Decades From Home - A Podcast About Germany

On the show this week:After 30 episodes and some hard work over the last few months, Simon deservedly has taken the week off. Without the stabilising influence of Simon, Nic could easily have gone off the rails, but luckily for us he decided on a clipshow instead.This week go back in time to hear conversations on a the connection between a fish and German music from episode 14, East Germany’s favourite car the Trabant from episode 15, Simon’s love of kebabs from Episode 19 and an interview with 40percentgerman.com guest contributor Dilini Algama on her experiences of German dating from episode 23.

On the show this week:Simon celebrates Sebastian Vettel’s birthday and explains why the F1 driver holds British humour in such high regard. Despite their best efforts, the lads we can’t avoid talking football especially with the England v Germany fixture taking up so much of this week’s news. Simon & Nic talk about terrible media takes, football rivalries and who to support once your favourite team exits the tournament.A new shop in Berlin proudly selling LSD to the masses attracts Simon’s attention and gives us a chance to talk about everyone’s favourite topic, sensible drug legislation! Finally we discuss traditional German health remedies and why going to a homoeopathic practitioners conference might be more fun than you think.

To celebrate the upcoming England v Germany game Nic & Simon discuss the upcoming fixture and what it means to them. They remember past meetings between the teams and try to predict who will win on Tuesday.

On the show this week:We’re talking two of our favorite topics this week football and beer, although the second of these is a little tricky for Simon as he recovers from partying with his neighbours. Nic explains why JFK is unfairly remembered in Germany for claiming to be doughnut and your hosts discuss marxist footballers and why a minority of English football fans are booing their own team.Simon questions a recent Greenpeace protest that almost ended in total disaster and asks Nic how much money the podcast could knock off the value of a major soft drinks company. Finally, we end the show by deep diving into the topic of German beer and choose their own top five German beers.

On the show this week: Nic comes down with a severe case of football fever and there ain’t no vaccine for that, the lads discuss the start of Euro 21 and the teams they plan on supporting. Simon tells Nic all about Dirk Nowitzki (the insurance salesman) in honour of the giant German’s birthday.Following on from last week, Simon and Nic talk discuss funny German words they’ve still not fully got to grips with and explain why having a childish sense of humour is useful when speaking German. A failure in translation brings an end to a court case in the UK, Simon asks why translating German seems so difficult for a British judge and questions whether technology is the only failing of the UK court system.Simon & Nic celebrate the return of German hero David Hasselhoff, the new official face of the vaccine roll out in Germany. Finally, Simon introduces us to the most rebellious musician in Switzerland, or at least the most rebellious Alpine horn player in Switzerland. 

On this weeks show:Simons & Nic are increasingly optimistic as lockdown restrictions being to ease, Nic celebrates the end of the mask mandate in Augsburg by going on a one man pub crawl, but is drinking on your own on a public holiday really all it’s cracked up to be? Despite two decades in Germany between them, your hosts still find some parts of Germany a little strange, even at home there are many things that can cause confusion. Simon bemoans the lack of mixer taps in British kitchens and toilets, while Nic explains why Germany is ready for the Zombie apocalypse.Simon introduces us to the world of Bernd das Brot, a depressed loaf of bread that has inexplicably become an award winning kids TV show character. Does a sad loaf of bread give us an insight into the Germany condition?To finish off the show, Simon & Nic look to a post-pandemic future and talk fests, Lederhosen and their favourite beer festival, the Erlangen Bergkirchweih. 

On the show this week: Having finished moving house, Simon tells Nic all about it. Is moving house harder in Germany? Simon explains the differences between moving in the UK and Germany, the importance of good etiquette when moving and how to best reward anyone who’s willing to help out.The lads discuss why painting before you leave is a double edged sword, what colour Nic really wants to paint his new house and why so many Germans seem to buy kitchens but not houses.Finally, we look at a DW.com article on what people need to know about German apartments, Nic talks  housing estates vs Plattenbau and Simon questions whether we should be putting

On the show this week: We’re talking about shopping this week, we begin with Nic’s obsession with British pork pies and Simon introduces some of the harder products to find in a German shop and suggest possible alternatives to British favourites.Simon and Nic look at the curious world of the ever present high street favourite Tchibo and ask how a shop that sells an ever changing selection of random products can be so successful. Finally the lads try to find the best place to pick up the weekly shop, looking at the most popular supermarkets in Germany, why it’s easy to get lost in them and why friendly customer service is overrated.  

On the show this week: We’re diving headfirst into the topic of music as Simon & Nic take you on a tour of their current playlists and ask ‘How much German music do you really listen to?’.Simon takes us through some of the popular genres of German music and we find out some of the more bizarre musical misunderstandings between English language music and German speakers.  Simon & Nic discuss the revelations over German based mask wearing musician Cro .The lads question the logic of dog licenses for pet owners We finish on the whether it’s really possible to fake your own death, especially if you have a very photogenic dog.

On the Show this weekSimon tackles the hit and miss nature of German shopping online to buy a new lawnmower, while Nic explains why he likes the indifference of German customer service.We’re discussing romance and dating in Germany this week, Simon and Nic talk about how they met their wives and learn about the financial realities of online dating in Germany. We also find some of the more niche online dating websites.We ask if the British are really as suave and sophisticated as they appear with a guide to dating in Britain and explain why the pub is an important place to meet new people.Finally, we welcome our first guest to the podcast as 40percentgerman.com guest contributor Dilini Algama joins us to talk about her experiences of German dating and using dating apps in Germany.