll give them to you for 75," the stallholder replied, concluding a transaction timed at three seconds past midnight.