Lunettes Pour Moi

Back in 2019, when we had completed our 3rd ride along the Loire a Velo, Maggie and I took some extra time to drive around France and discover some regions we had not visited before. Our drive ended in Tours, where we returned our rental car and had a one night stay before making our way to Paris.
As we were walking the town after dinner, we came across a shop with the intriguing name "Lunettes Pour Tous". This translates as "Glasses for You". Further investigation revealed that they were claiming to be able to make a pair of glasses in 10 minutes for a cost of 10 Euro. Now that had my interest. I had always thought that glasses were hugely overpriced in Australia, and this seemed to add evidence to my belief. The information on the shop window and and their website explained that the whole process is computerised, and the savings in both time and money are passed on to the consumer.
We had never thought about getting a pair of new glasses as a souvenir of the trip, but it sounded like it could be quite funny. The only problem was that we had arrived after closing time and the shop was closed.
Our quest for French glasses was not over however, as we discovered that there was also a Lunettes Pour Tous in Les Halles in Paris. That was withing walking distance of our hotel in the Marais, so on our first free day in Paris, we walked to the store. Within minutes our eyes were tested and glasses were ordered. They were ready for pickup about 20 minutes later.
I have now been wearing those glasses for the past 7 years, but unfortunately both my eyes and I are now seven years older. Since I had nothing better to do on my first free day in Pairs, I thought I would go back to the store and get another pair (or two). So that is what I did this afternoon. The place was certainly much busier than it was 7 years ago, but the process was still quick and easy. Both the optician and the young salesgirl spoke excellent English, relieving me of the task of having to use my substandard French. So now I have another reminder of my time in France. They will be the souvenir that goes on giving every time I have to read something or sit at the computer.
As an aside I also heard on the news this morning that a famous Paris historic landmark was burned to the ground during the night. It was called the Marche des Infants Rouges (The Market of the Red Children) and it was over 400 years old. Unfortunately it now lies in ruins. Although it was only 2 km from my hotel, I had not heard the sounds of sirens during the night. That in itself is highly unusual for this city, where sirens are a constant background noise.Read more