VADUZ, Liechtenstein — Balloons still bobbed on the stairway, more than two weeks after the 105th birthday celebration for Baron Eduard von Falz-Fein. He attributed his longevity to the succor of honey and Ovaltine. Still, his body had become a husk but not his mind. It whirred and clicked like the monitor at his bedside.
“Where is your recorder?” the Baron asked me. “Be sure it is on.”
I went to see him last week because of a mix-up. The Baron had been erroneously considered by some researchers and Olympic officials as the oldest living Winter Olympian.