No Photo on Sunday today

As those of you who have followed me for a while know, I am a big fan of Eurovision. Basically the biggest music contest in the world. Watched by a lot of people from all over the world. The premise is easy: make a better world through music. Especially when it was first thought of back in the early 1950's. 

Through the years the songs have varied a great deal. A lot of songs have passed through, some absolutely beautiful, others toe curlingly bad. I mean nails on a blackboard stuff. The past few years the voting has become a hot topic, as has the quality of the music/songs. Last year was a return to form though: good songs. Israel won and this year Europe (and Australia) all trooped to Tel Aviv.

I know that those of you who live across the pond are not able to watch the youtube clips I post, but it is well worth a try to try and find them, because they are... memorable. 

The contest nowadays consists of two semi-finals and a final. Each semi produces 10 finalists, making 20, plus the 'big five*' and last year's winner, totaling 26 countries in the final. The first semi was on the whole pretty awful. Apparently most of the performers sang off-key at one point or another. 

My favourites were San Marino (very off-key, but very fun) and Slovenia. My hate-moment was Iceland which had sent a death-metal group dressed in BDSM in a raunchy sex-club. Waders were big too, no fewer than two had the full version and one had the just above the knee version. Australia had a fairy princess chased by dementors. On sticks if you please! Portugal was off the scale as well with weird clothes and plastic beards. 

The second semi was a lot better, for a start, the Netherlands were in it! But also Dirty Dancing by Switzerland, Russia with visible underwear (he had a great song however), Croatia delivered a man who got his wings (literally), Moldova decided to go back to the past and got the sand artist from several years ago out again. Norway had a joiker to join them in a very catchy song. And Sweden sounded like it has sounded for a few years now: good, but same. 

The final was on Saturday and I had bought the snacks for myself and a friend and her children. The lists were ready and off we were! Most of the songs I had seen already of course, but some were new (see below). Germany had a song about sisters and I kept thinking: Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby did a better job! Israel looked a bit sinister, Italy was modern and okay yet not my favourite. Iceland (yes, they had made it) was even worse the second time I heard the song. San Marino (yes, he too), was still off-key, Russia's underwear had been addressed apparently as I did not notice it. His song was still good. 

After all that, the scoring started. We had been told that the favourites to win were the Netherlands and we started off well: the maximum 12 points from Portugal. After that however it sank a bit and even though we stayed in the top 7, it was definitely not a done deal. When the jury's vote had finished we were in third place, behind Sweden and North Macedonia, but there were only 8 points between number 1 and 3! It was going to be tight.

Then the public vote. Norway had not been a favourite with the jury, but the public loved them: they shot up to first place! Slowly they worked their way to the top until only the last three countries remained: the Netherlands, North Macedonia and Sweden. First up was the Netherlands and they went to first place. North Macedonia hadn't been as popular with the public and went to 7th place. Sweden would need 253 to win. After about five minutes with everybody on tenterhooks, they got their score: 93! 

THE NETHERLANDS HAD WON!!!

I was screaming and shouting and jumping up and down! We had won, for the first time since 1975 we had won! Next year the contest will take place in the Netherlands and I can tell you now: by hook or by crook: I will not be in front of the television, I will be at the live shows!! I can't wait!

*The big five are the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy and Germany. They pay most to the European Broadcasting Union and get a free ticket, straight to the final.