Eurovision 2018: Postcards for semi-final 1

Beautiful nature and fun activities. The traditional postcards introducing the participants in the live TV shows offer a bit of everything. We take a look at the ones that accompany the acts in the first semi-final.

The first dress rehearsal took place today. All the acts performing in this tough and scary semi-final stepped the Altice Arena stage again and, for the first time ever, the postcards for those were aired. Here’s a quick overview on each of them:

Azerbaijan: Aisel – “X My Heart”

Aisel recorded her postcard in Reguengos de Monsaraz – Évora – that has been an official Portuguese city since 2004. In a red sweatshirt, Aisel flies in an air ballon above the beautiful green parts of the city

Iceland: Ari Ólafsson – “Our Choice”

The Icelandic singer recorded his postcard in Lisbon. The iconic Parque Eduardo VII was the main set of the postcard, nonetheless, Ari also visited the Puppet Museum – located in Convento das Bernardas – to build a puppet with the help of an expert. Similarly to the outfit in his performance, Ari is also wearing white and red.

Albania: Eugent Bushpepa – “Mall”

Eugent comes out of a beautiful wood door in the, also beautiful, Aveiro. The city is often compared to the beautiful Venice (Italy) due to its water canals and traditional boats – Moliceiros. That is Eugent’s activity in the video. He goes on a boat trip while he waves at people kindly.

Belgium: Sennek – “A Matter of Time”

It was also in the beautiful Lisbon that Sennek recorded her postcard. Sennek took a pretty boat trip through Tejo river and was able to cross under the iconic 25 de Abril bridge. Due to that, the singer also visited the Alcântra marina.

Czech Republic: Mikolas Josef – “Lie To Me”

Surely one of the most traditional and original postcards as the Czech representative visited the old parish of Podence in Bragrança. In order to make his postcard even more unique Mikolas dressed in the iconic careto – part of the Podence’s carnival – while he had so much fun with his dancers.

Lithuania: Ieva Zasimauskaitė – “When We’re Old”

Serra do Caramulo was the set picked for Ieva’s postcard. In the middle of the mountains, Ieva is wearing something quite similar to her stage outfit and gets a ride from a traditional tractor that has surely been designed to look even fancier. In the video, one can see the place’s alternative energies in action.

Israel: Netta – “Toy”

A diva in Lisbon. Netta is also in center Lisbon in her postcard. The singer is in the middle of Rossio and her postcard does feature some nice patterns of Lisbon’s iconic pavement. In the video, Netta shows she is also a partygirl by joining a rooftop party as a DJ.

Belarus: Alekseev – “Forever”

Well, it’s Lisbon again! This time, the singer is in Terreiro do Paço – where the Euro Village is located – but even if it is a very crowded area, one would obviously notice him as Alekseev’s fashion sense is once more an highlight. At the end, Alekseev is in the Arco of Rua Augusta with a beautiful view of the sea.

Estonia: Elina Nechayeva – “La Forza”

Sintra is the landscape of Elina’s postcard. The Estonian singer is in a white ensemble and goes through the beautiful Serra de Sintra. In the video, Elina also climbs a mountain and, in the video, the iconic Palácio de Sintra is also an highlight.

Bulgaria: Equinox – “Bones”

What would be Equinox if they weren’t wearing black outfits? Well, pretty much the same as they’re flawless. Well, in their postcard, the group goes in an electric trip and they do showcase their friendship and fun moments together. At the end, the group takes the Santa Justa lift for a nice view of the capital.

F.Y.R. Macedonia: Eye Cue – “Lost and Found”

The duo was in Palácio dos Marqueses de Fronteira for their postcard. Tiles were also a good part of their postcard as Eye Cue did have the opportunity to go to the Fábrica de Cerâmica da Viúva Lamego build their own tiles. At the end, they show the final result.

Croatia: Franka – “Crazy”

In a very formal ensemble, Franka visited Talasnal Village, a quite traditional place. On it, she also cooked a traditional Portuguese meal and had the opportunity to eat it with who we believe are the only 10 inhabitants of Talasnal.

Austria: Cesar Sámpson – “Nobody But You”

Cesar took a group of people to bike in the former village of Monsanto. Through its castle and walls, the Austrian singer showcases the beauty of this so traditional region of Portugal. Austria was the first country to shoot their postcard.

Greece: Yianna Terzi – “Oniro Mou”

Yianna went to Ílhavo for her postcard. Nonetheless, she didn’t go there for sightseeing but to paint ceramics with the help of an expert. In Yianna’s case, she painted a ceramic of a bird and, at the end, she posed with the beautiful piece.

Finland: Saara Aalto – “Monsters”

Saara flew to Algarve for her postcard. In Albufeira, Saara went to learn and play golf in a dark ensemble. She obviousy got to score a point and even had the opportunity of riding a golf car through the big camp. The singer then flew to Lisbon where she performed in Trumps.

Armenia: Sevak Khanagyan – “Qami”

In Grândola, Sevak took his time to learn a few more things about local activities. In it, he got to cut part of trees for cork and even ride a tractor, with help, of course. Portugal is responsible for 50% of cork production.

Switzerland: Zibbz – “Stones”

Zibbz went to Porto for their postcard. Besides visiting the city’s beautiful downtown, the siblings had the opportunity to get into a helicopter and see the city from above. Porto is one of the most populated cities in Portugal.

Ireland: Ryan O’Shaughnessy – “Together”

Ryan flew to one of Portugal’s island, Madeira. In Porto Santo, the singer got to go on the beach and even dive in the beautiful ocean. With a lot of close ups, the postcard showcases the beautiful underwater life.

Cyprus: Eleni Foureira – “Fuego”

The Cypriot representative also flew to Lisbon for a little cuising lesson. In Mercado da Ribeira, Eleni got to cook a quite fancy dish with a profiessional cooker and if her reaction to the smell is accurate, it must’ve been delicious.

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