IT’S BARCELONA, SPAIN !

Since departure from Cannes, our ship sets a southerly and westerly courses traveling throughout the night along the coast of France and Spain at a distance of seven nautical miles. Early in the morning we will board the local pilot who will guide the ship through the breakwaters and to our designated berth.

Thus at 9.00 am Thursday 29 May we are in Barcelona, Spain. Although it is one of Spain’s most lively and dynamic cities, Barcelona is really not Spanish at all. As the capital and cultural hub of the autonomous region of Catalonia, the city has a long and glorious history all of its own. The Catalan language is similar to Spanish, but also has much in common with southern French dialects. Catalonia was a leading trading power in the Mediterranean during the 14th and 15th centuries with enterprising merchants and bankers, and no feudal remnants whatsoever. United with the Kingdom of Aragon ( no similarity to the epic trilogy of "The Lord of the Ring " ) In the 12th century, the region became part of Spain in 1469 with the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella ( the famous Queen Isabella of Spain we often hear mention in a song "Lady of Spain" by Guy Mitchell ) Most of the centuries-old Catalan institutions and privileges were then suppressed until a cultural resurgence in the 19th century. The Catalan language was banned in 1939 and was revived again in 1975. Today Barcelona is a bustling and cosmopolitan city, a centre of experimentation in politics and the arts. Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Salvador Dali, and Pablo Casals have all called Catalonia home. The old heart of the city is called the Gothic Quarter, since most buildings here date from the 13th to the 15th centuries. In fact, Barcelona like all the other cities of the Mediterranean region can be classified as ancients historically speaking and as visitors we cannot help but be amongst these ancient monuments and buildings that are preserved to this day for all to see and behold.

It is worthy to note however that Spain has 194,901 square miles with a population of 40,448,191. Its language consists of Castilian Spanish (official) Catalan, Galician and Basque. The capital is Madrid and its government is Parliament Monarchy. The currency today is Euro like the rest of Europe.

Whilst our party group is generally excited about this visit to Barcelona, , Ainul and I are less excited since we have been here last year when we stayed then at the famous tourist spot of Ramblas where for twenty four hours of the day, there are continuous activities of interests to the tourists and locals alike. Our hotel then was cited at the very heart of Ramblas itself. Thus this morning, we both decide just to take a bus ride through the city and the conclusion is, we should not have gone at all because we do not find it exciting at all. For me, it is perhaps my expectations of on board entertainment that dwarved the visit to this city. Thus we are on board early enough to gather our small party’s first experience for an afternoon tea at the Michaelangelo.

Previous to this, whilst the rest are enthused on the afternoon tea idea, Sabri has his reservations thinking that the tea is all about having a scone or two, to which he is not keen for. But when finally he does experience the condiments that come with the tea, he regrets not having it done in the past cruises. For Ainul and I, this is one of the pleasures of all these cruises. Both Rahim and Zubi seem very happy with this new food outlet and the same is seen with the rest of our party members. And so I take the opportunity to propose to them a similar experience for a morning breakfast at the same restaurant the following day.

Since Rahim has all along shown great interest in classical strings instruments, tonight at the first session at the Vista Lounge a Classical Concert featuring Prelude String Quartet is something befitting the occasion and expectation. And as if that is not enough, later at 1030 p.m. we are all at the Celebrity Showtime starring Billy Richards’ Coasters featuring 1950’s & 60’s Legends No 1 hits " Charlie Brown ", "Yakety Yak" and "Poison Ivy" - an electrifying show of songs and dances that make our hearts beat really pulsating with excitements. This is typical of most of the live shows on board these cruises that make both Ainul and I forever looking forward for our next cruise.

When the rest and Ainul includes decide to retire for the night, I remain a night bird looking for other excitements. Thus I move from one entertainment spot to another until I arrive at my favourite "Karaoke Madness" power house at the Explorers Lounge where passengers are treated to their choices of songs to sing to their hearts delight. Tonight I thought I will sing "it’s impossible" and " that old black magic" just to see if the musical arrangements suit my repertoire. The first one is acceptable but on "That Old Black Magic" it is way off for me. Thus I think to myself, if at all I am to take part in the later contest for this, I will have to choose another song. Ainul always comments why I always sing the same songs in karaoke competitions and not try new ones.

This is something that most people do not understand. When it comes to karaoke sessions, you only have one chance to sing at the very most three songs throughout the night, and more often than not only two at the most. At this cruise ship with the karaoke opens only for an hour the likelihood of singing even two songs is remote indeed. I am lucky that I am able to sing two tonight. As for karaoke competition, the choice of song is very important indeed in the eyes of the judges. They would like to see and hear good and difficult songs to sing and this is where a careful selection of these typical songs is essential in order to win it.

I have been lucky in the past years to experiment and experience them. By chance I came across "That Old Black Magic " at the Inter Club karaoke competition at the Commonwealth Club in 1995 when my expected song " All the Way " was not listed in their collections, and the Lake Club convener forgot to bring along the CD. In my desperation for a substitute song, I took the chance to sing it although I have never sung it before. Somehow , it paid off and I was the best singer for the night. From thenceforth, my first choice for a winning song has been "That Old Black Magic".

(TO BE CONTINUED )