Unbelievable. Simply u n b e l i e v a b l e.

It's about 30 years ago since Germany won the European Song Contest. I have only fade memories about the artist named "Nicole" who won past then. After that, every year our artists and songs got nearly no points at all. Every. Single. Year.
There were few exceptions who made it to the top ten (out of 26 or so). Last year was a total desaster, we were to position 25 or so... huh, what a miserable evening that was.

But now this. No one believed in this. No one. A miracle. To be exact, a miracle with four letters: LENA.

LENA was found in a casting show organized by Stefan Raab. He already sent some artists to the European Song Contest some years ago, and they made it into the top ten. He even performed personally one time, and was in the top ten, too. And after the last year's desaster Stefan took the whole thing personally.

Stefan teamed up with two big TV networks in Germany and organized a casting show. And it was a very good one, where the music was the most important thing, and not weird personal tears & weep stuff like in those other casting shows.

That was only four months ago. In four months, LENA won the casting show, placed four tracks in the german top five and drove to Oslo for the European Song Contest.

As every year we invited a couple of friends to watch the contest together. We had a barbecue, some drinks and then assembled around the TV. We saw 25 other artists from all over europe, we saw good, bad and weird performances. Nearly all of them had various bells and whistles around them, like dancers, a band, clowns, fireworks and so on.

And then LENA came. A 19 year old girl. Nice, black dress. Alone on the stage, only three background singers were behind her in the dark. All the light was on LENA only. She smiled and started performing the song, made it look like it was nothing to stand on the stage watched by all people in Europe.

Finally, after the show, all countries gave their votes. Every country can vote one to 12 points for 12 artist.

In the former years, we were happy when someone gave Germany one or two or three points. More than five points were enough for celebration... but this year, we were simply blown away. For the first time since many, many years we heared the words "...and 12 points to... Germany". Or "...and 12 points to lovely Lena from Germany". Or "...and 12 points to our neighbours from Germany". And so on.

We were stunned. No one could believe it, that some European fellow country gave 12 points for Germany. And then another, and another... and so on. And from so many other countries we got four or more points, there was only ONE were only six (out of 39) countries who didn't gave us any point.

In the end, LENA won. She. simply. won.

With 246 points, next in line was Turkey with 170 points. She really made it. As I said, no one could believe that. Even LENA herself couldn't believe it. The co-moderators in Germany frankly admitted that they didn't prepared for this case. They were as surprised as everyone else :-)

So, we all are touched and very happy. LENA and Stefan won, for Germany. They created a miracle and gave us a great, a historical evening.
Thanks to all European fellows for voting for LENA.

And as a side note: during the show, there were short videos of people all around Europe dancing the same dance, and people all over Europe like us gathering around the TV at home to watch the contest. All of them happy, peaceful and watching together a great music contest.

It was one of these very precious times were we felt that in the end, we are all alike, that we all are Europeans.

More about the contest: http://www.eurovision.tv/

Click here to watch LENA's song.