Spiel ohne Grenzen, Jeux Sans Frontieres, It’s a Knockout…
Apparently the French title was the inspiration for the song “Games without frontiers‘ by Peter Gabriel:
He even sang it in German (the lyrics are rather difficult to make out)
I was – and still am – fully subscribed to the idea of all countries being able to ‘get along’ and ‘Spiel ohne Grenzen’ seemed to embody this – it was a competition, yes, but a very funny, slightly absurd one: no-one came out looking great. My enthusiasm for the show meant that I went along to the domestic heat between the city of Ahrensburg (which I supported, as it was closest to my hometown) and Nordhorn. And I got the card to prove it (see main image).
Ahrensburg won this heat and went on to the international competition in Delft, Netherlands. Luton was the winning city and Ahrensburg came a respectable second.
Wednesday 16 August 1972 – Luton won
1972 was also the year of the Olympic Games held in Munich. How I became the owner/recipient of a personal note from the then Minister for Postal and Telecommunications, I do not remember, but it has its special place in my stamp collection from that time.
Yes, I was that kind of child – collecting stamps, so be prepared for some stamp-stories in the future…..
As a bonus, and a possible explanation for my love of and feeling connected to the United Kingdom, here is a special card issued on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Hamburg (in 1965). She is quoted as saying: ‘Germany – it’s the trip of my lifetime‘. I will leave you to ponder that statement and how (or whether) times have changed..
That’s a nice selection of stamp-related objects. Good to hear the Peter Gabriel song again – it was always played when I was younger. I love the whistling sections in it and the lyrics.