Brille, Dille & Kamille

Saturday 10/09/2022

Today, a story has its happy ending, which began half a year ago and which I would like to briefly recap here. Because I have my glasses back.

So, the story goes like this: In the spring of this year, I needed new reading glasses, nothing out of the ordinary at my age. They should not only allow me to read effortlessly again but also make a good impression. So, the farm was not the right place for that, but the optical store in the neighboring village.

Soon my new glasses were ready for collection at the store, with Rodenstock lenses and a David Beckham Eyewear frame. The latter characteristic is not entirely unimportant for the further course of the story.

At home, as a proud owner of the new glasses, I found that the glasses, which already required three and a half diopters, led to strange visual effects when looking at the edge of the newspaper, which resulted in "dizziness and badness" at a slightly greater distance.

The friendly optician in the store then advised me to choose a glass with a graduated correction range instead of single vision lenses. The change of lenses was made generously, but the purchase of the glasses already exceeded the Mach-1 threshold - I had honestly never had such an expensive (reading) glasses before.

Now, you can have the new glasses insured against any inconvenience in a good specialty store, but I declined the offer. I have never lost a pair of glasses before, nor sat on them, nor bumped into a lamppost with them. And the new purchase should not become even more expensive ...

After about 14 days, while gardening (I had the glasses on because I had to see something while working), I must have been a bit careless. The result was a scratch on the left lens. So, I quickly went to the optician and asked what could be done about it. "Nothing, except replacing the lens," was the answer. Cost: CHF 436.-. What was that about insurance? I decide not to replace the lens (yet), let's see if my brain gets used to the small visual impairment.

In the summer, the next mishap happened: while cleaning the glasses, one of the two triangular metal inserts on the front of the frame came off, which greatly detracts from the effect of the stylish David Beckham design. The optician frowns and says that he has never had such a case before, but he is without hesitation ready to replace the frame with a new one. Under warranty, of course. Now I have a great pair of glasses with a small scratch on the lens, but with a brand-new frame. And a few days later, we set off for the North Sea.

After visiting Nancy and Metz, we arrived in Huldenberg. From here, we visited nearby Leuven (see blog on August 26 and 27), had a delicious Belgian beer, and explored the city and its sights. Right in the center, there is a wonderful store with many great things that can be useful in the household. We browse around and find new drinking glasses that fit perfectly in our caravan. The ideal size for juice in the morning and rosé for aperitif. The store has the funny name "Dille & Kamille".

In the evening, back at the campsite, the mentioned glasses are missing! Where could they have been left behind? I call Café Commerce, where we had the beer, but there is no glasses to be found. It's unlikely to be at the M-Museum, as I didn't need the glasses there. And at "Dille & Kamille"? I couldn't call anymore because they are already closed on Sundays. Slowly but surely, I begin to accept that the expensive piece is probably lost forever.

10 days later: strolling through Bruges (blog on September 7). And what do we discover there? There is also a "Dille & Kamille" here. So, we spontaneously go in, buy two glasses again, and ask the young friendly saleswoman if there might be a chance to inquire at the store in Leuven if a corresponding reading glasses (Lesbril in Flemish) has been found there by chance. The friendly smiling saleswoman picks up the phone and calls the manager in Leuven to inquire. Of course, they have the conversation in Flemish. With a radiant smile, the question suddenly comes up: "David Beckham?". Yes, yes, exactly, David Beckham - in a red folding box! Who, other than me, wears glasses in Belgium that goes by the name David Beckham and comes in a red case?

Unfortunately, sending it by post turns out to be not possible, but at least, the precious item is located. However, it must be picked up in Leuven. That would mean almost two hours of driving, and back and forth would be four hours, and on the ring road around Brussels ...

Therefore, we decide to move the next destination near Antwerp, which we also want to visit. And that's how we ended up yesterday in Kasterlee, out in the countryside behind Antwerp, on a quiet campsite. And today we picked up the glasses in Leuven, at Dille & Kamille. And bought another six glasses. Because they are also very practical at home.