Decades From Home - A Podcast About Germany

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.

On the show this week:Simons and Nic discuss moving house as Simon settles into his new home. Is it worth getting a moving company to help and what are some of the hidden downsides to the process.We discuss the reintroduction of wolves and other wild animals to Germany and ask what you should do if you discover a wolf wandering down your street.Oktoberfest 2021 may be cancelled in Germany, but Simon introduces an alternative option for those still hoping for some beer fuelled fun in Dubai of all places. Can a desert really replace the traditions of Munich?The arrival of May gives Nic a chance to talk Maypoles and how German villages are keeping traditions alive despite social distancing.Finally, Simon tries to make Nic uncomfortable with a story about finding sex toys in a tree and why a recent discovery in Germany sparked a bomb scare.

On the show this week:Simon and Nic discuss how useful English is for work and do Germans actually enjoy speaking a different language in order to do their jobs. We go through the horror of English buzzwords with a quick round of bullshit bingo. We find out the truth of German business etiquette. Finally we tackle the terror inducing world of honest and direct German feedback. 

On the show this week:To celebrate reaching the dizzying height of 20 episodes, Simon & Nic take on the challenge of the 20 most frequently asked questions about Germany (plus a couple of twitter suggestions).We tackle the tough topics, such as: ‘Why is German so hard?’,  ‘What’s the deal with the Autobahn?’,  ‘Why do Germans love Paprika flavoured crisps?’ and ‘Was David Hasselhoff really the saviour of Germany?’. Plus, Simon tells us about his favourite German pork dishes and Nic explains why the Germans are more polite than many people think. 

On the show this week:We’re talking German food, specifically sandwiches, Kebabs and cake.We search for Danish bacon in Germany and ask why is it that German sandwiches leave so many people disappointed?Simon reminisces about drunken kebab adventures in Cardiff and campaigns forcefully for high quality lunch-time Kebabs.Finally we talk cake and what the German tradition of Kaffee und Kuchen has in common with the very English afternoon high tea.

On the show this week:We’re talking German TV, often criticised as a bit rubbish, is German TV really so bad?  How two German comedians who are making waves with an innovative idea for prime time TV.  Are there similar British/American TV innovationsA podcast on German TV has to mention Krimi dramas or crime dramas, top of the pile is the mighty Tatort. Shown weekly since the 1970s, what makes Tatort so interesting? Is it overrated? Can anything be that good for that long?German TV is criticised for too much trash TV, but why does Simon love German trash TV and why might it be really helpful for German learners?There are plenty of TV remakes on German TV, are they faithful to the originals? Are there any remakes of German TV in Britain? What would be a good German TV to remake in the UK or US?