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.
We welcome the fantastic Kinocow back to the pod after a week of politcal turmoil. While eyes were on the results of the US elections, the German government collapsed itself in a show of solidarity. We sift through the rubble and wonder what might happen next. We also talk to Kinocow about his love of movies, differences between Indian and German films, and his love of Berlin cinemas.
It’s been an exciting week for our hosts, Kat’s in Vienna, Simon's been in his garden, and Nic, well he got a haircut. OK, maybe only Kat has had an exciting week, but wait till you hear about Simon’s new topiary! We also bring you the controversy over Russian songstress Helene Fischer and her new album, the financial crisis in German hospitals, and the distribution of Germany's first legal weed.
It’s pretty scary on the podcast this week, although it’s nothing to do with Halloween, and more to do with Germany’s Women’s Football Team having a horror story against Australia. We discuss this, and also find time for teachers in Hessen complaining about Daylight Savings, apocalypse bunkers in Saxony-Anhalt, and a special pizza in Düsseldorf.
It’s an action packed episode this week, which isn’t good news for Nic who seems to be a little under the weather. Luckily Kat has a sure fire remedy to perk him up. We also review the vote and various controversies over the 2024 Jugendwort des Jahres, find time to discuss the media panic in England over the appointment of Thomas Tuchel, and we finish with Germany's new AI influencer.
It’s back to school, or rather university, this week as Nic returns to the classroom for another semester of inspiring students with jazzy Powerpoint slides. We also discuss why an opera ended with 18 audience members needing medical attention, and turn our attention to the curious case of the death of a neo-nazi on Hitler's favourite mountain.
Well look at that, we’ve made it, two whole centuries of podcast episodes. Who would have thought! Continuing a tradition established way back in episode 100, we’ve collected some of the most asked questions about Germany from across the internet (well, Reddit) and we attempt to bring the knowledge with all the authority that 12,000 minutes of podcasting has bestowed upon us.
It’s feeling autumnal this week, probably because of all the pumpkins we keep seeing around the place. Nic has seen piles of them at the side of the road, and Dili’s found a novel way of getting a discount when she needs a Kurbis. Nic wishes the Oktoberfest had a discount as he reports back on Oktoberfest, and we finish on government plans for national service.
On the show this week, Nic has a run in with the Bishop of Augsburg, we discuss the election results in Brandenburg and what it all means for Germany, and we finish on a surprise invitation to Oktoberfest.
On the show this week, we’re joined by translator, Würzburg resident, and all round top Scottish lass Lynn Nothegger! As if to celebrate Lynn’s debut, Producer Simon brings us some exciting news about trams coming out of Frankfurt, we find out why not all Bavarians are the same, and Lynn offers some tips on how to navigate Germany's terrifying bureaucracy.
On this week’s pod, we inject a little mystery into proceedings as we’re joined by our first unnamed guest, Kinocow! We ask about useful pseudonyms, social media anonymity, and whether cows really do have interesting opinions about Germany. We talk about the cult of mangos, loneliness in Berlin, and why Germany isn’t a country for beginners.
After three weeks of general calm, we welcome Nic back to the podcast, fresh from some serious holiday adventuring. Before we can get to that though, we pick through the recent and rather depressing results from state elections in Sachsen & Thuringia. We also discuss Nic's lamb only diet, and what it feels like to be 300 meters away from Adele.
With Nic still away, Dili and Kat helm the show for another episode. They're joined by Berlin-based writer, Jacinta Nandi, who tells us about the pre-€ days when Germany seemed so affordable, the mental block many Brits have about the relatively short distance between Germany and the UK, and raising two bilingual boys in the German capital.
