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Monthly Archives: September 2014

Adventures in Italy… Post 52: Treasure Hunting

30 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by duckykoren in fashion, shopping, Travel

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blogs, Campo de' Fiori, dogs, Italy, Jewelry, Rick Steves, Rome, Shopping, Sweaters, Travel, Treasure

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After spending about an hour treasure hunting around Campo de’ Fiori, I thought we’d better get back to Frank before he we lose him.

We had left him sitting at a cafe contentedly sipping expresso, as Jen and I went window shopping.

We had wandered off the beaten track several times as I was looking for a restaurant that had been featured in Rick Steves travel segment “Barroque After Dark.”

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It was a restaurant that served battered cod fillets served with anchovies and a Roman house salad. Frank and I looked forward to dining there.

The restaurant is called ‘Filetti di Baccala’.

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On our first visit to Campo de’ Fiori in 2008 we had gotten there way to early in the afternoon, and learned that they would not be open until the dinner hour.

Them’s the breaks.

Although Frank and I had found it with little problem four years ago, this time I just could not get my bearings enough to find it.

Just as well, because like before, it was probably closed and would not open till later on in the day.

Maybe we’ll have better luck on our next trip to Italy…

As for my treasure hunting, I bought a few hair clips, and a bracelet.

Then, to our delight, we came across a store which featured what Jen and I call…

“Jesus Is With You Bracelets.”

These are attractive stretchy bracelets adorned with beads featuring Catholic Saints and icons.

We once found some at home, and enjoyed wearing them.

I sent her inside to buy one.

She came out with five.

Looking back, we really should have bought them all because they were the souvenir of choice among my friends and coworkers.

As for Jen’s treasure hunting, she scored big time when she purchased a red, hand knit, fair isle sweater for her She-Poo dog, Miss Sophie.

This of course would make her dog the most well dressed canine on our street back at home. After all, how many dogs do you know who have an authentic hand knit sweater straight from Campo de’ Fiori?

Heck, even I don’t have a single sweater from Italy.

Purses yes…

Sweaters from Campo de’ Fiori…

…no.

It’s a startling reality check when you are faced with the fact that your family dog has a better wardrobe than you do.

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Adventures In Italy… Post 51: Window Shopping At Campo de’ Fiori

29 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Travel

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Cafe, Campo de' Fiori, Coffee, Italy, Rick Steves, Rome, Seven Hills of Rome, Shopping, Stores, Tours, Travel, Walking, Window Shopping, Windows

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The first time I ever heard of Campo de’ Fiori was on travel guru Rick Steves segment called ‘Baroque After Dark.’

That was when I didn’t know the difference between Piazza Navona and Campo de’ Fiori.

Both lovely places however it’s usually a bit of a walk to get to either one.

When trekking through the city streets of Rome, it’s important to remember that Rome was built on seven hills. As you walk down one of these hills, you are destined to walk up the next. It is unavoidable, tiring and unfortunately most difficult on those who are elderly or physically challenged.

At long last, we arrived at Campo de’ Fiori, which according to Wikipedia is Italian for ‘Field of Flowers’. It is so named because it was a flowering field during the Middle Ages.

No sooner do we arrive in the square when Frank heads towards the closest sidewalk cafe. He sits himself down and asks us if we want an expresso.

What he doesn’t know is that by this time, Jen and I are more than ready to do some shopping. You see, while we are walking from point to point passing shop window after shop window it was difficult to grab Frank’s attention when something caught our eye and seemed to invite us into the store. Of course, to venture in without letting him know risks getting lost.

Not worth it, as I have a negative sense of direction.

I believe that’s why he tends to walk so fast. By the time he realizes that we’re trying to get his attention, we have already travelled the length of a street block, going back at this point seems mute.

Hence, no money spent.

Frank has thus been successful in saving a bit of money.

But he would not be so fortunate here at Campo de’ Fiori.

We could sense it.

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There was a piazza full of windows to admire, and potential shopping to be done.

Frank waved us away towards the shops, and told us to go look around and that he would wait for us.

Fortunately, he found a nice sunny spot that would keep him warm despite the cooler temperature. The weather seemed to be in our favour as it wasn’t raining at that particular moment.

And so, off Jen and I went…

We proceeded to walk down the length of one side of the square then turned to the next. Occasionally, we would pop into the store just for a quick look-see.

However, no matter where we went, we could feel Frank’s eyes following us.

Was he lonely?

Worried about us?

Concerned about how much we were going to spend?

Jen and I quickly ducked into a tiny shop to escape his gaze…

Or so we thought…

After all, we were just window shopping…

Or so he thought…

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Adventures In Italy… Post 50: In Praise Of The Piazza

28 Sunday Sep 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Family Stories, Travel

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blogs, Cafe, Campo de' Fiori, Coffee, Epiphabets, Italy, Michael, Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Navona, Piazzas, Rome, Tiramisu, Tours, Travel

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I am convinced that the concept of a piazza is totally lost on North America.

Our society would never allow for such a large plot of land in the middle of a city to be set aside solely for the enjoyment of the people.

Rather, they would build shopping malls, fast food joints or worst of all, casinos.

There is a world of difference between a Starbucks, McDonald’s and Tim Hortons, and an old world sidewalk cafe.

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A friend at work once asked me…

“Is there really such a thing as a sidewalk cafe where you can sit all day in the sun drinking expresso complete with accordion players and all?”

I could almost see the tears welling up in his eyes that the thought of this most pleasant of visions could actually be in fact a reality.

I almost wanted to say…

“Yes Virginia, there is such a place where people gather day and night to enjoy the company of family and friends in an outdoor social setting. There, you can indulge in coffee, tiramisu, authentic pizza Margherita, among other world class delicacies.

These meeting places complete with beautiful fountains can only be reached on foot as motorized vehicles are not allowed as they detract from the simplicity of the setting.”

Dear and gentle readers:

These places are known as piazzas.

If you want to gain some sense of what a piazza is like, imagine a a rectangular square the size of four football fields. This is the gathering ground for people who seek to escape all the noise, the traffic, and the rat race of their working day.

People bring their dogs here. People play their musical instruments and even sing here. There are original fountains and statues dating back to the renaissance along with the obligatory pigeons. People can make their living here by simply selling fruits, vegetables and flowers here.

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Hanging out at the shopping malls is unheard of when there are outdoor piazzas to enjoy.

And why would we be hard pressed to find these same piazzas in North America?

They would no doubt be considered as…

“Not economically feasible.”

In closing, I think I’ll end with a silly bit of verse that stems from from a song sung by Andie MacDowell’s character the movie ‘Michael’ starring John Travolta:

“Oh me, oh my…

I love Piazza Pizza pie!”

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Adventures In Italy… Post 49: A Papal Pilgrimage

27 Saturday Sep 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Family Stories, Italy, Knitting, Travel

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Campo de' Fiori, Italy, Knitting, Papal Audience, Pilgrimage, Pope Benedict, Rain, Rome, St. Peter's Square, Travel, Vatican, Vaticano

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While touring the Vatican, our tour guide told us that the Pope has a weekly audience each Sunday morning in St. Peter’s Square at 9:30 a.m. He does this from his apartment window.

Frank and I knocked around the idea about paying him a visit, and then finally decided…

“Well, why not?”

We arrived at St. Peter’s Square by taxi at about 8:30 a.m., early enough to get a good view.

The overcast skies sporadically drizzled down on us as we watched the church going people neatly file into the St. Peter’s Basilica for Sunday morning mass.

Eventually, Jen got her knitting out and proceeded to put this waiting time to good use.

Both Frank and I contented ourselves with people watching.

9:30 a.m. came and went, and still no Pope in sight.

A group of policemen had gathered, and I mustered up the courage to approach them to ask what time the Pope will be making his weekly address.

I was told 12:30 p.m.

Bummer.

That was still two hours away.

We decided that another two hour wait in the damp cold weather would not be in our best interest, and Frank then decided that a visit to Campo de’ Fiori was in order.

And so, off we went…

Frank led the way while Jen and I fell in line behind him like obedient little ducklings.

Later on that day, I was able to FaceTime my Mother when she told me that she had watched Pope Benedict give his weekly audience on the evening news.

She told me that she was not able to spot us among the listening throngs of people.

It was then that I told her that the Pope had missed his chance to see us in St. Peter’s Square.

He totally blew it!

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Adventures in Italy… Post 48: Cesar Ristorante Pizzeria

26 Friday Sep 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Uncategorized

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blogs, Cesar Ristorante, Food, Foodie, Italy, Pizzaria, Restaurants, Rome, Sophia Loren, Travel

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At first glance upon walking into this restaurant you’ll see a television perched up near the ceiling in a far corner to your left.

The Rockford Files is on and if course, it’s in Italian.

The walls are sporadically decorated with black and white photos, one of which is of Sophia Loren.

My favourite picture is the one where she is holding up a forkful of spaghetti.

It would give me a great deal of satisfaction if I knew that she had stuffed it unceremoniously into her mouth,

…like I do,

…but somehow I doubt it.

The tables and chairs seem like leftovers from the sixties.

So do the plastic menus.

Down the wall to your immediate right is a buffet style counter that stretches down the length of the wall. It doesn’t look like much when you first enter the door.

As you approach this counter to get a closer look, your eyes begin to dance as they focus in on the offered entrees.

The spartan furniture and muted walls are immediately forgotten.

Instead, all you can do is stare at the fine arrays of grilled vegetables in greens, reds, and golds….

Then there’s the lasagne…

Risotto…

Gnocchi…

Herb encrusted chicken…

And my personal favourite…

Eggplant smothered in oozy cheesy goodness.

Once you start filling your plate…

…you can’t stop.

And to wash it all down the house wine is served by the pitcher full, crisp, cold and white.

If you find yourself in Rome, look up Cesar Ristorante Pizzeria on Via Venizia.

Tell them Doris sent you.

It’s worth the plane fare.

Trust me.

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Adventures In Italy… Post 47: The Great Maximus

25 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Travel

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Delis, Dinner, Focaccia bread, Foodie, Rome, Travel

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After our encounter with the Celtic cabbie, we were just about to head into our hotel when Frank turned around and asked:

“What did you want to do about dinner?”

I cringed at the thought.

Frank and Jen were exhausted, but they were obviously hungry from our all day adventure.

However, I found it hard to even think about food.

Needless to say, none of us wanted to go through the ordeal of deciding on a restaurant…

…getting seated,

…waiting,

…ordering,

…waiting,

…eating,

…waiting for the check.

Then Frank suggested:

“Why don’t we just go to the deli, pick something up, and take it back to the room with us?”

Jen agreed immediately.

I was just too tired to care.

We were very fortunate that our hotel was located in a part of town overrun with fine restaurants, and lots of places to grab a bite.

As a matter of fact, just four doors down from our hotel was a magnificent delicatessen the likes of which I have yet to find in North America.

Nashville may have the Wildhorse Saloon, otherwise known as the world’s longest bar…

…but we were about to belly up to the world’s largest deli counter.

The lavish food counters just went on and on…

From the first moment you walk into the deli, your nose latches onto the smell of fresh bread.

Then after another step you detect smoked meats.

Move a few inches to the right and you are overcome with the heady fragrance of amaretto cookies.

It was an immediate overload to my senses and I found myself backing away from the over embellished counters as to re-establish a regular breathing pattern before I get dizzy.

The store was about the size of your average 7-Eleven but it was stuffed from ceiling rafters to the floor. There was produce, cheeses, meats, wines, cookies, cakes, chocolates and exotic morsels and strange spices which were beyond my limited knowledge of what authentic European foods consist of.

Some of the items hanging from the ceiling I could recognize like ham, salami and various cheeses. Then there were hanging items that I did not recognize, nor did I ask what they were lest I break into tears if the truth be told.

There were no slushy machines behind the counter. Instead there were huge meat, bread and cheese slicers.

The cash register was not working that day, so pencil and paper were utilized to tally up purchases, and with remarkable skill and precision too.

There was no diminutive girl behind the counter but rather, a bear of a man with bushy brown hair who took pride in flexing his arms and muscles to the customers while bellowing out for the entire street to hear:

“I AM THE GREAT MAXIMUS…”

…and he was indeed.

As I lingered over the wine counter I was approached by Maria who treated me like an old friend rather than a mere customer.

I really liked that!

She would walk me up one aisle and down the next as she pointed to the unending treasures lying on the shelves while explaining them to me what they were like a house-proud hostess.

And so at last, the decision had to be made of what we were going to have for dinner.

The consensus was the toasted focaccia sandwiches stuffed with spinach, cheese, olives and salami, garnished with both an olive and tomato bruschetta.

Each sandwich was about 3 euros a pop… which was about $4.50 CDN.

Absolutely worth every penny.

After giving Max our order, in true gladiatorial fashion he proceeded to carve three enormous wedges from a sandwich like pie of sorts. Then he wrapped each sandwich with the gentility of someone who was wrapping cucumber sandwiches for an afternoon tea.

After settling our bill, we turned to leave the store, however, before exiting, the great Maximus called me over and shoved a stuffed paper bag into my hands before proceeding to wave goodbye to us.

Later on, back in our hotel room as we tucked into our dinner I opened the paper bag.

I didn’t have to open the bag to see what he gave us because the heady fragrance had already given the contents away.

The bag was brimming with amaretto cookies.

And so, on that note, our day ended very sweetly indeed.

Nom… nom… nom…

Adventures In Italy… Post 46: Lost In (Roman) Space

24 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Uncategorized

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Adventure, Appian Line Bus Tours, Celtic Music, Italy, Music, Taxis, Tours, Travel

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They say that all roads lead to Rome…

But once you’ve entered the city gates you are definitely on your own.

Or so we learned…

On the three hour bus drive back to Rome, everyone was understandably weary, wet, and worn.

We had learned from our previous trip that it is part of the bus tour’s responsibility to get you back to your hotel.

Even so, the last time we had done this, it did not turn out well.

Our previous hotel was the Comfort Inn Bolivar and it was nestled into a side street so tight that it was difficult even for a normal sized car to pull up to the front door, let alone a full sized bus. Hence, when we were dropped off, we still had a ten minute walk to reach the hotel. Problem was that it was pouring rain. But it was a warm September night, so we only got wet, and not cold and wet.

Fast forward to four years later:

Our bus had arrived back in Rome, and started dropping our fellow tour mates two by two at their respective hotels.

Frank and I became a little dubious as the passengers dwindled and we were still no where near our hotel.

Eventually, the three of us were told that the bus is not allowed to go to that part of Rome at that late hour.

Hmmm… It seemed a bit strange because the hotel was located on a very busy street.

However, who were we to argue.

We were dropped off at a street corner and told our hotel was about three blocks ahead.

However, after four blocks we were hopelessly lost, and not very happy about it.

It was dark out now, and we were strangers in a strange land.

We recognized no familiar landmarks, and could gain no sense of direction.

Eventually we waved down a cab.

Once we were settled into the cab, we handed the cab driver the hotel’s business card and we were off.

It didn’t take long for us to realize that there was something eerily different about the cab.

Wait a minute, what’s that music we’re listening too?

…Celtic Music?

I had a sensation of hovering in between two very different worlds as the cabbie wound us back through the streets of Rome while listening to the likes of Danny Boy.

It was surreal to say the least.

No one said a word until we arrived back at our hotel.

We were just way too confused.

 

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Adventures In Italy… Post 45: Quality versus Quantity

23 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Uncategorized

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Family, Italy, life, Naples, People, Priorities, Society

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A Mail Bike

Even though I have been to Naples twice, I don’t believe that I actually had the pleasure of meeting someone from Naples during my travels.

However, I do believe that they are proud people, who work hard and are very resourceful.

I come across this knowledge about them quite simply.

I observed.

As we drove through and around Naples, I was for some reason very intrigued by all the laundry that I saw hanging out to dry. There was laundry hanging off of almost every balcony, and even drying laundry strung across windows, strewn across fences, terraces and patios.

But it was all the laundry that I saw hanging from the high rise apartment balconies that caught my eye… And Naples has a lot of apartment buildings. One after the other, balcony railings full of colourful arrays of drying laundry.

Now, I’ve lived in Toronto in the past, as well as driven through it on the QEW and 401 highways.

You would be hard pressed to see laundry hanging from any balcony, let alone fences and windows.

So what makes them so different from us?

Well…

I have no trouble at all confessing to you that whenever my washer or dryer breaks down, I immediately burst into tears.

No word of a lie…

You can ask my family.

Tell me that I am to live without either one, and my world as I know it, crumbles into ruin.

In other words, I am overly attached to these two appliances, and the thought of manually washing and drying blue jeans is unthinkable.

Does this make me a lesser person than my Italian counterpart?

No.

Does it make me lazier?

Definitely.

I wonder if I were to count all the electrical appliances, gadgets, computers and entertainments devices in my home what the ratio would be to a typical family living in Naples.

I probably have more Apple phone chargers than the average apartment has appliances.

Now let’s take this one step further….

Italians believe in home cooking.

For the most part, there is no such thing as picking up a bucket of chicken, or a burger and fries on your way home from work.

It’s all about fresh ingredients and your handed down family recipes.

“Sigh.”

With all that being said, if someone told me that I had a chance to live in Italy and change my lifestyle for theirs…

I would pack my bags tomorrow.

Call me crazy…

But if there is one thing I’ve learned from my travels to Italy…

There’s more to life than appliances, fast food, cell phones and apple chargers.

There’s a greater joy to be found in good food, good company, good conversation, and even fresh smelling sun dried clothes…

And most important of all…

…Famiglia!

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Adventures In Italy… Post 44: The Dogs Of Pompeii

22 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Dogs, Italy, Travel

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dogs, History, Italy, Pets, Pompeii, Travel

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When we first visited Pompeii in September 2008, we knew what to expect: ruins archeological digs and a great deal of ancient history.

What we did not expect was meeting the dogs of Pompeii.

At that time there were about fifty dogs making the ancient ruins their home.

I imagine that most of them had been abandoned by their owners, perhaps the odd stray.

From what I could ascertain, the dogs seemed to survive on the kindness of the tourists who arrive in abundance on a daily basis.

The dogs we saw were obviously taken care of. They looked clean, fed and healthy.

They also seemed to be curiously good natured. They would approach passers by for a pat or make themselves comfortable on a sunny patch of ground. There were places, especially near the food vendors where you had to be very careful where you stepped lest you disturb a sleeping dog.

It is possible to adopt one of these dogs if the necessary forms are filled out and all the criteria met.

On our return in November 2012, it was much colder and wetter. We only saw one dog who was in search of a meal.

It wasn’t long before one of the vendors had procured a plate of leftovers, which suited the dog quite well.

I’m very grateful to anyone who gives comfort and aid to any creature in need.

And so…

Thank you to the kind people who have taken the time and money to tend to the care of the dogs of Pompeii.

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Adventures in Italy… Post 43: Views From The Shadow Of Vesuvius

20 Saturday Sep 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Uncategorized

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Ancient Cities, Appian Line Tours, blogs, History, Italy, Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii, Travel

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Early in the tour we met a nice British chap, Mike, retired for five years and living in Devon, England. He sat with us at our lunch table and we all had a pleasant chat.

Mike owns a five year old greyhound called Penny.

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Also delightful was our tour guide who led us through Pompeii.

She was fluent in many languages, and told good, or rather I should say compelling stories.

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On this trip we got to see the outdoor amphitheatre theatre. it was here that our tour guide asked for a volunteer to sing something that would show off the acoustics.

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Valiantly, one of our fellow tourists sang ‘O solo Mio’ to the delight of our travelling audience.

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Later, while waiting to board the bus we learned that he is here with his wife from Orlando Florida.

He works as a nurse in geriatrics.

His wife is a lovely willowy woman with long honey coloured wearing a stunning coat of red brocade.

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She would have fit in very well in ancient Pompeii I think.

My hair on the other hand, looked like it had been through several car washes.

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Writing In My Journal

On the drive back to Rome, everyone was understandably weary, wet, and worn.

As we boarded the bus, we finally got that blue patch of sky that we had waited all day for…

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It is part of the bus tour’s responsibility to get you back to your hotel.

However, the three of us were told that the bus is not allowed to go to that part of Rome at that late hour.

Hmmm…

We were dropped off at a street corner and told to go straight ahead three blocks.

However, after four blocks we were hopelessly lost, and not very happy about it.

It was dark out now, and we were strangers in a strange land.

Eventually we waved down a cab.

Imagine our surprise when we entered the cab and our ears were met with Celtic music.

The driver was Italian, and I has a sensation of shell shock as the cabbie wound us back through the streets of Rome while listening to Danny Boy.

It was surreal to say the least.

No one said a word until we arrived back at our hotel.

We were just too confused.

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