Currency conversion: $$$ to Euros

[Silverback969]

That's a good heads-up. Thanks for ringing in.

[Silverback969]

Just as a quick update. I went in to my home bank to see if they had ANY KIND of currency conversion. We were told "No." Can we order them to be delivered here? Again, "No." Mind you, I LOVE my bank. It's one in a small, fairly local, chain. They know my name, my wife's name, that we love to cruise, they know where our children live, various aspects of medical history, church affiliation, our various "patterns."

 

For example, I was loaning some cash to a church friend, to help stave off a house repo. To save any possible embarrassment to him, I suggested that he might want to wait outside while I got the money he needed. Business done, my friend headed into town, I headed home. By the time I got home--5 minutes, maybe--certainly no more than 10) one of the tellers had called my home and talked with my wife to make sure she wasn't being held hostage or anything. Just making sure there wasn't a kidnapping, home invasion, or any such nastiness. Yes, I love my bank.

 

Anyhow, I talked with my banker about possible solutions, and she agreed that a larger chain would likely be able to help, and even suggested a couple of alternatives. Just so happens, my wife has a joint account at one of those banks with one of our children. A couple of days later, I popped in to investigate. Yes, they can do currency conversion. "What kind of currency do you need?" "Euros." "Yes, we can convert $$ to Euros right here at this branch. How many do you need?" I named an amount. "Oh, yes, we can do that. In fact, with that amount, you can get that immediately. We have 3 overseas tellers." So, immediate problem solved. Next major decision is how many Euros are we likely to need on our Grand Mediterranean Cruise? Probably more than some, less than others. On the whole, I think it'd be better to have more--and not need them--than to have fewer, and need more. :rolleyes:

[3rdGenCunarder]

Silverback, I'm glad you were able to find a local source of Euros. Even if I plan on using foreign ATMs, I like to have some "starter cash" with me. Your description of your bank is amazing. I didn't think there were any of those left--truly personal service.

[Silverback969]

Silverback, I'm glad you were able to find a local source of Euros. Even if I plan on using foreign ATMs, I like to have some "starter cash" with me. Your description of your bank is amazing. I didn't think there were any of those left--truly personal service.

 

I guess if I had to characterize the place, I'd say that it's probably the bank that you'd expect to find in "Bedford Falls" (the fictional town in the Christmas evergreen "It's a Wonderful Life").