Barcelona » Barselona | 99 My Barce lona by A l e ksa J e l i ć The citywheremy 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... When I arrived in Barcelona, way back in 1999, I bought trainers onmy first day. I had remembered the lyrics of a song that state that if we want to get to know a city, we should immediately buy trainers, because they’re familiar with its streets. I thus let them go wherever they wanted. And I wasn’t mistaken. They carriedme to the Plaça de Catalunya, the city’s largest square,wherestreetsheadinall directions. Ipassed through theAngel’sGate andheaded along the pedestrian zone. It was earlyApril.The streetswere crowded and all languages could be heard. I suddenly burst onto the square, glistening in front of me was the cathedral dedicated toSaintEulalia, oneof the city’s twopatronsaints... I continued further, my new footwear not allowing me to take a break. I crossed theVia Laietana, foundmyself in the city’s El Borndistrict and turnedonto theCarrer 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 theChocolateMuseum. Just the right time andplace for a break and a tasting session.The road from there ledme to the Carrer deMontcada, with its famous palaces dating back to the 13th century, which once belongedtorichnoble familiesandnowmostlyhousemuseums. I passed the PicassoMuseumandmade a promise, both tomyself and to him, that I would return. Walking alongside a beautiful church dedicated to the Holy Virgin, 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 knewthat Iwas at theheart ofBarcelona, ina 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 dancer 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 amosaic. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that thenameof theauthorwasJoanMiróandthought of the thousands of pedestrianswho’ve trampledon that great painter. I shrugged the thought off and continued on to the beautiful Plaça Reial, the royal plaza, where I discovered the dance club Los Tarantos, with its live flamenco at a very reasonable price. I was delighted. I foundmyself back at the other side of the Plaça de Catalunya... I headed along the Passeig de Gràcia, where I passed themost beautiful façades that I could only previously imagine inmydreams. And the crowninggloryof them all: the Casa Batlló, the famous building designed by the even more famous Antoni Gaudi. I had only previously seenhis celebratedworks inpictures, SagradaFamilia, 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 theCollserola hills. I felt hownice it would be to arrive there, to standon that observationpoint 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 Freddie 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 beautiful 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 occupyingmymindand the ideas that emergedandmultiplied. I thought how easy it was to be creative in a city that inspires, and Barcelona is definitely a great entertainer and inspirer. And what can I say to conclude? Bienvenidos a Barcelona... Foto: Depositphotos / Luciano Mortula
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