We’re back from Bonn, but we still have some important things to discuss, namely how did all that Haribo taste. Simon might be putting off trying the cake flavoured Gummibärchen, but Nic has been glorying in the wide open spaces of novelty flavour country. Nic has also been to Bamberg recently, which gives us a chance to talk Rauchbier and whether one of Bavaria’s most famous cities is really “the Venice of Germany”.
After two weeks away from the pod, Simon is back in all his glory, but this isn’t the only thing we’re celebrating in this week’s episode. For the first time since we started the show, both Simon and Nic are in the same room for the first of two episodes recorded at our producer’s house in Bonn. Aside from being the home of our producer, there’s another good reason to be in Bonn: it’s the home of Haribo!
With Simon still galavanting around the UK, Nic enlists the help of listener favourite Dili Algama to steady the good ship Decades from Home. That being said, Nic might not have been fully prepared for the levels of German directness that Dili brings along with her.
Simon is away on holiday in the UK this week, but the show must go on, even if half of the show is knee deep in sausage rolls and pints of warm beer. Luckily for Nic, we’ve been able to secure a fantastic guest as we welcome historian and journalist Katja Hoyer to talk about dealing with British greetings and how to correctly pronounce the word “scone”.
After four days back in Germany from adventures in the UK, Nic is feeling a bit weird. Thankfully, Simon is on hand to talk through the process of returning home from, well, home. One significant difference is how low-fi much of life in the south of Germany can be, but is that maybe a positive? Then again, not having to deal with British indirectness is certainly a positive about being back in Bavaria.
Simon very much enjoys the summer camp feel to this week’s show as Nic commandeers his niece and nephew’s bunk bed for the record. The new environment blends nicely with Nic’s new sultry deep voice, a hard won benefit after a weekend spent living in the 17th century with the Sealed Knot. What’s it like to come face to face with a musket block and live to tell the tale?
Nic is back in the UK, so enjoy some extra special audio from some passing seagulls and the full skinny on what’s happening in Britain. Nic has fallen in love with tiny North East breweries, but he’s far more excited that his daughter loves a traditional sausage roll just as much as he does. Simon and Nic talk about the state of the UK, why German news isn’t necessarily a refreshing change and sixties nostalgia.
Maybe we’re getting old, but usually when we talk about “getting pickled” it’s after a night on the sauce, but not this week. After receiving a delivery of vinegar, Simon’s taken to pickling anything he can get his hands on, but how do Germans feel about a pickled egg? Nic has more pressing concerns than Simon’s new hobby though; what do you do when you lose interest in a long German sentence? Is it normal to daydream while waiting for a verb to appear in German conversation and how can you train your brain to pay attention when someone uses an infinite amount of commas?
After enjoying a surprise Augsburg only public holiday on Monday, Nic is feeling quite relaxed, a fact that only intensifies Simon’s jealousy at having missed out. Luckily for Simon, he didn’t have to suffer through FC Augsburg’s opening game of the season, a 4-0 loss to Freiburg. Nic was there, and he’s still not fully recovered. It’s not all negatives though, Simon got a new tattoo and possibly made a new friend along the way.
For some reason Simon and Nic are really happy this week, possibly it’s the sunny weather, but more likely it’s finally seeing an England football team win a major tournament. We share our stories of jubilation, tears and glorious lobbed goals from the final of the European Women's Championship.
The lads have been doing a bit of travelling around Germany this week. While Nic stuck to the safety of Bavaria, Simon went further afield, and on the way spotted some fellow Brits who’ve managed to avoid the traffic and make it to Germany. We talk about a recent funeral held in a forest and why that might be the most German of send offs, and we go over the recent travel chaos at various airports that’s certainly not the expected level of German organisation.
After the highs of last week’s show, we resume normal service as we discuss having family come visit us in Germany, the complex dance of German and British politeness, and why it’s impossible to find an ice cream van when you need one. Although we can’t offer you a Mr. Whippy, Simon might be able to offer you something much better: the opportunity to win a trophy!
We’re joined by the the most incredible of special guests, the definitive English language voice of the Bundesliga, Derek Rae. Derek is ESPN’s lead commentator for the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal, La Liga and the Deutsche Fußball Liga. He’s also, along with Lee Dixon & Stewart Robson, the commentator for hundreds of thousands of daily Fifa 22 games played across the world.
Simon returns after a week of avoiding a house full of Covid, and not a minute to soon either. Nic needs an answer to a burning question: why do Germans enjoy eating piping hot meals, even when it’s hotter than the mouth of hell outside? We try and find an answer to this puzzler, among many other important questions.
We have two very special guests this week, Marty and Marcy, who join Nic for a special Pride episode to discuss their experiences of life in Germany. We talk about culture bubbles, threats to LGBTQ rights, and why a translator can be the best of guests when tying the knot.
After a weekend heatwave, Simon has discovered the joys of wild swimming, but only as long as all the boats stay out of his way. Nic, on the other hand, made the counterintuitive decision to watch some horse jumping to beat the heat. He doesn’t like horses or hot weather, so this one will take some explaining.
After a weekend of adventures up north in Hamburg, Nic returns with tales of Disney musicals, art oggoling, and riding on Mississippi Riverboats. Simon has a lot of questions, most importantly of all, how was the fish? Moving on from holidays, Nic quizzes Simon’s knowledge of German ice cream, while Simon returns the favour with some curious ice cream flavours. Anyone for fried chicken ice cream?
Sadly Simon is out sick this week, but Nic battles on by inviting the listeners to join in on the conversation, pity he forgot to mic them up. Instead of wasting an hour of your time and his sanity, Nic and our lovely, shiny new producer have complied a food themed clip-show for your listening enjoyment!
It’s only the bloody Queen’s Platinum Jubilee! Granted Nic is a republican and Simon is monarchy agnostic, but surely a parade of pensioners on mobility scooters will liven up proceedings. We talk all things jubilee, ask what the hell is the point, and even find some time to talk about the perfect celebratory lunch (hint: it includes a trifle). We also find time to discuss the top 9 Brexit benefits, recent technological problems with credit cards in Germany, and we finish with a sneaky Boris Becker update.
Things are heating up in the podcast cave, so much so that Simon has shaved his beard. Luckily for Nic and everyone else in Nürnberg, Simon did keep it long enough to display it at the recent Punk in Drublic music festival. We talk about a wonderful sunny Saturday of punk music, beer and diffusing arguments at the bar. The €9 train ticket has finally gone on sale, allowing Germans to travel the rails around the country for next to nothing. We finish on a similar theme by looking at where you should go to get the most out of all this public transport with some of the best rail journeys in Germany.
