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I don’t often talk about food, but I think it would be nice to write an article about eating strange sandwiches. I did this in Florida as I recreated with artificial intelligence in the featured photo. This was the last of the reports I wrote via email I made on my solo trip to the U.S. in 2004. There are also some interesting final remarks even considering the actuality of 2026.

In Florida I want to go back for the Key Islands that I couldn’t see on this trip. But with a visit to Everglades Park began my passion for this kind of totally naturalistic visit.

A beautiful trip came to an end, also made more enjoyable by this little game of writing to all of you. Yesterday morning I splashed again in the warm waves of the ‘ocean and lounged on the white sands of Miami beach. In the afternoon I saw a bit of Miami Downtown, and that served to be able to reiterate what I said in the last email, which is that the beauty of here is nature!

Everglades park, also where to eat strange sandwiches

If I went back to Florida I would do it again because of the nature, really wonderful, I say this with more conviction because today I took a trip to a nature park not far from Miami, the Everglades, gorgeous!!!

Frankly, I thought we would sneak further inland. However, with a park ranger we traveled through some alligator-infested channels inhabited by various species of fish, snakes, turtles and birds (which quietly perched on the ranger’s shoulders when he stopped the boat to explain what we were seeing).

It was fun to shoot with those boats that go with a propeller engine but only move air and are not in contact with water. They are typically used in marshy areas because if the propeller was in contact with water it would get tangled up with aquatic plants. It seems to me that James Bond did a few chases in them, and it was fun to speed through the swamp with the ranger doing the bangs on the water. Ah, then the outing ended with the sighting of more critters (scorpions, bullfrogs, and other alligators) that were almost trained. There are both crocodiles and alligators here and it is the only area in the world where they coexist. Finally, I also experienced eating a crocodile sandwich.

Reflections and responses to readers

I am glad I was in Miami, partly because I was able to see a dear friend again and got to know a little bit about her relatives and friends, too, who can be called noble emigrants of the late 20th century. Not the desperate people of the turn of the century, whose stories I saw in the Ellis Island museum.

I remain convinced that we potentially live better in Europe. The United States gives more opportunities for those who have skills, even for greatness. But here there are more poor people and the middle class is worse off.

I have not told you everything. You have missed the little moments that make up days that are intense and never the same. Some people I met and had pleasant chats with. And also many things you see in 22 days, from the scene of a dog playing with its owner, to the smiling children’s faces at Disney, to the detail of a museum or building, to the ‘nurse I talked to on the train for 3 hours about the U.S. health care system and my dog.

To those who suggest that I write a book, I say that they do not know that I would already have two in the pipeline, ages ago. I like to write, but I don’t have the time. When I do it I don’t think so much about publishing but more about me, I enjoy it.

The two most exciting snapshots of this trip were the emptiness approaching ground zero, and the enthusiasm of the gentleman next to me during the gospel service.

In a few hours I have the bus that will take me to the airport, and tomorrow night I will be home; so, with that ends the festival of tripping emails with viro.

More photos of the Everglades, where I didn’t just happen to eat strange sandwiches

I Links

Home Trip Tripping in the USA with Viro

Previous stop Interesting knowledge on the road; Miami expats

Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent

Countries visited in my travel stories

Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives

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Fabio Viroli

Ho sempre avuto tante passioni, ma da sempre più o meno latenti, le principali sono viaggiare e scrivere. Tra le altre cose ho una laurea in psicologia; ho fatto per più di 30 anni l’allenatore di basket; leggo tanti libri; sono stato molto appassionato di sport e di musica rock; e faccio improvvisazione teatrale. IL mio primo romanzo, che non parla di viaggi, si chiama LE TUE GAMBE SONO BELLE COME LE TAGLIATELLE

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