Decades From Home - A Podcast About Germany

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 ar...

Hell hath no fury like a Dili scorned, a lesson that a certain German bank learned when they attempted to overcharge our erstwhile co-host. Luckily for Nic, he owns his own bank, which certainly seems to help. We also discuss adventures in the Bavarian Wald, and whether observing German traditions is vital to living here. The price of ice cream has become a major talking point in the German media,...

Nic’s been having some adventures, all of which seem to have involved wood. We discuss terrifying marionettes, and the joy of hanging out with an old school Bavarian Handwerksmeister. The recent nuclear shutdown in Germany has been at the forefront of public discussion, we recap the debate, and discover that Nic has issues with some basic pronunciation. German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach prese...

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. Nic seeks reassurance from Dili over the troubling development of Easter gifts within his German family, and asks whether too many presents will turn his daughter into an overly entitled Bavarian. In turn, Dili wonders whether her partner is trying to kill them bo...

Easter is upon us, and with novelty chocolate seemingly spilling down the aisles of every supermarket, we compare notes on recycling Christmas chocolate, rabbits with chicken pox, and the power of Creme-Eggs. Since Nic is also in the UK this week, we also talk about the difference between how Germany celebrates, whether Britain has a translation for “Tanzverbot”, and why you shouldn’t invite a don...

Following a busy weekend, we discuss family birthdays, how to bake cakes for Germans, and what makes the perfect party goodie bag. Nic also learns what it takes to throw him into a homicidal rage. The release of the InterNations Expat Survey, and Germany’s awful results, leads us to a discussion on whether expats are a trustworthy source, what the results tells us about Germany, and where Germans...

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 sys...

Sadly Dili was out this week, but luckily for us freelance writer & journalist Aaron Gasch Burnett was able to step into the breach. Some listeners may know Aaron from his work on the Germany in Focus podcast, as well as a variety of articles for many other publications. We kick off proceedings in typical German fashion with a test on Aarons credentials, and by credentials we mean opinions on...

Fire the confetti cannons, producer Simon’s back in the booth after three weeks away! We celebrate the returning hero in the traditional fashion, by demanding he give us some gifts from his travels….well Nic does at least. For her part, Dili has more decorum, unless of course we’re talking about biscuits. After last week’s foray into wolf filled forests, we return to the wilds for a wolf related u...

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 1...

It’s nice to know that after all this time, Germany still has the capacity to surprise, as Dili discovers when she learns something new about her washing machine, and German, that’s been staring her in the face for 12 years. From surprises to the strange, as we discuss what we still find odd about Germany, from dead balcony plants, to hidden factories in the forest. With Fasching well and truly ov...

Although Dili has built a reputation for being the pods expert on fruit, her true passion seems to be cake. Luckily she lives in Germany, a land of amazing cakes and happens to have an equally cake loving co-host to share her favourite cake choices. We talk the merits of jelly, the power of Bienenstich, and why a bad cake can still be a good cake. Fashing has arrived right on schedule, and Nic goe...

A simple question on shopping opens a can of worms as we discuss our experiences of the fabled German customer service. With politeness on the mind, Nic ponders what he should do when confronted with impolite people in social situations, and whether stabbing people with a fork is an acceptable reaction. Moving on from the horrors of social discourse, we turn our attention to the rapid arrival of F...

After bickering over who gets to ask our kick-off question, Dili wins the battle of wills and wouldn’t you believe it, she wants to know about favourite vegetables. Thankfully, Nic takes it all in his stride, since no vegetable chat could compete with the hell he experienced after his family weekend trip to IKEA. We find some time to introduce a new segment, Dili’s Sports Roundup, and Nic recounts...

Nic is worried that the producer is trying to blackmail him, although Dili seems less than supportive of his current predicament. We discuss problem neighbours, if it’s better to live next door to family or have them as far aways as possible, and whether independence is both a blessing and a curse. Also, Dili challenges Nic to watch an awarding winning German TV show that seemingly revolves around...

We kick things off this week by discussing the things we love about Germany, why Indian food feels like home, and why many people who move here fall into a negativity trap. We talk about the possibility of a live show, Dili’s love of sport, and the exciting news of Til Schweiger’s return to a German cult classic with Manta Manta 2. We also discuss why investing in Hustensaft (cough syrup) might be...

A listener’s email gives us a chance to celebrate Dili’s new microphone, although we might forgo the traditional celebratory cup of tea given Germany’s track record for making a decent brew. Why is tea so maligned here, and might it have to do with some good old British Schadenfreude? It’s the second week of January, and with most people head back at work, we take a look at the world of German pol...

New year, new episode and we kick off 2023 with a lesson on how to gracefully offer your New Years greetings, Nic discovers that New Year’s Day has a morning as well as a late afternoon, and Dili argues that sleep is the best way to celebrate Silvester. Reports of chaos on the streets of many German cities over leads us to our annual discussion on Germany’s problem with fireworks. Maddeningly, the...

After a Christmas weekend to remember, we recap our festive adventures. Dili’s exploits in the Netherlands bring some exciting salad recipes, and tales of caviar fueled partying. Not to be out done, Nic also enjoyed the life of luxury thanks to the purchase of the finest bottle of “sparkling alcohol based drink”. It’s not champagne, but it was quite fizzy. We also discuss missing family and friend...

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...

Disaster strikes as Dili catches the flu, but luckily for us, an old friend is there to save the show. Yes listeners, for one final time, Simon returns to the show! We talk about his decision to leave the show, his favourite moments, and the episode he’s most proud of. Links Ngozi Fulani tells of ‘horrific abuse’ after Buckingham Palace racism incident Wir erleben den relativen Abstieg einer Natio...

It seems like everyone is coming down with something this week, as cold and flu season kicks into gear, we discuss homemade remedies, fear of the Apotheke, and why taking a day off from work isn’t as big a problem in Germany as it is in other countries. A scandal at Buckingham Palace sparks a discussion on why asking where someone is from isn’t always a friendly question, and how othering comes in...

December is upon us, and with the arrival of Advent we discuss wooden Advent calendars, homemade calendars, and why giving chocolate to children at eight in the morning seems a terrible idea. We also chat German football terminology, direct translations, and our most used German words and phrases. After an email from a listener sparks a discussion on language learning, we compare notes on how we m...

Dili and Nic discuss Simon’s recent announcement, the return of the DuetscherBierPokal, and why grapefruit beer is an acquired taste. After a conversation with his wife, Nic wonders if buying people alcohol for Christmas is acceptable in Germany, who doesn’t want a pint of wine around the Christmas tree? We also talk about boycotting the World Cup, celebrity activism, and the proposed changes to t...

Nic is joined by Dilini Algama this week to discuss the arrival of the NFL in Munich to play a one-off fixture, and the shadow cast by the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. Dilini is frustrated that more people don’t appreciate the wonders of quince season, especially Nic who is far more concerned with trying to shower in under two minutes flat. As the first festive season without Covid restrictions ap...