Decades From Home - A Podcast About Germany

In order to ensure our darling Producer Simon made it on his holiday, we recorded a number of episodes back to back, but we may have forgottten when they needed to be released…perhaps this is why we begin this week by celebrating co-host Simon’s beloved Spurs winning the Europa League a month ago…how can we complain though, Simon is so bloody happy, and isn’t that worth an opening segment?Moving on from football success and surprise German spurs fans, Nic and Simon tackle a listener question on the topic of the tricky German word “Mahlzeit!”, which is frequently uttered in the corridors of companies across the country as lunchtime approaches. We discuss the right way to celebrate mealtimes in Germany, as well as regional ways to say hello.Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

This is a podcast about Germany, so you might assume some of that fabled Germanic organisation might have rubbed off on us. Well…sort of, but all the organisation in the world can’t prevent the confusion over Producer Simons recording schedule.A little uncertainty isn’t the worst way to get the podcast started, but what does seem to be a sure fire hit are the prices at an exciting new Dönerladen in Bochum. Sure, the Döner might be €3.99, but what is the real cost of this supposed “Volksdöner”?We finish things off this week by questioning the general honesty of ourselves, Germans, and pretty much anyone who’s ever decided to buy some ancient marble while on holiday in Greece. Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

Having missed Eurovision last week, Simon brings in a special guest reporter to remedy that situation as we discuss politics, Pride flags, and Celine Dion, while learning some new vocabulary to boot. Sadly, we can’t enjoy the bright lights of Euro pop’s annual extravaganza for the whole show, apparently we need to do some work…Yes, you heard right, work. That’s the key message, not of this humble podcast, but freshly minted (give or take a week or two) Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz. He reckons all we need to bring back the good times in Deutschland is a little elbow grease, but is that really the only option?With work on our minds, we also take a moment to celebrate an important milestone as the Fraunequota reaches its 10th anniversary. Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

No one’s entirely sure how, but Producer Simon has managed to wrangle himself a holiday. Though he’d hoped for sunnier climes, the discovery that he could spend a week in Fürth visiting a Rundfunkmuseum does cause some second thoughts. While Producer considers his options, Nic & Simon concern themselves with a mysterious wooden phallus that appeared outside a local business in Munich. Who carved the giant wooden penis, and why does it look like a similar one that appeared and suddenly disappeared in Schwabmünchen?We may never solve that particular mystery, but perhaps we might be able to explain a recent survey suggesting Germans have fallen out of love with their beloved Spargel? Is Asparagus going out of fashion, and why is this clearly the fault of Gen Z?Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

Of all the things Simon could have hoped to find on his morning walk to the local Bäckerei, terrifying omens of impending doom would be low on the list. Of course, that’s not how these things work, and anyway, Bavarians love a little superstition. What does the future hold for Simon? Nic and Simon try to figure it out. Someone who's clearly having better luck than us is England’s rose Harry Kane, who celebrated winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich at the second attempt. We celebrate Kane’s success, discuss the best jokes to end a career on, and take some time to enjoy saying “Torjägerkanone”.Sticking with Munich, we look at reports it may be the most unfriendly city in Germany…for expats, and we finish with the anniversary of the Deutschlandticket.Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

Nothing can stop this podcast, aside from a few technical glitches, and maybe some seriously surprising weather conditions. All it takes is one hot day in Germany, and your British hosts quickly wilt. Regardless, no matter how warm it gets, Nic won’t be following Simon’s corduroy shorts recommendation.The sudden warm weather does remind us that summer will soon be here, as does the end of the football season, but not before Simon explains the curious story behind the name of VfL Bochum. Having tracked the twists and turns of German politics from February’s election, the shocking results, the weeks of coalition negotiations, through to this week’s final confirmation vote for the new Chancellor Friedrich Merz, you might think things were finally getting back to normal…of course, you’d be totally wrong.Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

After flying around the world visiting New Zealand, Producer Simon lands on the podcast with the perfect mix of exhaustion and airport based fury. Nic & Simon pull up their chairs and learn how not to transit through an airport, and curious significance of orange chocolate ice cream.With their ears still ringing, Nic & Simon return to more German matters with a trip down memory lane, or maybe memory aisle as we discuss the changes on the shelves at the local supermarket, why the bakery seems so expensive, and what on earth the word “Snackification” has to do with anything.We wash down all the snack chat with an ice cold 0,5L glass of Schadenfreude as Tesla market share in the EU shrinks, and the AfD are forced to give millions under suspicions of corruption, while also facing the possibility of being evicted from their Berlin headquarters.Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

With all the Easter eggs collected, and chocolate wrappers still littering the floor, Nic & Simon discuss their respective Easter weekends. While Simon has been merrily learning about the Sorbain community of Germany and their Easter traditions, Nic has been in the UK discovering a very odd, and very illegal new delivery service.With Easter behind us, we can fully focus on the important things, like whether Germany will finally have a functioning government. With the coalition agreement signed, we look at some of the finer points, how they may impact Germany, and where the fault lines might be found within the CDU & SPD coalition partners.We also find a little bit of time to share some suprious rumours about the real origin of Germany’s humble Gummistiefel. Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

As Germany celebrates Easter, little do they know that the future is rushing towards them in the form of new rules about passport photos! Okay, maybe it’s not the most futuristic change imaginable, but surely any step forward is better than none…unless you happen to be the owner of one of thousands of Fotostudios across Germany.The topic of boycotting US products has continued to pick up pace across Europe since the global turmoil instigated by the Trump regime in America. Having discussed our own feelings on possible boycotts, we look at how to find replacements for US products, what we’re trying to avoid, and what is really difficult to replace. We finish off the show with a major birthday as Germany sees the end of the first year of new Cannabis regulations. How has semi-legalisation changed Germany, and how might legislation change with a new incoming government?Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

Once again, Germany is preparing to celebrate the world’s worst vegetable as Spargelzeit begins in earnest across the 16 Bundesländer, and two thirds of the podcast are delighted to see it’s return. What does 2025 have in store for Spargel lovers, and where will Simon get his regular Spargeleis? The current international economic turmoil caused by US government tarifs leads us back to the question of boycotting US products, which is really only one of many problems Simon seems to be facing on his weekly shop, the other being his fellow early bird customers.Perhaps what we all need is a bit of luck, but it seems all the luck is going elsewhere at the moment, as we discuss an especially fortunate young 8-year-old child who discovered €15,000 while digging a hole at their Kindergarten. With money in the air, we finish with some suggestions for new designs as the EU updates the Eurozone’s bank notes.Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit SoßThe current international economic turmoil caused by US government tarifs leads us back to the question of boycotting US products, which is really only one of many problems Simon seems to be facing on his weekly shop, the other being his fellow early bird customers.Perhaps what we all need is a bit of luck, but it seems all the luck is going elsewhere at the moment, as we discuss an especially fortunate young 8-year-old child who discovered €15,000 while digging a hole at their Kindergarten. With money in the air, we finish things off with some suggestions for designs as the EU looks to update the Eurozone’s bank notes.Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß