This week we’re joined by senior editor at Bloomberg News in Berlin Chris Reiter & automotive and industrial correspondent for Bloomberg News in Frankfurt Will Wilkes to discuss their excellent book Broken Republik: The Inside Story of Germany’s Descent into Crisis.
On the show this week, Simon brings us a story on a Hanoi based Instagrammer who’s memeing themselves to a German education. We find out if Germany has a government, follow up on the changing advice for Germans travelling to the US, and find out why one young German visitor to the UK is regretting their trip to London. We finish things off as Nic and Simon test each other’s love for German food.
After weeks of hard podcasting, it’s time for a holiday, but we need something specific, something…Geordie. Luckily we have a guide as Nic tells Simon about his Geordie German adventures from a Sam Fender gig in Munich, witnessing football history from a bar stool in the cellar of an Irish pub, and a final adventure on St Patrick’s Day in the fine city of Nürnberg.
We begin where we left off last week on kebabs, although these have nothing to do with football legend Lukas Podolski. We discuss an award winning kebab creation in the UK, and ask why Australia has cornered the market in German pies. From pies, we turn to cups and cupboards and find out why mug storage can be a major insult in Germany, and we finish off by looking at the story of two German tourists detained on the Mexico/US border.
Free of the Federal Election, there’s Faschings celebrations to cover, including the satirical Rosenmontagswagen in Düsseldorf. From Karneval, we take a look at weird goings on in Munich, where it paying for parking also includes signing up for a gym, and discover why Simon is deeply scared of joining his local Fitness Studio. To finish, we discuss an investigation into the many and varied health concerns at the Kebab chain of German footballing legend Lukas Podolski.
We’re all about fulfilling dreams on this podcast. Ok, maybe seeing Bayern Munich isn’t exactly fulfilling a dream, but Simon did see Harry Kane! We discuss catching a footballer’s attention, matchday atmosphere, and when it’s OK to leave a game early. As we reach the end of the Federal election campaign we break down the election results and make sense of the many stories from election night.
This week we send Nic on some health & safety training to the Feuerwehrerlebniswelt in Augsburg and find out if he actually learnt anything, aside from how to scare the other parents. We argue over whether chicken is the worst meat, discuss Geordie musician Sam Fender's upcoming concert in Munich, and finish things off with a final look at the upcoming federal election in Germany.
After last week’s villa on the Tegernsee going for an eye watering €25 million, this week we learn Berlin has a property going for significantly more; we discuss why Brad Pitt is to blame. The election is still a week away, and we discuss the anti far-right protest in Munich, and whether it’s impacting the polls. We finish off with a fiery debate on doughnuts, or Krapfen, or Berliner...
A forgotten Werner Herzog clip gives us our first topic as we discuss the work of one of Germany’s greatest directors, and somehow manage to avoid doing any impressions of him. We also discuss the murky details of wealth, power, and influence on the banks of the beautiful Bavarian lake of Tegernsee, and we finish on the busiest speed camera in the country.
The end of January beckons, but despite the dark cold evenings, Producer Simon went to watch some Bundesliga football. Try as we might, we can’t avoid German politics at the moment. We discuss Elon Musk’s giant head, the Brandmauer and protests on the streets of various German cities. We finish things off this week with the mysterious story of a suitcase filled with €42,000.
We rectify an error from last week as Nic finally updates the pod on his DJ set. We also discuss the new Bavarian member of the Avengers, the trial phase of Germany’s digital patient record app, and we end on the world’s fastest fare dodger.
After his triumphant return to the podcast last week, Simon is settling in nicely, so much so he takes the reins to bring us a segment on the various alternative versions of German cities in the good old USA. We discuss what seems to be annoying Germans the most and why not every petition to the government is treated the same, and we finish on an update on the Federal Election.
It’s the first pod of 2025, and boy is it a doozy! We say goodbye to co-hosts Kat and Dili we are taking a much deserved break from the show, and we welcome an old friend who makes a surprising return. We discuss the Silvester celebrations in Germany, the annual fireworks chaos, and look ahead to what Germany has in store for us in 2025.
It’s a brand new year, which necessitates some deep soul searching on the podcast this week as we try and remember all the highlights from the last 12 months. With protests, election drama, podcast guests, and new hosts, it's been a full one in 2024, so we have plenty to choose from on the list, and we have a few beers and talk about them all.
It’s that wonderful time between Christmas and New Year, where time has no meaning, and we’re all surviving off whatever leftovers we can find in the fridge. Speaking of leftovers, we find out what everyone’s been eating over Christmas, and how to deal with unfortunate dessert theft. We also discuss inviting the neighbours over, and who would win in a fight between the Christkind and Santa Claus.
As some may have noticed, the pod is late in this week. Due to the recent attack in Magdeburg, we decided to remove some of the segments and release a shorter episode than usual. We hope you all understand, and join us in sending our sympathies to the victims and their families.
It's clear Nic has a Weihnachtsmarkt addiction which is probably why he keeps bringing them up on the podcast, so we kick off with a discussion of Glühwein price gouging, stealing mugs, and the dubious names of certain Christmas beverages. We also take a look at Germany's ailing automotive industry, new plans for electric cars in Bavaria, and we finish with the cutest crime ever committed.
We knew Producer Simon was award worthy, but now we have proof as we celebrate his first podcast award! Kat catches a moped parade of Santas, Nic discovers the 2024’s Weihnachtsmarkt beverage of choice, and there’s a Krampus run in Munich to discuss. If that wasn’t enough, there’s drama in Berlin, and a hapless burglar finds out why you should always look before you leap.
Has Christmas come early? Kat thinks so, especially since her neighbours are putting up their trees even before December has begun. Continuing the festive vibes, we discover what it takes to be the Christkind as Coburg offers a seminar to prepare for the role. We also bring you a quick politics update, and we finish on the curious case of a stolen Tiramisu in Leipzig.
You might think the last weeks of November in Germany would be the calm before December, but you’d be mistaken. Karneval is back again, although as we find out, Germany’s Fifth Season isn’t without its problems. We also discuss the Weihnachtsmärkte opening weeks ahead of schedule, and we find out why Kat is looking forward to a “cosy politcal winter” with a Federal election update.
