MOZART BALLS

The BEST candy
I first heard about Mozart balls from a fellow biker when peddling from Munich to Vienna. Her mantra was “I need to find Mozart balls for my daughter.” Little did I know then that I would search and buy those delectable little chocolate balls everywhere I went after that.

 Any time I’ve heard of friends going to Vienna I've asked them to buy me Mozart balls ending the request with, “You can not buy too many!” On my last trip to Europe when I knew I’d be in Vienna I packed a self-addressed broken down carton in the bottom of my suitcase. I peeled off packing tape attaching it onto the slick side of all the address stickers I receive in the mail.

After my purchase of the goodies I opened several of the packages in order to get as many as possible into my box. I taped the package shut and when we arrived in Ljubljana, Slovenia I walked across the street from the hotel and mailed the package home. I still had nearly as many balls packed in my suitcase.

I was surprised when a local guide informed me that Mozart balls were available everywhere. Wrong! Knock-offs are readily available in many places, but the real Mirabel is made in Salzburg, Austria and is not found everywhere. I know the picture, but I always read the label anyway. I admit it is easy to be fooled. Both are good but nothing surpasses the real four layer chocolate ball!

The real thing is not exported far from its home. It’s rare to run on to them in a foreign airport, but I always enjoy the hunt and once in awhile am rewarded..

DIFFICULT TIME

A REALLY HARD JUMP
I took my son on my first trip to Costa Rica. One of the highlights of that trip was rafting down the Sarapiqui River. After navigating several class II and III rapids, we stopped at a shallow pull out point where we all climbed a small cliff. The point of this was to jump off the cliff into the river, then float while the current carried us back to the rafts.

Most any kid would relish this fun exercise, and before you could blink your eye he’d be gone and in the water. I was 65 at the time and am an old WSI who taught swimming and lifesaving for many years. The whole idea went against my whole being, of what I believed, and what I’d taught my children and many others over a lot of years.

I really had a hard time jumping off. I hesitated for some time while my son jumped twice and kept encouraging me to do the same. I had my glasses on under my helmet, and eventually I held my glasses and jumped. The water was rather cool, and once in the water it was easy to float in the gentle current.

My camera captured my son in mid air during one of his half-dozen jumps, but I called it good after my first and last jump. Something about old habits dying hard I guess!