The lads have been doing a bit of travelling around Germany this week. While Nic stuck to the safety of Bavaria, Simon went further afield, and on the way spotted some fellow Brits who’ve managed to avoid the traffic and make it to Germany. We talk about a recent funeral held in a forest and why that might be the most German of send offs, and we go over the recent travel chaos at various airports that’s certainly not the expected level of German organisation.
After the highs of last week’s show, we resume normal service as we discuss having family come visit us in Germany, the complex dance of German and British politeness, and why it’s impossible to find an ice cream van when you need one. Although we can’t offer you a Mr. Whippy, Simon might be able to offer you something much better: the opportunity to win a trophy!
We’re joined by the the most incredible of special guests, the definitive English language voice of the Bundesliga, Derek Rae. Derek is ESPN’s lead commentator for the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal, La Liga and the Deutsche Fußball Liga. He’s also, along with Lee Dixon & Stewart Robson, the commentator for hundreds of thousands of daily Fifa 22 games played across the world.
Simon returns after a week of avoiding a house full of Covid, and not a minute to soon either. Nic needs an answer to a burning question: why do Germans enjoy eating piping hot meals, even when it’s hotter than the mouth of hell outside? We try and find an answer to this puzzler, among many other important questions.
We have two very special guests this week, Marty and Marcy, who join Nic for a special Pride episode to discuss their experiences of life in Germany. We talk about culture bubbles, threats to LGBTQ rights, and why a translator can be the best of guests when tying the knot.
After a weekend heatwave, Simon has discovered the joys of wild swimming, but only as long as all the boats stay out of his way. Nic, on the other hand, made the counterintuitive decision to watch some horse jumping to beat the heat. He doesn’t like horses or hot weather, so this one will take some explaining.
After a weekend of adventures up north in Hamburg, Nic returns with tales of Disney musicals, art oggoling, and riding on Mississippi Riverboats. Simon has a lot of questions, most importantly of all, how was the fish? Moving on from holidays, Nic quizzes Simon’s knowledge of German ice cream, while Simon returns the favour with some curious ice cream flavours. Anyone for fried chicken ice cream?
Sadly Simon is out sick this week, but Nic battles on by inviting the listeners to join in on the conversation, pity he forgot to mic them up. Instead of wasting an hour of your time and his sanity, Nic and our lovely, shiny new producer have complied a food themed clip-show for your listening enjoyment!
It’s only the bloody Queen’s Platinum Jubilee! Granted Nic is a republican and Simon is monarchy agnostic, but surely a parade of pensioners on mobility scooters will liven up proceedings. We talk all things jubilee, ask what the hell is the point, and even find some time to talk about the perfect celebratory lunch (hint: it includes a trifle). We also find time to discuss the top 9 Brexit benefits, recent technological problems with credit cards in Germany, and we finish with a sneaky Boris Becker update.
Things are heating up in the podcast cave, so much so that Simon has shaved his beard. Luckily for Nic and everyone else in Nürnberg, Simon did keep it long enough to display it at the recent Punk in Drublic music festival. We talk about a wonderful sunny Saturday of punk music, beer and diffusing arguments at the bar. The €9 train ticket has finally gone on sale, allowing Germans to travel the rails around the country for next to nothing. We finish on a similar theme by looking at where you should go to get the most out of all this public transport with some of the best rail journeys in Germany.
It wouldn’t be the podcast if we didn’t at some point talk about the weather. While Nic was enjoying the sun in a beer garden, Simon was slightly concerned at the chunks of pollen that could be seen all over the place. While the sun is out, it’s probably a good time to reflect on the end of the football season in Germany as we ponder the curious delight some fans get from invading the pitch. Perhaps that’s not such a bad idea, after all, it’s far better than sitting as we learn from football legend Philipp Lahm. To finish off the show, we return to the almost weekly topic of struggling food companies, this time it’s Britain’s wonderful Fish and Chips.
On the show this week: British people watched the Queen’s Speech in the House of Lords, which for the first time in 59 years, didn’t actually include the Queen. From British royalty to the nearest German equivalent, David Hasselhoff was in the news as he promoted a niederbayerisches Weinfest…for a price. Simon brings us a story from Braunschweig concerning the dangers of riding late night trams and we finish with our now beloved segment “Boris Becker Update”.
Nic’s dreams have finally come true as we finally rid ourselves of our placeholder theme tune and celebrate a very Bavarian collaboration with techno DJ Kloß mit Soß. With upbeat Blasmusik blaring in our ears, we turn our attention to the recent announcement that Oktoberfest will be returning in 2022 and ask whether Jürgen Klopp is Britain’s favorite German. We make a disappointing visit to Simon’s favourite kebab shop and we finish with an update on Boris Becker’s legal woes.
We investigate reports of a crisis in the Uk’s language learning sector as Germans look to other countries to get their grammar fix. Things get personal with Der Spiegel’s recent report on the rapid increase in obesity among British children and finally, a fish restaurant has haddock enough of complaints about unruly kids and has decided that children have no plaice in their establishment.
Simon is sick of all the pleasant walks he’s been on, while Nic is worried he may be damned for all eternity after almost insulting a local nun. Not to worry though, we still have Easter chocolate to comfort us! Speaking of Easter, we discuss some of the curious Easter traditions we witnessed over the weekend and we also find some time to celebrate one of the lesser known ethnic communities within Germany, the Sorbs. To finish, Simon talks about one of his Heros, Boris Becker.
We’re bringing you something a bit different this week. We’ve been in our secret audio vaults and discovered some lost segments from previous episodes. What is Nic’s weird hobby and why is it more fun than you might think? Simon brings us the story of one German’s rubbish hobby, and why it might require most of us to build an extension on our homes. We finish the show with a look at the best football team names from Germany’s lower tiers and ask why calling your team Porndorf might lead to more than a few questions.
After celebrating being back in the UK last week, Nic’s found it slightly harder to leave than he thought. No matter, it’s episode 69 which gives us a chance to reminisce about Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure! After changes to the rules on gambling advertising in the UK, we take some time to discuss the murky world of gambling. It’s Simon’s Birthday, so we see out the show with some birthday chat. Why do German parents traumatise their children by throwing yoghurt, eggs and flour at them and what gift should you buy your favourite German?
After two long years, Nic is back in the UK! He’s been enjoying the chance to catch up with some of his favourite Geordie food, from steak bakes to stotties, we discuss a different kind of culinary adventure and how food culture is changing in the UK. We finish the show with a trip to Sheffield to experience a night at a German theme bar.
Despite Nic’s beer fuelled adventures on St. Patrick’s Day, it’s Simon that’s managed to get injured. We talk suspected broken toes and why ten pints of Guinness is more effective than a spa weekend or any juice cleanse. We turn our attention to some rotten employee relations in the UK, we return to Brandenberg for an update on the Tesla factory and we finish off this week with a look at changes being made to language learning in UK schools.
We cower in fear as the skies around Bavaria turn yellow, luckily for us it’s only a saharan sandstorm. Wonders of the natural world aside, Simon and Nic discuss returning to the garden after the winter break as Germany finally comes back to life with the arrival of spring. We respond to some listener’s questions, reminisce about our first meeting and try desperately to remember why on earth we started the podcast in the first place. We finish this week with a look at changes to the Bundesliga as Schalke 04 remove their Russian sponsors from their shirts.
