You shouldn't really NEED advising, but here is a heads-up anyway. From midnight on Thursday night, February becomes March and the Finnish markka becomes history. This means that it will no longer be possible for you to take those last coins and that tattered FIM 20 note down to the local kiosk and buy something with it in order to get euros back.

   

From Friday onwards, it will be the Bank of Finland for you, or if you are lucky, some of the high-street banks have agreed to exchange markka for a longer period. In any event, having the old currency after Thursday will probably involve you in more hassles and queuing than before, so unless you are planning to keep souvenirs in the hope that one day your great-great-great grandchildren will get rich on them, the best bet is to offload any remaining markka today or tomorrow. You will not be alone.