Wistful Banking

I am becoming a bit nostalgic for the banks of the past. I have been trying to buy a sofa online and neither my Turkish debit nor my UK credit card is acceptable to that giant multinational Ikea, so I've had to apply for a Turkish credit card which has meant several trips to the bank. I first went to ask if my debit card would be sufficient for the order.  Yes was the answer, so I transferred money into the account.  When it didn't work, I went back. The manager, after apologizing for the misinformation, then filled in a credit card application form for me.  The next day, there was a call from the bank to say that the form had been filled in incorrectly, so back I went. This was all conducted very politely in shiny steel and glass surroundings that make me feel as if I have stepped into a spaceship.
In my first life in Bodrum the value of the Lira dropped from 189 TL to £1  to 2,000,000TL to £1, so I always kept money in sterling. Any time I needed TL, I would nip to the Ak Bank in the centre of town, be greeted by all the cashiers, write out an English cheque, pass it over the counter and get my wads of cash.  No waiting for the cheque to clear, no charge for writing a cheque and no fee for transferring funds from the UK. Happy days.
Back in the present, while I was on my 4th trip to the bank I was amused to see that the traditional village method of carrying money is just the same. An old boy in a flat cap at the desk next to me was asking for 25, the cashier said he could only have 20.  I felt sorry for him as 20 TL is less than £7.  Then the money was counted out  -20,000TL. No briefcase or bag for him, he carefully wrapped the notes up in a newspaper, tied it with a piece of string from his pocket and tucked it under his arm.  I'm glad some things don't change.

Small change