The first time I went abroad, it was to France when I was in my 40s,circa 1996. The first thing I noticed was the currency, a paper bill. I don't recall how many francs it was worth. It was colorful  and it featured an engraved image of Antoine de St Exupery, the author of Le Petit Prince and other remarkable writings of the first half of the 20th century. Our United States of America currency was  green, and featured portraits of our presidents. I was fascinated to see a writer commemorated in such a way.