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Coming home from my bank, I remember the first bank I saw in Paleochora. I really can't remember, whether there were only two tin-barrels and a wooden board (or did I dream this?) and the desk appeared later. Anyway the most important props were a telephone and a shot-gun for reasons of safety. Anybody who wanted to change some money, first had to show what kind of currency he had. Then he could go for a walk, return later and change his money. First the man in the bank had to call Athens and ask how to change whatever he had been shown. As in those days people from all over the world came into this tiny village, he had to do a lot of phone-calls. Sometimes it simply was too much for him. For example when some guy wanted to change his wages of 3 months of orange-picking in Morocco. Then he was in trouble trying to get this amount of money together. A really good time had the Irish. Often they got the change for the British Pound and hurried to the bank to change all the money they had. The lucky one who was first at the bank didn't tell anything to the others, lent some more money and changed it. So when he changed his Drachmes back in Ireland he still had some money left. This generous exchange-practice was the reason for many of the Irish to drink even more. In the "Rock and Roll Cafe" many of them fell asleep in their chairs, which were sinking deeper and deeper into the sand during the night . In the morning you could find them there, still sleeping, in the strangest positions. Also the "crawling traffic" on the bridge direction Club was increasing. Today there are several banks, some money vending machines and the Euro. Only possibilities to loose some money. Even for the Irish.
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