Books » Knjige | 47 lage, which doesn’t resemble what we’d expect of New York. There are no skyscrapers; it’s reminiscent of Europe with its small folksy restaurants where you can eat even if you aren’t wealthy like Trump. Greenwich has a nice bohemian quality, it’s a pleasant place where you can walk around and not get run over by two fire engines and three police cars [laughs]. ONHIS FAVOURITE PLACES I’ve touredfivecontinents,more than90countries, been tomanyunusual places, but if I had to choose my favourites, that would be Bruges in Belgium and the whole of the Mediterranean. Brugesbecause it’s a miniature Venice, a magical city on canals, and the Mediterranean because it’s the most attractive place for life. Those are cities tailored to man, like Florence, which successfullymanages to resist exceeding the tolerable number of inhabitants. It protects its artistic treasures andantiques jealously, just as it does its way of life. For example, inAmerica everything is counted and calculated; in New York it’s important that you eat yourmeal as quickly as possible, so someone else can sit inyour place.Meanwhile in Italy, for example, the entire family gathers, everyone argues andmakes up ten times, they spendentire afternoons sitting in restaurants, and it doesn’t cross anyone’s mind to show them the door.TheMediterranean is blessed. ONGETTING ACQUAINTEDWITHCITIES Prior to every trip, I spend a lot of time reading, wanting to inform myself about the country and city to which I'm travelling. I had a friend in Paris who was a correspondent for Tanjug, so I revealed to himthat Cézanne had lived around the corner, andhe didn’t knowthat despite living in Paris. But I’d read that before I’d headed there. Your trip will provemuchmore fruitful and you’ll enjoy yourself more if you get informed about important things in advance. On the other hand, you’ll happen across the most beautiful places quite by accident, when you go astray, so you should set aside time towander aimlessly. Itwas also customary for me to go to disreputable neighbourhoods, which drove my wife particularly crazy [laughs]. And to conclude –markets. Visiting markets is a must in every city. It’s there that you feel the true spirit of a city. Those are places where the famous and not-so-famous meet. In Rome, for example, all the green grocers adore actress Monica Vitti, that’s a fusion of the rustic and the refined. The diversity of the people will help you draw a lot of conclusions about the country in which you find yourself. ON TRAVELS Hedonism, inquisitiveness, adesire to discover something... There are many reasons why one should travel, but it should never be done only for physical pleasures, because you can also sunbathe on your own balcony. It is much more useful to get acquaintedwith cities and their people, to acquire experiences that will distinguish and enrich you.We, as a family, have always travelled a lot andusedeveryopportunity togo somewhere. I personallywant to see Armenia or Azerbaijan, some countries in the western part of South America where I haven’t been, but I’m very grateful for all the fortunate circumstances of my life that have so far ledme to so many magical places on this planet. ON THE TRACES OFWRITERS Evenwriters can’t be avoidedon travels.Theyhave left indelible traces everywhere. I encountered theghost of Arthur Rimbaud in Harar, where the poet dealtwith trade - insteadof withverse- intannedleather.Together withHemingway, in the snows of Kilimanjaro, I renewed my recollectionsof theHouseof theGods, as the Africans refer to their tallest mountain.WithJosephConrad, I listened to the beating of the Heart of Darkness intheCongo, andwanderedthe streetsofTriestewithJoyce. Together with Byron and Keats, I laid flowers on the graves of poets prematurely departed. I’ve despaired with Camus and whitewashed the abandonedpalacesofPariswithMarlowe. I’ve stayed with Bram Stoker in the haunted Transylvanian castle of an unfairlydenigratedWallachianruler. I’ve hidden in Istanbul’s Pera Palace Hotel with Agatha Christie... ONAIRSERBIA I’ve flown a lot. First with JAT, now with Air Serbia, and I always – both then and now – enjoyed the hospitality and comfort of the national airline. But perhapsmost importantly, I always feel secureaboard ourplanes. Iclaimreliably, andIknow well, that our pilots are among the best in the world, and that fact contributes to the enjoyment of the flight. I feelmoresereneaboardanAir Serbia plane than I do on the planes of some larger andricher companies. BRISEL / BRUSSELS FOTO: Depositphotos / Bloodua
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