Decades From Home - A Podcast About Germany

This week we’re joined by the one of our favourite people, and founder of the popular Twitter account @germany_iam, the lovely Kat for a discussion of Easter video games, brutalist church architecture, and why dressing up as Jesus is a bit cringe. After many months of tracking the topic of new cannabis laws in Germany, the 1st of April saw partial legalisation across the country. Will the arrival of legal weed bring society to its knees as some critics claim, or will a new era of home cultivation change public opinion?With the summer approaching, Producer Simon tells us about the ridiculous cost of tourism signs on the Autobahn, and Nic brings us a story about honest frozen food packaging. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

This week we have Berlin tour guide extraordinaire Jonny Whitlam joining Nic & producer Simon for an Easter trip through the world of tour guiding in the German capital. We find out how Jonny first started taking tours, despite not enjoying history much at school, and gradually became one of the most popular guides in the city.We quiz Jonny on what makes a good tour group, the most visited spots, and why he doesn’t buy into Berliners’ nostalgia for the “good old days”. We also learn about the tourist traps to avoid and Jonny’s recommendation for the best place to visit.Finally, we take some time to discuss Jonny’s foray into podcasting with the release of his new show History Flakes - The Berlin History Podcast.For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

After a few weeks away, Dili returns to the podcast and wastes no time by dropping bombs on her erstwhile co-host Nic. I think we can all agree he probably deserves it, which is why Producer Simon gets in on the act too. Having dealt out some much needed discipline, Dili shares her discovery of a new Mexican restaurant, and why sharing rice is the sign of a great friendship.St Patrick’s Day was last Sunday, which means Nic reports back from another adventure to Finnigan’s Irish Pub in Nürnberg to celebrate the pod’s favourite patron saint. We also discuss how Germany celebrates the Irish national holiday and why green beer is the sign something terrible might be going on. We also chat about Germany’s Euro 2024 football kit and Producer Simon brings us some worrying news about an invasive mosquito coming to Germany. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

In our continuing attempts to collect all our favourite podcasters, we welcome the fantastic Nina Wooten of the Everyday Germany podcast to the show! Nina joins Producer Simon & Nic to discuss her ongoing move to the US. We talk about exchange trips to American high schools, living in Baltimore, and the benefits of seeing a totally different environment.With Nina planning her imminent move to Kansas, we look at the trials and tribulations of planning a move across continents, what to keep and what to throw away, and how many Tchibo products can safely be taken to the American midwest. We also find time for German stereotypes of Americans, growing up in Augsburg, and find out why Nürnberg is one of the best cities in Germany and one of the worst for Christmas markets. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

With Dili taking the week off, it’s left to the lads to hold down the podcast fort, but it doesn’t take long for Producer Simon & Nic to start squabbling like unruly siblings. Wary of fully derailing the running order, your hosts pull themselves together to discuss when a host should offer their guest a nice drink, and whether things are different in Germany.Moving on from etiquette, we welcome the recent liberalisation of cannabis laws across the country. We explain how people will be able to buy weed, talk about why it isn’t quite legalisation, and how things may still be derailed in the Bundesrat. Following our recent discussion on Ukrainian refugees in Germany, we return to the topic to find out what exactly Poland has been doing differently. We finish on the topic of German drivers and why they may be better than Nic thinks. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

With Dili away for the week we need a guest host, preferably someone with some experience with this podcast malarkey. Lucky for us, we have the perfect guest to fill in, it’s the wonderful Shaun Behrens of the Everyday Germany podcast! Shaun joins Producer Simon & Nic to discuss the benefits of being totally unprepared for life in Germany, the difficulties of finding a job, and why having a non-German on your staff can really help a company. Nic and Shaun also discover the many similarities between their lives, from living in the Bavarian countryside to dealing with kindergartens.Given Shaun’s wealth of podcast knowledge, we also take some time to discuss the various projects Shaun has worked on over the years, as well as his love of radio, and how the pandemic changed the podcast landscape.For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

Things are decidedly zen this week, with good vibes spread by Nic after he sat in total silence for three hours. He’s not been on some transcendental meditation retreat however, but invigilating exams for the university’s Prüfungswoche. Perhaps it’s this peace of mind that leads to our first topic of the week: creating a ten point plan to fix Germany.Having created a clear path for Germany’s future success, your erstwhile hosts turn their attention to the creation of new political parties, and one in particular that seems ripe for ridicule. We discuss whether the splintering of the right and left wings of the political spectrum might have some advantages, and ask why we aren’t laughing at the more ridiculous aspects of German politics.To finish things off this week, Producer Simon takes a look at the current situation for Ukrainian refugees in Germany and how it compares with other countries. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

It was Valentine’s Day on Wednesday, and it turns out your co-hosts aren’t incurable romantics, if anything, we’re all very curable. We discuss plans for “the most romantic day of the year” which involve cooking leaves, editing podcasts and sitting quietly on our own. From love to shopping, Nic is shocked by the state of his local city centre. Boarded up shop fronts, closing down sales, and general feeling of circling the drain seems to part and parcel of the traditional high streets of German towns and cities. Is it the same across the country?We also find time to discuss Producer Simon’s Chinese New Year festivities, and we finish on xenophobic Fasching chants going viral. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

New week, new episode, new cold suffered by Dili. It’s not all negative though, this weeks variant of low level sickness has gifted Dili some Miley Cyrus level vocals, which we all appreciate. From one pop starlet to another, a quick music chat leads to the revelation that Producer Simon is less than enthusiastic about Taylor Swift’s back catalogue. Don’t worry listeners, we’ll make a Swifty of him yet.Speaking of music, Karneval, or Fasching, is rapidly approaching, which means Nic’s playlist has been filled with the high tempo beats of some of Germany’s best/worst party tunes. Sadly this is as close as any of us might get to celebrating for various reasons, from a lack of overall enthusiasm to uncooperative offspring. Having spent time over the last few weeks discussing the recent protests against the far-right and the AfD, we take some time to discuss the topic in detail after another weekend that saw thousands take to the streets across Germany.For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

As we come to the end of the month, Nic celebrates an accidental Dry January, until Dili & Producer Simon point out an obvious flaw in his logic. No matter, perhaps sobriety is overrated, but at least Nic can console himself with a conversation about brunch, or is that an argument about brunch?Inquisitions into breakfast food aside, we thankfully have some less contentious issues to discuss, like protests and strikes! We discuss the various updates on protests against the far right, cancelled strikes at Deutsche Bahn, and possible stikes on public transport. We also bring you a recent study on the rise of populism in East Germany and its possible connections to feelings of being “left behind”, and we finish on the most popular German in the UK. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the ChildrenÄrzte ohne GrenzenTheme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß