Hey, everyone!
Like I've mentioned before, 2011 will mark my first official in-person Eurovision experience. I'm incredibly excited to be working with my OGAE chapter (Rest of the World) and the chapter's official site, www.esckaz.com!
Anyway, as I'm preparing for my ESC trip, I thought I'd share the moment with you all. Starting today, and going through my trip to Germany, I'll be occasionally putting up videos of my own personal "Reise Nach Düsseldorf". It's nothing fancy or high tech at this point (what can I say...my experience with video editing is less than copious!), but I'm looking forward to being able to interact with my readers on a whole new level.
If you're either from Düsseldorf or will be joining me at Eurovision this year, let me know! How should I prepare myself for the trip? What are some of the local sights that I should take in? How about the best local restaurants to check out, or places to see and be seen? I've got two full weeks in North-Rhine-Westphalia...let's make it fantastic together!
Here's my first entry, where I test out the local brew...Altbier!
Again, major thanks go out to the Ale Jail in St. Paul (and their vinicultural counterpart next door, the Wine Thief), my local go-to-spot for hard-to-find beers from all over the world! If you're anywhere near the area, check them out! http://winethief.net/
Sunday, January 23, 2011
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You are going to Düsseldorf? Congratulations! I thought finally being in Europe for the Eurovision Song Contest would be a milestone.
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly does "Rest of the World" mean? In your context, I think it makes sense, given that you are not in a Eurovision country. In other contexts, though, like the OGAE second chance, I see Bulgaria listed as "Rest of the World" in the 1980 retrospective. Yes, at the time Bulgaria was not a Eurovision competitor, but neither was Soviet Union, who supposedly won the 1984 retrospective.
Also, Bulgaria was "Rest of the World" in 2010, and Slovakia was in 2009. How do these contries qualify as "Rest of the World"?
I'm sorry, how do I delete my comment? It says the answer right on the page! I just did not look there before posting my question!
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't mind if I leave the comment up, just for the service of other readers who might not be familiar with the OGAE Clubs (Organisation générale des Amateurs de l'Eurovision/ Eurovision Fans' General Organization)...
ReplyDeleteMost nations that participate in Eurovision have an OGAE Club (Germany has two, because the fanbase is so large!). However, for countries that don't participate, or simply don't have their own club yet, there's OGAE Rest of the World. Our president is based out of South Africa, our website is written by a guy originally from Kazakhstan, and we've got Australians, Mexicans...and me! ;-)
The OGAE sponsors mini-contests such as the "Second Chance", where we all vote on our favorite song from the preselections that didn't make it through to the ESC itself.
If you're interested in learning more, check out the general OGAE site at http://www.ogae.net/.
Might we be seeing more videos like this in the near future? You come across as such a sweet person in the video! How is your journey to Düsseldorf coming along?
ReplyDelete-Finland
Hi, Stefanos!
ReplyDeleteFunny you should ask...I've got another video in the pipeline, and it should be up pretty soon! Thanks for your kind words! My journey is coming along very nicely...all of my tickets have been purchased, my wardrobe is just about ready, and I keep checking my passport to make absolutely sure that it hasn't expired! ;-)