Life Is Like a Handful of Chocolate Bars

 

When our oldest was signed up for a European tour over spring break, my mind turned to logistics, specifically financial logistics. When I was a child in similar circumstances, we were sent on such trips with fistfuls of travelers checks that were nearly impossible to cash, especially when a busload of children all wanted to do the same thing. These days, life is much easier. 

Our bank, given enough notice, will allow me to order foreign currency from just about anywhere ahead of time. So we ordered her some Euros. I didn't want m daughter to have a big wad of currency that she had to carry around just in case of pickpockets or perhaps a dishonest person seeing said wad. So we were pretty sparing on the number of Euros we gave her and instead signed her up as an additional holder of our credit card. Between the two, we were hoping she would have to avoid seeking out ATM's that were compatible with her card and were successful. She came back with just a few Euro coins and a handful of charges on our credit card bill. I should mention that two meals a day were included in the trip price along with all her motel and traveling expenses so the money was mostly for a noon meal/snacks and souvenirs. 

My wife's culture dictates that a traveler bring home gifts for all the immediate family so my daughter brought home some German, Swiss, Austrian and Italian chocolate, I think. I don't read any of those languages so just have to take her word for it. This was a thoughtful gift and didn't take up a lot of space in her luggage.

When I was a child, a family friend once sent us a box full of German and Swiss chocolate from where they were stationed overseas at a military base. It was put in our refrigerator on the back porch and my brother and I would be allowed to get some chocolate from time to time. I remember it being really neat to try these exotically flavored chocolates that weren't Hersheys or Snickers. So having a few of these chocolates all these decades later is kind of a treat. 

Comments

  1. Definitely a treat! And an excellent idea for family travel gifts. Sounds like your daughter was extremely responsible with her money and spending. That's a credit to you and your wife.

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    1. Thus far anyway. I have good hopes that it will continue throughout her life.

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  2. German and Swiss chocolates are some of the best in my opinion, Ed. Enjoy!

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    1. Thus far, we've eaten parts of three of them and they are good but, and this will upset people I'm sure, I would prefer a simple Hershey bar to them. I'm not much for bitter chocolate or chocolate adulterated with rum soaked cherries or other fruits.

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  3. I cannot wait to hear what she thought about her travels. Figuring out the financial part of traveling is a lot easier than it used to be, for sure.

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    1. I probably won't do a blog post on that, just because there isn't that much to tell. Overall she enjoyed the experience and would probably do it again if she could though she really didn't like the roommate situation.

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  4. I love certain European chocolates--Lindt/Lindor and Milka are the two I enjoy most. I don't like bitter chocolate either.

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    1. I'm more of a milk chocolate kind of person with some usage of nuts. Toblerone was a "Swiss" chocolate I have liked in the past though it no longer qualifies as Swiss made anymore.

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  5. A wonderful gift! You can't go wrong with chocolate (at least for me, but I have a wife and brother who dislike it).

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    1. I'm a take it or leave sort of person around chocolate. I will eat it and enjoy it but I don't crave it, at least not like the four other female occupants of this house.

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  6. I was always taught to bring back gifts, as well, and that didn't just apply to overseas trips. I think she did well with the chocolate. My only concern would have been them melting along the way. For my friends and relatives, bookmarks and fridge magnets were always a popular gift.

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    1. I guess I wasn't brought up to bring gifts home though I do on occasion if I find something I know they would like. My parents were always so practical that it made finding a gift sometimes impossible.

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  7. Our brother-in-law was stationed in Germany decades ago and brought us candy bars - something like our Hershey's kind. They were so rich and delicious! They didn't last for long. btw, putting chocolate in the refrigerator is a no-no for me. It makes the chocolate hard. But then, that is just me.

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    1. For now, they are just on our counter. I don't expect they will last long enough for refrigeration to be a concern.

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  8. That bringing home gifts is something that we tend to do. Once daughter went away. She brought everyone a gift except me. It turned out that mine would have been a chocolate bar, but it got consumed on a trip home from Florida.

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    1. How sweet, your gift provided life saving nourishment for your daughter!

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  9. Well that is a nice treat from the daughter and glad the trip was a success. Are you going to tell us which country has the best chocolate?

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    1. I'll go out on a limb and say Swiss since the best one we've tried so far was Swiss and one of the two remaining ones is also Swiss.

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  10. Nothing beats chocolate -- and yeah, it packs and travels well! (As long as it doesn't get hot.)

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    1. She traveled at the right time of the year for transporting chocolate.

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  11. I know she had a great trip. Funny, we were recently talking with our adult children about travelers checks, explaining to them what they were. We also order foreign currency when we travel overseas. Believe it or not, some smaller B and Bs, restaurants and tour guides in Europe will still only take cash.

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    1. I haven't been to Europe in awhile but I figured that would still be the case, where smaller places might not accept credit cards.

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  12. Ritter Sports are all great treats! I hope she had a wonderful trip!

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