Day goes on ..... Banking

So, off  to the bank.

  Poros has three banks, and three ATMs.  The National Bank is usually busy but at least they have a number system and chairs to sit on.   Alpha Bank where I was headed had only a few people in the queue.  'Great' I thought and lined up as number 3.

But there's a catch.  

Alpha Bank is marching determinely into the 21st century.  Most  transactions here have to be tapped out on big ATMs, recently installed inside the bank.  The girls behind the glass will help you work out what the hell to do but any withdrawals, deposits or bill paying must be done at the machine.

I have never used these beasts so I'm in the line to get some help from a teller.   I have mastered the ATM outside.  Now is  my time to bumble and stumble further  into the 21st century.   I've been putting this moment off for about three weeks but the money has to go into bank or I'll end up spending it all on our daily bread and petrol for the quad.  Once you start it just disappears.

So, I wait.  Half an hour and it is almost my turn.  But there is now a queue at the machines too so even if I get my teller we'll have to wait another half hour for our turn in the machine queue.  I mutter nasty things in english and greek and give up, retreating out the damn security doors.  You press the button and wait for the green light and then pull or push the door.  I always push when I should pull or vice versa, even though instructions are written clearly in two languages.  I vowed to transfer my meagre savings to the National Bank.  

 The National Bank hasn't moved quite so quickly.  They must consider all their  older customers who come in to have a chat while checking to make sure pensions have been deposited by the government.  Always a possibility here the governement won't give us our pensions, though we seem to have passed the crisis point.  Now we check to see exactly how much more they've taken away each month.  18% less from the 1st January 2019.

Across the strait there was once a small branch of the Alpha Bank  in the village of Galatas.  The bank got robbed twice so they closed it down.   The first time they were held up by bandits with a kalashnikov.  After that all the security doors were installed.  The second time around the robbers smashed the security doors with sledge hammers.  Both robberies took place in daylight in front of dozens of witnesses but they got away with the loot.  I don't think our police here are well enough armed to confront them.

This day is much longer than I thought  ...........

next installment, the courier

NB

I have just been watching for the umpteenth time the film 'Battle of Britain'.  What a classic.  

1969

Christopher Plummer

Michael Caine 

Laurence Olivier

Kenneth Moore

So many more, an all star cast.  

It still had me glued to my seat, wiping a few tears, smiling at the sheer englishness of it all.  It's on again at 2pm tomorrow.  Might just watch it again.