Decades From Home - A Podcast About Germany

It’s only bloody Christmas! We bring you a bumper festive episode, as we discuss secret recipes, fun socks, and the art of decorating a Christmas tree. Dili shares her Christmas plans, and her opinions on Peppa Pig toys, while Nic recaps the end of his Deutscher Bier Pokal competition.

Since both Dili and Nic live in states that have ended mask requirement on public transport, it gives us a chance to discuss these changes, and the sudden, and not disconnected arrival of an unprecedented wave of flu, cold and general sickness in Bavaria. Is freedom really coughing in someone’s face on the Ubahn?

Since it’s the season of gift giving, we share our thought on present buying, whether expensive gifts are really better, and what gift giving says about a person. We finish with chat about Nic’s first Christmas in Germany.

Articles Metioned

Maskless public transport from December

Bayern schnieft und hustet

Tipps für das (fast) perfekte Weihnachtsgeschenk

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 Children

Ärzte ohne Grenzen

Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

It’s been three weeks since producer Simon went on holiday and Dili & Nic are really missing him; Dili misses his stern eyebrows, while Nic misses his editing skills. In order to cheer themselves up, your hosts discuss which superpowers would be most useful for living in Germany, and why might the desire to be invisible be a sad indictment on how women are treated here.

With the closing of a 130 year old mineral water company in Baden-Württemberg, we take a look at the German love of bottled water. Is tap water so terrible, and where do Germans store all their crates of water they seem to buy in ever increasing quantities? Dili also shares her favourite part of drinking fizzy water: the gas!

We discuss the Meldestelle Antifeminismus, or Anti-Feminism Reporting Office, which has been operating a portal to document anti-feminist incidents across Germany. We talk about whether such a platform is useful, and if its critics have a point. We finish with a Grimm’s Fairy Tale come to life after a cyclist comes face to face with the big bad wolf.

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 Children

Ärzte ohne Grenzen

Image Credit

Foto von Thomas Bonometti auf Unsplash

Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

After a week off with Corona, Dili is back in the co-host hot seat, and comes equipped with questions about Nic’s adventures on St Patrick’s Day. We discuss how to survive an all day drinking session, changing trains with a hangover, and the secret power of cheese and ham croissants.

We tackle the thorny issue of Wahlrechtsreform after the German government voted to change the current election system, and reduce an overly bloated Bundestag. How will these new plans change the next election, and why might the opposition to reform create some strange political alliances?

Finally, the announcement that one of Germany’s largest department store groups, Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof, is planning to close 50 of its 129 stores across the country leads us to a discussion about the changing face of German city centres, and how empty shop spaces might be used for something more innovative.

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 Children

Ärzte ohne Grenzen

Image Credit

Foto von Paul Hanaoka auf Unsplash

Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

A listener email concerning 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 ask whether the many public appearances of Markus Söder are a cause for concern, and we address the recent criticism of Annalena Baerbock by public “intellectual” Richard David Precht.

The sight of Maibäume appearing all around Bavaria gets us in the mood for spring, as we look at the many accompanying traditions to celebrate May 1st. What does a modern Maibaum party look like, do you really need Lederhosen, and why might stealing someone’s may pole lead to a reward?

We finish the show with a look at scandal merchant and Mayor of Tübingen, Boris Palmer, who was criticised for his defence, and repeated use, of the N-word.
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 Children

Ärzte ohne Grenzen

Image Credit

Photo by form PxHere

Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

Your trio of hosts are back together again and just in time for Halloween. With all those ghouls and ghosts knocking about, safety in numbers makes sense, you never know who might knock on the door at this time of year. We discuss the increasing popularity of Halloween, posh pumpkins, and avoiding trick or treaters.

School holidays mean Nic can’t go to his usual lunch spot, and instead must face the horrors of the university canteen, which gives us the chance to discuss the joy of eating on your own, and a chance for Dili and Simon to pepper Nic with low level insults about his weird eating habits. Fortunately Nic’s well of patience runs impressively deep, after all, he’s been dealing with a particularly unruly 3-year-old for most of the week.

With the general admin out the way, we still have enough time to discuss the weird 50 point manifesto published by BILD Zeitung over the weekend, and ask why the most divisive tabloid in Germany believes it has the credibility to bring a divided country together.

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 Children

Ärzte ohne Grenzen

Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß