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South America 2022/2023
  • Roch Pelletier
  • Brendaboo

South America 2022/2023

A long awaited and anticipated return to Chile and Argentina, twelve years after our first visit. Leggi altro
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  • South America 2022/2023

    Graduation

    20 dicembre 2022, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    As soon as we arrived in Cordoba, we started seeing pick-up trucks driving around the city and honking their horns with their beds filled with young men or women in full party mode. Because one of the passengers is always dressed in a ridiculous manner and covered in eggs and flour, we thought this is how Argentines celebrate a stag. But there are so many of these parties, we figured there's no way so many people are getting married.

    And we were right. Cordoba is a university town and the tradition is that when a student graduates, their friends dress them up, egg them and parade them around town with a sign stating their profession to be: "Yo soy abogado", "Yo soy contadora", etc...

    Fun!    Leggi altro

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  • South America 2022/2023

    Christmas In Argentina

    25 dicembre 2022, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Being a predominantly Catholic country, you would think that Christmas traditions in Argentina would resemble those in North America, but you couldn't be more mistaken.

    Christmas is a very laid-back affair here. The large shopping malls have Santa driven sleighs hanging from the rafters and the landmark Faro Bicentenario has been transformed into a 102 meter tall Christmas tree, but aside from that, it's business as usual.

    To even find a Christmas card for our annual exchange required some effort and input from the local Facebook expat group.

    There is none of the manic crowds scrambling store to store on December 23rd trying to find that last minute gift. The grocery and liquor stores have no queues of people with shopping carts brimming with food and booze impatiently waiting at the doors and cash registers. Boxing Day is not celebrated here and there is no "day-off-in-lieu-of" here. Staff will all be back on the job Monday morning. In fact, many businesses remain open on Christmas day.

    Christmas is primarily celebrated on the eve with families gathering for a late evening meal as they await the stroke of midnight to exchange gifts and cards that are usually handmade .

    There is no roast turkey at the Christmas meal here. Summer has just officially started and temperatures reach the high 30's in late December so running the oven for six hours to roast a turkey is out of the question. The traditional Christmas meal consists of Vitel Tone, thinly sliced veal topped with a rich sauce of tuna, mayonnaise, cream, egg yolks, white wine, anchovies and capers. It is chilled to let the flavor set and served covered in the creamy sauce. Also prevalent is Asado, either barbecued beef or pork served with a vinagery salsa of tomato, onion and red pepper.

    We managed to find vegetarian versions of the latter two dishes at Rincon Verde restaurant that we accompanied with oven roasted potatoes and vegetables, a fine Malbec and a sparkling wine from Chandon.

    Yeah, I'd do Christmas in Argentina again.    Leggi altro

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  • South America 2022/2023

    Tango Anyone?

    29 dicembre 2022, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    I should have known better.

    You simply can't believe everything you read on the internet.

    For sure, the bad experience we had in Salvador, Brazil six years ago played on my fears, but just because a few people write about the amount of crime there is in Buenos Aires, doesn't mean it's unsafe to visit.

    Because of my reluctance to come to Argentina's capital, until this week we had stayed in the smaller, "safer" cities of Mendoza and Córdoba. However, even Córdoba has it's bad areas where tourists are warned to avoid, but overall, we have felt nothing but safe and secure during our travel here. We have quite fallen for the Argentine people and culture (except for their highly carnivorous side) and are already talking about our next trip here.

    And so when Brenda offered to fly us to Buenos Aires for New Year's and my birthday, I was all in!

    Brenda booked us a nice little studio apartment in the upscale (and very safe) Palermo district, which is far enough from downtown to be away from the rat-race and frantic pace of a big city, yet close enough that we can easily get there on foot or on public transit.

    And what a spectacular city this is! The buildings in the center of town are stunningly beautiful with architecture highly influenced by the great cities of Europe. In fact, if you didn't know better, you'd often think you were in Paris, Rome or Barcelona.

    It was a treat to see the iconic Obelisca that was the celebration site for four million people after the National team won the World Cup. The Teatro Colón, BA's world class opera house, is awe-inspiring, both inside and out. We were astounded by the magnitude and opulence of El Ateneo, a converted opera house that National Geographic named "the most beautiful bookstore in the world".

    I'll write other posts that will focus on the latter two attractions.

    We've been here for two full days and have barely scratched the surface of all the things to see and do. We spent this morning exploring the "Hollywood" section of our Palermo neighborhood, discovering three vegan restaurants and eating the very best plant-based burger I've had in my life.

    In the end, our only regret is that we didn't come here sooner.    Leggi altro

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  • South America 2022/2023

    Teatro Colón

    30 dicembre 2022, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    High on the list of "must do" things in Buenos Aires is a visit to El Teatro Colón. Brenda and I don't normally go in for the big tourist attractions, but when we saw this spectacular building from the outside, we knew a visit was required. Initially, we were reluctant to part with the $7600 ARS admission fee, which is very high by Argentine standards, but in the end we coughed up the roughly $32.00 CDN to do the hour long guided tour. It was money well spent.

    Our guide, Juan, spoke perfect English and provided us with interesting and informative commentary throughout the visit. Construction on the project began in 1890 and opened with Verdi's Aida in 1908. During the course of construction, the original architect and his replacement died and a third architect had to be hired to complete the job. Materials for the structure were mostly imported from Europe (Italian and Portuguese marble) although a small portion was sourced in Argentina.

    The acoustics in the hall have been surveyed by experts and pronounced to be the best in the world for opera and second best for theater. The room seats just under 2500 with a possibility of 1000 standing room spots. We attempted to buy tickets to see The Nutcracker, but they sold out months ago. Unfortunately, there will be no more shows until the next season starts in March. Juan told us that the best seats in the house to see an opera cost only about $100 USD, a fraction of what it would cost in North America.

    The theater has six floors above ground and three below. All materials, props, costumes, including wigs, are fabricated on premises. When in full operation, more than 1500 people work there each day!

    On the second floor there is a large reception area known as La Sala Dorada (The Gold Hall) that was originally used exclusively by visiting dignitaries. It is now open to the general public during intermissions and can be rented out for private events.

    The horseshoe shaped auditorium is magnificent to see. The interior design features a rich scarlet and gold decor. and the cupola contains canvas painted in 1966 by the 20th-century artist Raúl Soldi during renovation work. The curtain over the stage is painted to resemble the decor in the boxes around the theater. Interestingly, when one looks at the boxes from the rear of the room, their decor appears almost flat, exactly like on the stage's curtain.

    Decades of constant use and neglected maintenance took a huge toll on the building and, in 2006, a full refurbishment was organized. In the end, what had been planned as an 18-month, $25-million renovation with 500 workers, scheduled for a May 2008 reopening, became a three-year $100-million extravaganza with 1,500 workers including 130 professional architects and engineers. The end result was clearly worth the expense and effort.

    You can be sure that on our next trip to Buenos Aires we'll have reserved our tickets for The Nutcracker well in advance.    Leggi altro

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  • South America 2022/2023

    Japanese Gardens

    2 gennaio 2023, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We had wanted to visit the Botanical Garden on my birthday, but when we got there, we learned it is closed on Mondays. Fortunately, almost next store to it there is the Buenos Aires Japanese Garden. It was opened in 1967 to coincide with a visit by the emperor of Japan, Akihito, and his wife Michiko.

    As well as an astounding variety of beautifully sculpted plants, there is a large koi pond, and a cultural center where visitors can create their own origami figures (Brenda made a swan and I folded a koala bear). There was also a display of Kumitate, a much more intricate folded paper art form, that included dinosaurs, insects and vases. Of course, this being Argentina, hommage was paid to the National Soccer Team in the form of a blue and white Daruma, a traditional Japanese doll.

    It was a great way to start the day.    Leggi altro

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  • South America 2022/2023

    Last Tango In Buenos Aires

    2 gennaio 2023, Argentina ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    We topped off my birthday celebration with dinner and a tango show at Piazzolla Tango. Named after Astor Piazzolla, the father of Nuevo Tango, the show is held in a subterranian theater that opened in 1915. The dancers were supported by a six piece orchestra consisting of piano, upright bass, two violins and two bandoneons (AKA a squeezebox).

    Before dinner, we were treated to a group tango lesson to get us in the mood for the main event. I was sad to discover that both of my feet are still of the left variety.

    Reviews of the event mentioned the food being mediocre but the dancing very good. Dinner was served well before the show started and Brenda and I were both very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. We joked that if the critics considered that meal mediocre, the dance must be outstanding. And it was!

    The grace, speed, accuracy and passion of the movements was enough to have Brenda declare after one exceptionally "spicy" arrangement, "I think I need a cigarette". I asked for ten minutes to recover.

    The photos I've posted are from the internet but were all taken at the venue we visited.

    This was one tourist trap I would gladly re-visit next time we're in town.    Leggi altro

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  • South America 2022/2023

    Happy Birthday to Me

    3 gennaio 2023, Argentina ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    It was 1967, I was eleven years old and living in Laval, Quebec, Montreal’s northern suburb.

    There was a lot going on south of the border: LBJ was the President, the war in Southeast Asia was in full swing, as were the protests against it. It was the summer of love, Timothy Leary gave a new definition to the word “trip”, the music world was shaken by Hendrix, Joplin, The Doors and countless other ground-breaking artists.

    Back home, it was Canada’s centennial year and the whole country was in party mode and national pride was everywhere. Montreal’s ultra-modern subway system, Le Metro, was one year old and was the main transportation link that welcomed the world to the magic that was Expo 67.

    Almost every day that summer, I left home early in the morning with my Expo ’67 passport in hand, took public transit all the way to Ile Ste-Helene and would spend the rest of the day exploring the world without ever leaving my hometown. This was a time long before the internet, when I would leaf through the Encyclopedia Britannica to learn about different countries. The pavilions at Expo gave me the opportunity to see, touch, smell and hear everything these far off lands had to offer. When I had taken in enough of other cultures for one day, I’d head over to La Ronde, the amusement park area of the fair, and enjoy a few rides before making the ninety-minute trek home.

    I still have my passport and a photo album containing souvenirs of Montreal’s World Fair, my own personal record of that magical time 55 years ago.

    Yesterday, the number 67 took on a different meaning to me; my age for the next 364 days.

    I spent the day with Brenda, my favorite person, in a city that is fast becoming one of my favorites, Buenos Aires. Together we explored a magnificent Japanese Garden, found an uncharted vegetarian restaurant, enjoyed some Argentine sparkling wine, had a tango lesson and watched a highly entertaining and breath-taking Tango show. We topped off the day with a
    decadent tarta de conitos de dulce de leche bañada en chocolate (little piles of dulce de leche on a shortbread crust covered in chocolate) that was my birthday cake.

    It looks like 67 still holds magic for me.    Leggi altro

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  • South America 2022/2023

    Recoleta Cemetery

    3 gennaio 2023, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Located on a hill in the Recoleta neighborhood is one of the most unusual cemeteries in the world. The site which was declared Buenos Aires's first official public burial place in 1822 contains no less than 4,691 vaults. Each one is uniquely constructed from architectural styles that range from Greek temples to miniature Baroque cathedrals.

    The entrance fee to the cemetery was 2030 pesos, payable only by debit or credit card. Once we were inside, we met Simon, an English teacher who married an Argentinian woman over 20 years ago. He now lives in BA and is an unofficial guide for the Recoleta Cemetery, offering his services on a pay as you wish basis. We joined his tour and were very happy that we did.

    Simon told us stories of several of the cemetery's "inhabitants" that really made the grave site come "alive" but in a magical rather than a macabre way. Some highlights include:

    Eva "Evita" Peron (née Duarte):
    The final resting place of the nation’s iconic first lady, idolized by the public until her death from cancer in 1952, is completely unremarkable. Three years after her death, her embalmed corpse was removed by the Argentinian military in the wake of a coup that deposed her husband, President Juan Peron. Her body was moved from one hiding spot to another and was eventually buried in Milan under a false name before it was repatriated to Argentina 20 years later and buried in the Duarte family tomb.

    Liliana Crociati de Szaszak
    A young bride killed in an avalanche while honeymooning in the Alps. Her parents apparently modeled her grave on her childhood room. Her dog, Sabu, coincidentally died around the same time as Liliana and was taxidermied and entombed with her despite laws prohibiting animal remains in the cemetery. It is said that rubbing Sabu's nose will bring you luck.

    Rufine Cambaceres
    Nineteen year old young woman who suffered an epileptic seizure and was pronounced dead but was in fact buried alive. The story goes that grave-workers heard noise from her grave. When they dug her up, they reportedly saw evidence that she was trying to claw her way out.

    Benjamin Breitman
    The only Jewish resident in the cemetery. It is curious why he decided to be buried in the Recoleta Cemetery rather than one of the Jewish cemeteries in the city.

    Between the tour and our browsing through the corridors of the cemetary, we spent almost two hours there and could easily have spent the entire afternoon.

    And although people are dying to get into this place of rest, there is no room for any additional vaults.    Leggi altro

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  • South America 2022/2023

    Botanical Garden

    3 gennaio 2023, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We tried to visit the Botanical Garden on New Year's Day but it was closed for the holidays. We tried again on Monday, only to discover it's closed on Mondays for maintenance. Third time lucky. We finally got to stroll through this lush 17 acres of greenery. The Garden is designed by a French architect and landscape designer, Carlos Thays, and it was inaugurated on September 7, 1898. It holds approximately 5,500 species of plants, trees and shrubs, as well as a number of sculptures, monuments and five greenhouses.Leggi altro

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  • South America 2022/2023

    San Telmo and Puerto Madero

    4 gennaio 2023, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Today was our last day in Buenos Aires. Our week in the capital just flew by - 7 days is not enough to even scratch the surface of this amazing city. In the week we've been here, I've clocked 145,613 steps, or the equivalent of 107 kilometres but there is still so much more to see and do... not to mention eat and drink!

    We strolled around San Telmo and Puerto Madero. San Telmo is the oldest neighborhood in Buenos Aires and has a certain touristy feel to it. Many of the tango venues are located in this neighbourhood, as well as the popular Mercado San Telmo.

    Adjacent to San Telmo is Puerto Madero, the most modern neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The dockside area was revamped in the 1990's and vacant warehouses were converted into upmarket offices, lofts and hotels. Juxtaposed with the renovated historic port buildings are ultra modern skyscrapers with glass walls, creating a very old meets new vibe. Notable landmarks to see in Puerto Madero include the Puente de la Mujer (Bridge of the Woman), a pedestrian bridge that rotates a full 90 degrees to allow ships to pass by, and the two nautical museums: "The Sarmiento" and "Uruguay"

    Our feet are weary from all the mileage we've covered but all the walking did allow us to indulge in more alfajores, more dulce de leche, more wine. We just can't get enough and we'll be back!    Leggi altro

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  • South America 2022/2023

    Is there a phone in your shoe?...

    14 gennaio 2023, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Argentinian women love their platform shoes. Everywhere I go I see platform shoes of all kinds, platform dress shoes, platform sandals, and platform runners to make Hokas look like barefoot running shoes.

    I tried to snap some photos wheneber we were walking around town and it became a bit of a game. Roch would use a code word if he wanted to alert me to pull my phone camera out: "Psst, Agent 99". However, since shoes are usually a moving target, some of the best ones unfortunately got away. "Missed it by that much."    Leggi altro

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  • South America 2022/2023

    I could have worn my Blundstones

    14 gennaio 2023, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Another shoe fashion fad especially amongst the younger women in Cordoba is the donning of chunky Doc Marten style boots, usually of the platform variety. They're usually worn with cutoff shorts or a skimpy sundress, because bear in mind, the temperature often surpasses the mid-30's. Yeah but don't their feet get hot? Word has it that sales of Odor-eaters have sky-rocketed.Leggi altro

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  • South America 2022/2023

    Don't Cry For Me Argentina

    16 gennaio 2023, Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Today is our last full day in Argentina and both Brenda and I are feeling a little sad about having to say "hasta la vista".

    When we first arrived in Mendoza in October, we had no expectations other than the discovery of some kick-ass Malbecs. But by the time we moved off to Santiago ten days later, Argentina was already finding a place in our hearts. The people were all welcoming, friendly and helpful, we found a few excellent vegan friendly restaurants and we discovered not only some fine Malbecs, but also some surprisingly good (and very inexpensive) sparkling wines.

    When it became clear to us that Santiago was no longer a city where we wanted to spend an extended period of time, we were both quite content to return to Mendoza. And as great as it was, people we met, including Mendocinos, began telling us we should visit Cordoba because it is so beautiful and Cordobans are said to be the most fun-loving Argentinians. We couldn't resist and so, after another ten-day stay, we left Mendoza and found an apartment in Cordoba where we stayed for the majority of the rest of our time in South America. The weather was a little warm at times with temperatures reaching 42°C on a couple of occasions, but overall, it was preferable to what was going on back in Canada.

    As well as finding a temporary home close to Parc Sarmiento, where we would go for daily exercise sessions, Brenda found a cello teacher and a cello to rent. We also found a Spanish teacher who helped us tune our ears to the local dialect. I can't express how nice and kind all these people were. Brenda practiced her cello daily and I could hear her playing improving dramatically day to day. We only had four lessons with our Spanish teacher, but she definitely helped us navigate the local lingo.

    Of course, the fact that the Argentine peso is in a constant state of devaluation works very much in our favour and renders the cost of local goods and services extremely affordable. Brenda cracked one of her crowns and had to find a dentist to have it repaired. While she was there, she had a second crown replaced, a dental guard made and her teeth whitened for less than the cost of one crown in Vancouver. She couldn't speak highly enough of the care she received at that office.

    Because we felt so safe in Mendoza and Cordoba, Brenda invited me to Buenos Aires to ring in the New Year and celebrate my birthday. The week we spent there positively flew by and not once did we feel unsafe or ill at ease. We're already talking about a return trip to Argentina where we'll make Buenos Aires our base and make side trips to other areas from there.

    And, to top it all off, we were so fortunate to have been able to share in the entire country's joy as their football team brought home the World Cup for the first time since 1986.

    I don't expect Argentina to cry for me, but I may shed a little tear when I step on the plane tomorrow afternoon.    Leggi altro

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  • South America 2022/2023

    Chillin' in Chile

    18 gennaio 2023, Cile ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Because we had long ago booked our flight home departing from Santiago, we had no choice but to return to the Chilean capital after our delightful stay in neighboring Argentina.

    The only really good thing about our four-day stay here in October is that we now know which areas of town to avoid and which ones we want to frequent. We lucked out and found a lovely AirBnb in Providencia, right in the heart of Barrio Italia, a REALLY nice part of town. We're close to a couple of large parks where we can maintain our morning exercise rituals and 70 meters from a vegan and gluten-free restaurant. Providencia is also home to some of Santiago's best restaurants and there are several local fruit markets within blocks of our apartment.

    Today we walked the 3 kilometers or so to El Mercado Central where the fruit and veggie prices were the best we've seen. We came home with two kilos of peaches for $2000 CLP, ($3.53 CDN). We had lunch in one of the market's restaurants that was only "meh!" and was our most expensive meal so far, but we felt we had to re-visit the market for old-times sake, and are glad we did. When we left the restaurant, the owner warned us to wear our backpacks on our chests and not to flash cash around at the stalls outside. OK, now we remember why we spent the winter in Argentina.

    In the end, the walk home, laden down with a chestpack full of peaches, was uneventful, although there's definitely a slight edge to this city. You can tell that even the locals are on guard and don't allow themselves to relax. Rarely do you see anyone holding a cell phone in their hands and I've seen NFL running backs hold a football more casually than some women hold their purses.

    But hey, we're going to make the most of our last six days of summer weather until June rolls around. We have a beautiful view of the Andes and San Cristobal from our apartment and tomorrow morning we're going to hike the 7.7 kms up the 260 meters to the summit of the latter.

    I don't think we'll ever love Santiago again as we did twelve years ago, but we're hoping we can still be good friends.    Leggi altro

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  • South America 2022/2023

    Cerro San Cristobal

    19 gennaio 2023, Cile ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    This morning we took a 7.7 kilometer hike up Cerro San Cristobal, one of those "must do" things in Santiago. As well as wanting to get a look at the view from the top, the hike filled our daily exercise requirement.

    Aside from the great view from the top, on the summit of the hill there is a sanctuary dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, with a 22-meter statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an amphitheater and a chapel.

    There were a couple of steep setions along the pedestrian path that had this old fella sucking air, but for the most part it was a nice leisurely uphill climb. Despite the cloudless sky and mid-summer sun, the temperature was quite bearable with a fairly constant cool breeze blowing in (Or maybe it only felt cool after the 42° temperatures in Córdoba).

    The view from the top was spectacular although we were quite surprised to see so much smog hanging over the city. It was so thick, we could only barely see the outline of the Andes in the distance.

    When we were here twelve years ago, I had kept a personal journal of the trip. Yesterday, I re-read it while I was looking for a restaurant and both Brenda and I were very surprised to be reminded that we had taken the funicular to the top of San Cristobal back then! Even as we hiked our way to the summit today, all memories of our previous visit seem to have been erased from our brains. Maybe it was all that wine we sampled back in 2010?    Leggi altro

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  • South America 2022/2023

    Adios Santiago

    23 gennaio 2023, Cile ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    That's a wrap. Our 100 days in the Southern Hemisphere come to an end today as we pack up and prepare to return to Vancouver.

    The entire trip has been fantastic, despite the little bump in the road when we first arrived in Santiago back in October. But, without that little bump, we probably would not have left Chile to return to Argentina where we loved every minute we spent there. It's almost like the universe conspired to show us the worst side of "The New Santiago" in order to guide us back to the delights we found in Argentina.

    It's a little funny because this last week in Santiago has flown by and we've had nothing but good experiences here, this time around. Providencia, where we stayed, is chock full of excellent restaurants, many of which are vegan, or at least vegetarian. There is a fabulous weekly farmer's market where we bought beautiful fresh produce at prices we hadn't seen before. The weather was temperate with no precipitation and the few locals we interacted with were welcoming and hospitable. On the downside, the cost of dining out rivals Vancouver and the wine is twice the price of what we were paying in Argentina. I suppose that's a good thing as we'll be a little less flabbergasted by the cost of things at home.

    And so, as is usually the case after our winter getaways, we're both a little sad to be going home to life in Canada: the remaining couple of months of winter, the medical and dental appointments we have scheduled, the lack of fresh local fruits and vegetables. However, we're both looking forward to working on some musical projects, seeing our friends and family and planning our next adventures.

    Life sure is grand.    Leggi altro

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    Fine del viaggio
    24 gennaio 2023