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Episode 50: Pony Express

Nov 27

Nov 27 Episode 50: Pony Express

Crack out the champagne, put on your best set of headphones and come join us for episode 50! We’re joined by two, yes two, guests as Dilli and Sandra return to discuss new jobs and moving to a different German state. To celebrate 50 episodes, we answer 50 quick fire questions. Why is Simon disgusted with Nic’s movie choices? Where would Sandra go if she could travel back in time? How is Dilli’s dream home also a zombie proof fortress? All these answers and more on the Decades from Home 50th extravaganza!

Ep 49: Roasted & Toasted

Nov 20

Nov 20 Ep 49: Roasted & Toasted

Simon has broken the seal and cooked his first roast dinner of the year and Nic is desperate for the details. To accompany the food mood music, Nic is preparing for his annual favourite meal in Germany, although he’s not exactly sure how it’s made. We dive into the deep waters of German football to ask why Bundesliga tickets are so much cheaper than tickets for the premier league and we see out the show with a quick discussion on the possibility of cannabis legalisation in Germany.

Episode 48: Reality Schmeality

Nov 13

Nov 13 Episode 48: Reality Schmeality

We’re joined by Marty, the honourable husband on Twitter, to talk positive experiences of German bureaucracy, Berlin’s creaking infrastructure and why Bavarian villages are being gentrified. We have an update on the winner of Jugendwort des Jahres 2021 and we return to the topic of German reality TV.

Episode 47: Christmas is Canning

Nov 6

Nov 6 Episode 47: Christmas is Canning

Nic discovers his admiration for Germany’s only actor Matthias Schweighöfer, we discuss the return of Christmas markets, Christmas dinner in a can coming to British consumers this year, why are many people in Britain and Germany choosing to switch jobs, and we finish on the opening of the German Bundestag and look at the new intake of German politicians.

Decades From Home - Episode 46

Oct 30

Oct 30 Decades From Home - Episode 46

After a barrage of ridiculous headlines from our former home, we finally crack and decide talk about what the hell is going on in Britain. Is Germany really more sane or does it just feel like that by comparison? We discuss why Germans might want to avoid a beach holiday in Britain for the foreseeable future, why British government communication feels dystopian and a new initiative to solve the truck driver shortage.

Decades From Home - Episode 45

Oct 23

Oct 23 Decades From Home - Episode 45

This week we’re joined once again by guest-host Dilini Algama as we discuss Simon’s short but sharp experience of a house full of small children.Having lived through the torment of being a ginger haired child in Britain, Nic marvels at the distinct lack of ginger hair hatred in Germany, Dilli recounts her experiences of being told off by Germans for inexplicable reasons and finally, we take a look at a Raccoon in Heidelberg that has given up on freedom and voluntarily moved into the local zoo.

Decades From Home - Episode 44

Oct 16

Oct 16 Decades From Home - Episode 44

We welcome Dr. Sandra Jansen to the show, just in time to talk about controversial cocktail opinions and the recent takeover of Nic’s favourite football club, Newcastle United. However, we didn’t ask the good doctor on to only talk booze and football. Sandra is a sociolinguist and she has more than a few interesting observations about how Nic and Simon speak. Simon introduces us to a language ban in a London school and we talk about why German dialects are often more appreciated. Finally we look at some Geordie and Southern English phrases that would catch out many Germans travelling in the UK.

Decades From Home - Episode 43

Oct 9

Oct 9 Decades From Home - Episode 43

Simon takes in some amatuer football and we find a possible official Decades from Home football team, while Nic celebrates a new job. A wild boar attack in Barcelona gives us a chance to ask whether German Boars are more mild mannered than their Catalonian brethren, Simon goes on a saucy adventure as he looks at a survey on the regional condiment choices in the UK and to finish off, Nic looks at two recent stories from Bavaria that suggest what kind of problems we might face at the post-pandemic Oktoberfest.

Decades From Home - Episode 42

Oct 2

Oct 2 Decades From Home - Episode 42

We’re joined by Marty this week, better known as The Honorable Husband on Twitter, to talk Oktoberfest withdrawal and the pitfalls of living and working in a different language, Simon celebrates the Tag der deutschen Einheit (German Unity Day), Nic asks what other countries could offer their populations to improve vaccine uptake and lads finish up with a discussion on the words and phrases connected with Angela Merkel.

Decades From Home - Episode 41

Sep 25

Sep 25 Decades From Home - Episode 41

We’re joined by Richard from Ingolstadt, allowing us to form the mighty Bavarian triangle! We talk Deutschrap, Simon makes Richard feel welcome by bringing us a story from the UK and introducing us to a new term “Beaning”, Nic can’t help talking about his favourite topic following a story about the increase in vegan pies and we take the Wahl-o-mat quiz to find out which political parties we’re aligned with.

Decades From Home - Episode 40

Sep 18

Sep 18 Decades From Home - Episode 40

We welcome Dilli Algama back to the show and just in time for Simon to reveal his mystery anniversary gift. We kick things off by discussing trips to the zoo, Simon introduces Dilli to the red panda and we marvel at the many places that sell beer in Germany. We also talk Zukunftsangst and we finish with a tour of the local Apotheke.

Decades From Home - Episode 39

Sep 11

Sep 11 Decades From Home - Episode 39

We’re welcoming a guest host to the show this week as we’re joined by the writer Courtney Tenz! We discuss whether picking random fruit off trees is worth the risk, Bavarian vegetarian options and Simon celebrates the arrival of a new David Hasselhoff album. Having arrived in Germany weeks before Angela Merkel became Chancellor, Courtney discusses the impact of Merkel’s time in office and what the future might hold for Germany.

Decades From Home - Episode 38

Sep 4

Sep 4 Decades From Home - Episode 38

Nic learns that like many things in Germany, there are some important rules to remember when ordering a takeaway. Simon talks about his love of currywurst and defends his favourite comfort food from his co-hosts food cynicism. The lads celebrate the upcoming release of Sam Fender’s new album and take some time out from discussing the peculiarities of German life to discuss how mental health is a central part of the Geordie musicians work and why men, especially in the UK find it difficult to talk about their feelings. Finally, Simon and Nic ask if Germany has a class system similar to the UK and whether social class is obsessed over in the same way as their former home.

Decades From Home - Episode 37

Aug 28

Aug 28 Decades From Home - Episode 37

By god it’s Johann Goethe’s birthday! Simon wants to celebrate the birth of one (if not the) greatest Germans of all time, but Nic can’t help insulting the birthday boy.The lad’s enjoy the annual list of Jugendwort des Jahres 2021 (Youth Word of the Year) and ponder whether their young or cool enough to use any of them.In an attempt to predict what words might feature on the list next year, Simon and Nic suggest some possible entries from a list of long forgotten English insults. Finally, Nic asks if swearing in German is really such a problem or is it just the English speaking community being oversensitive and over protective of their language in Germany.

Decades From Home - Episode 36

Aug 21

Aug 21 Decades From Home - Episode 36

We’re back for a full episode baby! Nic has finished laying floor and painting walls in his new home and he’s not entirely sure if DIY is really his thing, does Simon have the DIY DNA or is he as equally underwhelmed? Nic and Simon ask whether there is any real need to buy a house, given that renting is so popular in Germany and we find out if Nic has managed to improve his German as well as his woodworking skills while he’s been away and since neither of the lads have been on holiday for a while, they finish the show by talking Stadtstrand or city beaches.

Decades From Home - Episode 17 (Summer Repeat)

Aug 14

Aug 14 Decades From Home - Episode 17 (Summer Repeat)

This week Simon & Nic discuss flags and national symbols as we look at different ideas on national flags coming out of Germany, the UK and the US. We discuss new flag rules in the UK, if the US has more rules than Germany when it comes to flag flying, whether flying the German national flag is still an issue in Germany and Nic tests Simon’s knowledge of the flags of the German states.

Decades From Home - Episode 35

Aug 7

Aug 7 Decades From Home - Episode 35

Simon has been buying fish, but much to Nic’s surprise he doesn’t plan on eating them with some chips. We celebrate the birthday of one of the most famous spies in history as we discuss the life of Mata Hari and her exploits spying for Germany during WWI. Due to Nic’s life getting in the way, we’re bringing you some of our favourite segments from previous shows as we go back to episode 20 to hear our discussion on the increase in the wolf population of Germany, we then jump to episode 25’s discussion on Nic’s obsession with British pork pies and finally we finish on the question of whether David Hasselhoff was really the reason that the Berlin wall fell.

Decades From Home - Episode 34

Jul 31

Jul 31 Decades From Home - Episode 34

We’re finally taking our first steps back into the land of the normal as Simon joins a large group of foodies for a tour of Nürnberg, while Nic ventures out to visit the Augsburg Plärrer. We discuss the anniversary of the lowering of the German voting age in 1970 and take some time to celebrate the life of everyone’s favourite Chancellor, Willy Brandt. We discuss the curious case of the “Peppa Effect” a supposed shifting of accents seen in US children due to overexposure to the cartoon Peppa Pig. We question whether it’s true that “Everyone speaks English” in Germany and finally we look at how native English speakers differ between the UK and the US.

Decades From Home - Episode 33

Jul 24

Jul 24 Decades From Home - Episode 33

Simon kicks-off the show celebrating Jürgen Klinsmann’s birthday and we talk about how Germans see Britain. We’re focusing on our adopted home this week, the mighty Freistaat Bayern. We talk the many differences between the 16 German states and why Bavaria could be compared to the English county of Yorkshire. We finish the show with a quick look at some of the best cities to visit in Bavaria.

Decades From Home - Episode 32

Jul 17

Jul 17 Decades From Home - Episode 32

Simon returns from his sick bed and joins Nic to talk about some exciting changes to the podcast, There’s also the small matter of a football game to discuss. Simon and Nic commiserate over England’s loss and take some time to talk about the wider impact of a successful tournament on English culture and politics. We also go back to episode 13 to hear about some curious German superstitions and why saying ‘Prost’ with a pint of beer isn’t as easy as you might think.