This week we welcome the terrific Pip Roper to the show! When she’s not sharing captivating stories of Berlin's history on the History Flakes podcast, Pip leads tours on diverse subjects throughout Germany's capital. Join us as we delve into strategies for engaging disinterested school kids, the enduring allure of tanks in conversation, and curious British perspectives on Berlin.
We’re shaking things up this week as Dili takes the reigns for the first time, with her first act as Queen of the podcast being to punish Nic for his many cake based transgressions on last week’s show. To support the new regime, we’ve invited linguist and former academic Sandra Jansen to the pod to discuss her work helping others who wish to leave German academia.
This week we find some odd bits of culture that are surprisingly popular in other countries. Case in point, British furniture, proving that even the most mundane items can hold cultural significance abroad. We also take some time to question whether cake truly reigns supreme in the pantheon of German desserts, and we finish on attempts to make Döner a "regional specialty".
There’s a sense of sadness on this week’s podcast as Germany’s favourite football team, Scotland, have been eliminated from Euro 2024. Despite this, Dili ponders whether the Scottish accent might be a cheat code for changing German society. We also discuss Germany's cash-based society, proposed reforms for Apotheken, while Producer Simon gives us an update on Ukrainian refugees in Germany.
Some listeners may have felt the podcast has been lacking our usual levels of decorative plate chat over the last few weeks. Thankfully Dili is back with us to rectify that oversight! Just in time too, because we have a lot to catch up on. We discuss ignoring Euro 2024, International opinions of Germany, and Producer Simon brings us an excellent podcast recommendation.
Euro 2024 has kicked off in style, and to celebrate the first football tournament in Germany since 2006 we have German football journalist Hendrik Buchheister on the pod this week. Hendrik brings his expert knowledge to discuss the possibility of another Sommermärchen, the gloomy backdrop to the tournament, and his excellent new book, We call it a Klassiker.
This week we're joined by Berlin tour guide extraordinaire Jonny Whitlam! With Euro 2024 on the horizon, Berlin is abuzz with preparations for the influx of football fans. We talk about the excitement as the city embraces football fever. We also delve into a contentious poll by TV channel ARD that has sparked accusations of racism, and finish on the major flooding in the south of the country.
We're thrilled to be joined by Kat, occasional guest co-host and founder of the @germany_iam Twitter account. We delve into British and German buffets, spotting squirrels, and discuss the advantages of renting your home to visiting football fans. We also celebrate the 75th anniversary of Germany's Grundgesetz, and finish on the unfolding scandal on the affluent island of Sylt in northern Germany.
Nic recounts a drunken meeting with a fan and his hopes that he made a good impression. We also discuss German lake life, Dili regales us with her pottery adventures and we go on a trip to Nürnberg's Playmobil Fun park.
Join us this week as we welcome Megan and Konrad, the wonderful hosts of the fantastic podcast Megan's Megacan, who share insights into their show's origins, the significance of the eponymous "megacan", and we learn whether alcohol can make us better podcasters. We also enlist Megan to explain why Eurovision is so popular, and we pick Konrad's brains on the complexities of German politics.
The saga of Dili's pigeon woes continues as her unwelcome visitors make a bold return to the balcony, defying all eviction attempts yet again. We also discuss Dili’s new found love of ceramics, the lack of value at flea markets, and the problems of bidding on Meisse. we reexamine the uproar surrounding the soaring prices of ice cream, and finish on the rise in attacks on German politicians.
This week Simon discovers the importance of having his name on his mailbox. Meanwhile, Nic suggests a trip to the zoo for some light-hearted fun among lions, tigers, and beer. We discuss UK tabloid reports dubbing Frankfurt as "Germany's biggest slum", and we finish with a preview of the upcoming EU elections and the troubling reports of espionage within the offices of the right-wing AfD.
In the latest episode, hosts Nic, Dili and Producer Simon discuss German swimming pools. Venturing beyond the chlorine-scented chat, they also delve into Dili's upbringing in Sri Lanka. We explore potential strategies to fix the German economy, contrast their ideas with the 12 point plan of junior coalition partners the FDP, and we finish on Dili's mix & match approach to church going.
This week, Nic bravely airs his grievances against asparagus and men in shorts, inadvertently sparking a feud with Producer Simon, a proud member of the shorts-wearing community. Dili gracefully steers the episode back on track by sharing heartwarming listener feedback, and we finish with the unexpected TikTok debut of Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
In this week’s episode, Nic shares his ordeal of dealing with back pain after engaging in a traditional wood-chopping session with his German family, Dili opens up about the bittersweet reality of celebrating birthdays separated from loved ones, and your trio of hosts delve into the phenomenon of Germany's far-right party, the AfD, making waves on TikTok.
This week we’re joined by Kat, one of our favourite people and founder of the popular Twitter account @germany_iam. We discuss Easter video games, the high cost of tourism on the Autobahn, and honest frozen food packaging.
This week we have Berlin tour guide extraordinaire Jonny Whitlam joining Nic & producer Simon for an Easter trip through the world of tour guiding in the German capital. We find out what makes a good tour group, the most visited spots, and why Jonny doesn’t buy into Berliner’s nostalgia for the “good old days”. We also take some time to discuss Jonny’s new podcast History Flakes.
After weeks away, Dili returns and wastes no time by dropping bombs on her erstwhile co-host Nic. I think we can agree he probably deserves it, which is why Producer Simon gets in on the act too. Dili shares her discovery of a new Mexican restaurant, Nic reports back from another adventure to Nürnberg for St Patrick's Day, and Producer Simon tells us about an invasive mosquito coming to Germany.
In our continuing attempts to collect all our favourite podcasters, we welcome the fantastic Nina Wooten of the Everyday Germany podcast to the show! Nina joins Producer Simon & Nic to discuss her ongoing move to the US. We talk about exchange trips to American high schools, living in Baltimore, German stereotypes of Americans, and and how many Tchibo products should Nina be taking.
With Dili taking the week off, it’s left to the lads to hold down the podcast fort, but it doesn’t take long for Producer Simon & Nic to start squabbling like unruly siblings. Wary of fully derailing the running order, your hosts pull themselves together to discuss hosting etiquette, new cannabis laws, and the quality of German drivers.
