Decades From Home - A Podcast About 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?

This week Simon & Nic discuss road rage and if Germany is less violent than the UK, how insulting people on German roads can lead to heavy fines and even jail time, one German who found the fines for insulting police officers can get very expensive very fast, the proposed new laws in UK to shutdown protests and why swearing in English is so popular in Germany and why many people get it wrong.

This week Simon & Nic discuss German cartoons and the 50th anniversary of Die Sendung mit der Maus., the continued popularity of the GDRs favourite car, the Trabant, the wonders of driving a Volkswagen UP! on the Autobahn, learning to drive in Germany and German car stereotypes.

This week Simon & Nic discuss Introducing Germans to good British food, our favourite German music, was Immanuel Kant a racist, an unexploded World War II bomb in Exeter and accent change when living abroad.

This week Simon & Nic discuss parental leave, Lucky numbers and German superstitions, the “wisdom” of football coaches, the campaign to support gay footballers and 1,200 new German words inspired by Covid.

This week Simon & Nic discuss a woman giving birth outside in -15 temperatures, Hartz IV recipients getting FFP2 masks after winning a legal battle and a father spying on his daughter’s conversations with teacher getting a heavy fine.