It happened in Bad Segeberg …

One of the sidebars on my glasses broke yesterday, so Vickie and I walked to the Town Square of Bad Segeberg, population 17,500 give or take. In that square within 100 or so yards of one another are four optical shops.
In my best German, after looking up a few words, I explained my problem to the proprietor of the first shop. He looked at my glasses for a while and concluded he could not fix them. Then he got on the phone, talked for a few minutes in rapid fire German and wrote down the name of one of the shops down the square.He said that  they could help.

When we went there, they were very gracious, but after examining my specs, they also said they couldn’t do it. He referred us to a third shop.
We walked in, but by now relating the experience of shop one and two was beyond my German vocabulary. The guy gently says, “Perhaps English.” So I explain the whole thing, and he says I can order the part which will take a few days.
Vickie points out that we have to leave for Aachen on Monday, and is there any way it can be done before then? He asks us to  have a seat and wait so that he can look “in his little box” of odd parts. He then asks if we would like coffee. I say that would be wonderful, and the next thing I hear is the sound of fresh coffee beans being ground. When Vickie does not want coffee, he asks if she would like some water.
“That would be lovely,” she answers.
“Sparkling or still,” asks the proprietor? Vickie chose still.

Five minutes later the man comes back with my glasses repaired. “How much do I owe you,,” I ask taking out my wallet?

“No charge!”
So if you are ever in Bad Segeberg and have the need I strongly recommend “Kuck Mal Optika”