Eurovision 2013 (semi 2) infiltrates... Ghent, Belgium!

You might think that we are actively looking for it, but really the only thing you need to do, is have a walk through a random city, and you're likely to find that Eurovision 2013 is everywhere. And I'm not talking about the pwetty butterflies.

Today, the random city is... Ghent!
Aaah... Ghent, errr... say what? It's a medium sized city, full of students, in the north-western part of Belgium. Nicely situated between tourist traps like Brussels (snore) and Bruges (sigh), this gem has been named the seventh (!!) best top destination in 2011 by the Lonely Planet guides. These Lonely Planet guides are of course well known for their extensive knowledge about Armenia...

...and Georgia and Azerbaijan. They may have glossed over one or two political sensitivities when compiling the guide though. On the plus side, each copy now contains a cd-single of Dorians's entry.

Back to Belgium's best kept secret, the city of Ghent. During one of our recent strolls through the city we stumbled across two more definite references to this year's Eurovision. With the second semi-final tonight, we thought it apt to show them to you.

This restaurant uses one of Switzerland's four official languages (Klingon is not one of them) to honour the Takasa entry. No it's not "Restaurant", although they might serve chianti and polenta.

Cezar was here. "Was" indeed, because the sign above the door indicates that the store space is up for sale. I wonder why.

Will these clues help the contestants tonight? Only a few more hours until we know. But one thing is clear: Whoever placed them there, is counting on going through to the final on saturday, since Belgium isn't even allowed to vote in tonight's semi. Money well spent, I'd say.

ESC2013 infiltrates New York

While my dear colleagues slave away watching and reporting the rehearsals in Malmö, yours truly has decided to travel in opposite direction, only to discover that even in New York City, the 2013 edition of the ESC is all but inescapable.
Like tiny nuggets, if you know where to look, these clues appear at the weirdest places, but unmistakably, they ARE referring to the big event in Sweden. Proof is added below.

And it is indeed Sweden that is proudly advertising its colours all over town. The Konditori thinks the best brand to have is simply the Swedish flag. And right they are!

The first solid clue is this: The spiritual home away from home of the Swiss entry. If you'd walk in, you'd probably even find the uniforms.

Yes, that's right. Only Love Survives, even at the Bethesda Terrace fountain in Central Park, also famous from the movie When Harry Met Sally. But this couple clearly only had Ryan Dolan on their minds. 

Finally, tucked away at the back of the second floor of a large Barnes And Noble bookstore, you find an entire section named in honour of this year's Dutch entry. The management probably wanted to feature this more prominently, but the Mothers Day hallmark cards had to be sold by the weekend. The stand will likely get a better spot at the start of next week. Probably. Ish.

There are quite possibly even more examples of Eurovision 2013 invading the streets and stores of New York, but maybe you should show us, where you have spotted any references to this year's ESC edition! Send us your pics and we'll feature the best ones in one of our next articles. So start searching and snapping!

They've killed Sopho!

And replaced her with Diana Gurtskaya?!

"Feels like I'm flying, like if I could see..."