ums. I passed the Picasso Museum and made a promise, both to myself and to him, that I would return. Walking alongside a beautiful church dedicated to the Holy Vir- gin, I broke onto the seafront. Standing in front of me, glistening in the sunshine and impressive in its sheer size, was the monument to Columbus. I continued on and came across a building with a beautiful façade adorned with the words La Rambla. I knew that I was at the heart of Barcelona, in a street that’s packed with restaurants, flowers, street artists, music... My gaze fixed when I saw the theatre and opera house – the Gran Teatre del Liceu. What could a ballet danc- er possibly want? To perform there at least once, right? And I got my wish – I spent six months performing at the Liceu in the show “Gaudi”. On the street in front of the theatre, I accidentally trod on a mosaic. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that the name of the author was Joan Miró and thought of the thousands of pedestrians who’ve trampled on that great painter. I shrugged the thought off and continued on to the beautiful Plaça Reial, the royal plaza, where I discov- ered the dance club Los Tarantos, with its live flamenco at a very reasonable price. I was delighted. I found myself back at the other side of the Plaça de Catalunya... I headed along the Passeig de Gràcia, where I passed the most beautiful façades that I could only pre- viously imagine in my dreams. And the crowning glory of them all: the Casa Batlló, the famous building designed by the even more famous Antoni Gaudi. I had only pre- viously seen his celebrated works in pictures, Sagrada Fa- milia, La Pedrera [Casa Milà], Park Güell etc. I couldn't have guessed that it really looked like that, and is even more beautiful in person. I trembled with emotion and beauty as I wondered where and how to bring an end to this beautiful day. Can the eyes observe more, can the heart rejoice more, is there no end to this city’s beauty? My gaze extended to the end of the city, to the top of the Collserola hills. I felt how nice it would be to arrive there, to stand on that observation point and thus round off the story and view Barça on the palm of my hand. Or should I conclude the story at the Plaça d'Espanya, with its magic fountains, in a fusion of water, light and music, to the sounds of Montserrat Caballé and Fred- die Mercury? I realised just how much I still had to see and experience. Some inner sense made me feel that I would find a way to remain here – if not forever, then at least for a while, and that feeling calmed me. I ended the evening in the Spanish way, with tapas and wine. Appearing in front of me, opposite the beau- tiful Palau de la Musica concert hall, was just the kind of restaurant I desired: Tosca. I topped that day with various tapas and a couple of glasses of good wine, and I recall that I couldn’t get to sleep due to the thoughts occupying my mind and the ideas that emerged and mul- tiplied. I thought how easy it was to be creative in a city that inspires, and Barcelona is definitely a great enter- tainer and inspirer. And what can I say to conclude? Bi- envenidos a Barcelona...
My Barcelona by Aleksa Jelić The city where my dreams came true Picasso and Gaudi, the combination of the narrow old streets of the Gothic quarter and elegant new avenues, avant-garde galleries and paved pedestrian walkways. Then the theatre and the opera... All of that is my Barcelona... W hen I arrived in Barcelona, way back in 1999, I bought trainers on my first day. I had remembered the lyrics of a song that state that if we want to get to know a city, we should immediate- ly buy trainers, because they’re familiar with its streets. I thus let them go wherever they wanted. And I wasn’t mistaken. They carried me to the Plaça de Catalunya, the city’s largest square, where streets head in all directions. I passed through the Angel’s Gate and headed along the pedestri- an zone. It was early April. The streets were crowded and all languages could be heard. I suddenly burst onto the square, glistening in front of me was the cathedral dedi- cated to Saint Eulalia, one of the city’s two patron saints... I continued further, my new footwear not allowing me to take a break. I crossed the Via Laietana, found my- self in the city’s El Born district and turned onto the Car- rer de la Princesa. Something was drawing me to head down that particular street, where the wind carried the scent of chocolate and, indeed, right at the end of the street I found the Chocolate Museum. Just the right time and place for a break and a tasting session. The road from there led me to the Carrer de Montcada, with its famous palaces dating back to the 13 th century, which once be- longed to rich noble families and now mostly house muse-
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