It’s been a tough week for Dili, first Producer Simon axed her favourite segment, then she suddenly became a surrogate mother to a nest full of baby pigeons. Luckily Nic is here to support her, if by support you mean talk about the progress of England in the Women’s World Cup, and the arrival of Harry Kane in Munich. We also find time to talk about arguing with neighbours over the rubbish bins.
In a first for the podcast, we have live audience watching the record, sadly it’s only a family of pigeons living on Dili’s balcony. Avian squatters aside, we talk dodgy pavements and why infrastructure in Germany seems so patchy, we bring you an update on the Women’s World Cup, discuss new rules for asylum seekers proposed by the German government, and we finish on Wacken Open Air.
Some recent listener feedback at Nic’s expense delights Dili no end, as does the return of her Fruit Corner, where she once again puts her co-host to the ultimate test. We discuss the best way to spend your summer holidays, the Women’s World Cup, the truth behind one of Germany’s favorite banana brands, and a discount supermarket educating customers on their environmental impact.
After a weekend of fun at Nürnberg’s annual Badentreffen open air festival, Nic is still recovering from too many pints of…fun? We talk about one of Germany’s best festivals, and some weird interactions with the locals. We ask whether anyone can really tell the difference between a lioness and a pig, politicians on holiday, low-fi solutions to social media, and bans on junk food advertising.
After challenging Nic to expand his horizons, we introduce a new segment to the show: Dili’s Fruit Corner! Finally Dili can force Nic to eat a variety of fruit under the pretence of making a podcast. We bring you recommendations with our first DFH Summer Reading List, discuss the vitriol faced by the first Trans politicians in the Bundestag, and we finish with a preview of the Women’s World Cup.
We sweat through this week’s show, and consider relocating to the basement. We’re hot under the collar not only because of the summer sun, but also from discussing the average German propensity for public nudity at the swimming pool. Dili continues her quest to make Nic eat fruit, we discuss a German joke on Twitter that got out of hand, and learn what jumping sheep have to do with the Bundestag.
This week we discuss changes to Elterngeld in Germany which will see couples earning over €150,000 become ineligible for state support. Is this progress or regression? We debate parental responsibility and whether we can judge people’s parenting from social media posts, and we finish on an initiative in Berlin to test illegal drugs without involving law enforcement.
Dili fights an 8-year old for a seat on a train, which leads to a chat about confronting unruly kids, Nic takes a trip to another Bavarian Volksfest, and we worry about an invasion of hornets. We also turn our attention to the recent electoral success of the AfD in Thuringia, and Nic tries to teach Dili about EURO 2024, starting with naming the tournament mascot.
As your two hosts attempt to not melt in the heat, we discuss the how the sunny weather seems to bring out all the smokers in Germany. Nic has some sympathy for his nicotine stained former brethren; Dili on the other hand has no time for them whatsoever. We also look at whether the German culture of complaining has its benefits, and we finish on the topic of multilingual relationships.
Summer might have brought us some lovely weather in Germany, but it’s also exposed Dili to some maddening behaviour from her neighbours. We come to appreciate some newly discovered powers of prediction, discuss challenging objectionable social media content, and we finish on the story of Germany’s first AI church service.
With producer Simon taking the night off, Dili and Nic quickly go off script to discuss their experiences of living in shared accommodation, and the horror that entailed. We also take a look at the novel way Germany celebrates the great and the good with their very own traffic lights, Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz going rage mode, the riots in Leipzig, and the recent polling success of the AfD.
After leaving listeners with a slight cliffhanger last week, we return with some exciting news: Nic has a son! With so much going on in Nic’s life, we dispense with the current events and talk about what it’s like going through the birth of a child in Germany. Why do doctors wear Crocs, what’s the etiquette for cutting the umbilical cord, and who is allowed to crack jokes in the operating theatre?
Dili returns, and as is tradition, Nic demands souvenirs from her week in France. He may be disappointed, but it’s not an issue, Nic has far bigger fish to fry as his wife prepares to give birth the day after recording the show. We also discuss a survey on German toilet habits, the return of plagiarism scandals to German politics, historical quizzes in the Bundestag, and life saving tattoos.
Dili is on holiday this week, but we’re joined by the wonderful Rachel Loxton of The Local & The Germany in Focus Podcast to talk about being Scottish in Germany, how paying the bill separately is a sure fire way to upset British friends, chatting at the checkout, and Rachel’s experience of rising rents in Berlin.
An angry reaction to a curious Oma leads to questions about whether it’s ever OK to compliment someone else’s child, and why Nic’s resting face may be preventing him from making friends with other parents. We also discuss ever increasing supermarket prices, claims of nepotism hitting the government, EU proposals to make drivers over 70 retake their driving tests, and nightmare exam scenarios.
A listener email about the coronation finally breaks our resolve, and we address the exciting news that a rich man will finally get to sit on his mother’s golden chair. We also discuss the many public appearances of Markus Söder, the recent criticism of Annalena Baerbock, Maibäume appearing all around Bavaria, and scandal merchant Boris Palmer.
Hell hath no fury like a Dili scorned, a lesson that a German bank learned after overcharging our erstwhile co-host. We also discuss adventures in the Bavarian Wald, and observing German traditions. Ice cream has become a major talking point in the German media, why are prices increasing so dramatically? We also turn our attention to the debate over plans to phase out gas and oil heating systems.
Nic’s been having adventures, all of which seem to have involved wood. We discuss terrifying marionettes, and the joy of hanging out with old school Bavarian Handwerksmeister. We also look at the nuclear shutdown in Germany, a revised version of coalition plans to legalise cannabis, and the scandal swirling around Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner.
With the Easter behind us, Dili and Nic catch each other up on a weekend of family dinners, spicy cakes, and whirlwind trips to the UK. We chat about Easter gifts, spoiled kids, and lethal leftovers. We ask why Germans are avoiding the UK, and we tackle the issue of why Germany seems so backward when it comes to the topic of abortion.
Easter is upon us, and we compare notes on recycling Christmas chocolate, rabbits with chicken pox, and the power of Creme-Eggs. After more than one listener request, we review the recent Royal visit to Germany by King Charles & Queen Camilla, and we finish the pod with the recent failed education summit called to find solutions to Germany’s many education problems.
