Nic Houghton

Shoutout to @raecomm.bsky.social for being part of some indie German podcast history..... and being a bloody good sport!

Many thanks for this special moment.

My absolute highlight of our now complete 250 episodes: Derek Rae @raecomm.bsky.social gracing us with an unforgettable moment of audio brilliance.

Thanks to all our guests and all our listeners for supporting us for 250 episodes. It's been great.

That's all, folks. Tschüsseldorf.

That's even more grim than I expected.

Simon shares his list of the best/worst German shop names, we discuss the fear of straight razors, and we finish on the world’s largest Knödel.

Find out more on Ep 243. Out now!

a picture of ralph and lisa from the simpsons ALT: a picture of ralph and lisa from the simpsons

Germans have a reputation for directness, sadly no one told 15-year-old me before our school exchange to Hamburg in 1998.

Before leaving, I asked one of the German girls for her address so we could be pen pals.

She looked at me quizzically and asked "Why? I won't write back."

What constitutes a weekend festival? We have no idea, but Nic reckons he might have been to one when his village closed the main street, built a stage, and Schlager singers started warbling. It's not Glastonbury, but it was certainly...something...

Find out more on Ep 241, coming Saturday morning!

This week, Nic has an unexpected encounter with David Hasselhoff, and Simon buys some slate out the back of a van. We find out how to effectively flirt at a supermarket, and we finish on a German backpacker who survived the Australian outback.

Find out more on Ep 240: "Animal + Verb". Out Now!

Barbecue culture is serious business in #Germany , with courses on how to become a grillmeister, and endless debates about what makes a proper Kartoffelsalat. What can a visitor expect should they ever be lucky enough to get an invite?

Blog Post: bit.ly/3Uk2Npj

2,50? Are the cones free? Bloody should be.

In this week's episode we cover Germany's most recent heatwave, the joy of a local Dorffest, and the start of the Women's Euros tournament.

Episode 238 "Hitze spitze" out now!

It’s been hot this week in Germany, resulting in a lot of the weird and wonderful.
The wonderful: a Dorffest.
The weird: too much Tzatziki, much to Simon’s annoyance.
We finish off with bad tattoos, England’s Georgia Stanway, and the start of Euro 2025.

Find out more on Ep 238! Out now!

We've just tried Ratzeputz for the very first time. We bought this unique Schnapps during our visit to Celle, in Niedersachsen, which is where Ratzeputz is made. Amongst its varied ingredients, it contains distillates of root ginger. 🫚

I think I might possibly grow hairs on my chest after this! 🤯🔥😝

Shopping in #Germany is rarely described as convenient. Supermarkets are hard to navigate, payment methods aren’t uniform and customer service is disinterested. Is Germany a land of inconvenience culture and could that actually be a good thing?

Blog Post: bit.ly/4lgN7PE

I'm often told that living in Bavaria is like living in a different century.

Turns out Bavaria is actually really modern, even the Oktoberfest now accepts payment via mobile...which was invented in...*checks notes*...2015.

So, we're only a decade out of date...

a close up of a man 's face with a jacket that says ' a ' on it ALT: a close up of a man 's face with a jacket that says ' a ' on it

We have a new colleague in the office, freshly arrived in Germany.

They just asked another colleague why the windows aren’t open, even though it’s blisteringly hot.

I’m now watching them learn about the many dangers of Zugluft.

Welcome to Germany baby!

I can't imagine @Germany without Kaffee und Kuchen, just as I can't imagine Britain without tea. Unlike the British though, Germans aren't judged on how they make their favourite hot beverage. Is this why coffee in Germany can be so hit & miss?

Blog Post: bit.ly/3HRsL0m

No problem Walter, more than happy to, feel free to send us more on here or via decadesfromhome@gmail.com.

Took daughter to the Bäckerei, we stand in the queue. She asks for Krapfen, I say no, they’re not for breakfast.

Before I know it, the people around us have assembled an adhoc legal team and are forcefully advocating for my daughter.

And that’s why we had Krapfen for breakfast.

When people in the UK ask me how life has changed since moving to Germany, I tell them I seriously underestimated how much Kohlrabi would feature in my day to day diet.

“What’s Kohlrabi?” They tend to ask.

“Exactly!” I reply.

I've never really understood why some people consider food in #Germany to be boring.

Seems like a good variety to me...I can't pronounce half of it, but still.

After a decade of learning German via online courses, VHS, apps, and several unproductive "meet-ups" in various pubs, I've crunched the data on the most difficult elements of the language.

Frankly, the results aren't that surprising.

Adorable. For the young folk here - we had maps and we argued a lot more.

I’m a big fan of ADAC in Germany - automobile club. You can still go there and get a holiday pack of maps for your destination.

a man with a mustache is making a funny face and says `` what did you say ? '' ALT: a man with a mustache is making a funny face and says `` what did you say ? ''

While working at a German company, I noticed managers used English buzzwords that most didn't understand.

I started adding random English words & phrases to see if anyone would ask what they meant.

It took weeks, the phrase that did it was "Das ist für mich nicht hunky-dory".

a group of men in traditional german clothing are dancing together . ALT: a group of men in traditional german clothing are dancing together .

One of the funny things about living in Bavaria is the approach to drinking. If I cracked open a beer in the 10am meeting, my colleagues would be shocked.

Bring a crate of Weißbier, Brezen, and a load of Weißwurst, and suddenly 10am drinking is some kind of "cultural event".

"OK Duolingo, I've been using this app for years and it's finally time to teach me something that I can actually say to a living breathing German person without them looking at me like I've been lobotomised"

Duolingo:

What's the worst thing that could be delivered to your door in the middle of the night? I'm sure there's plenty of things, but I bet a giant wooden phallus is on that list.

Find out more on Episode 232: Beerenverbände Ultras, Out Now!

Producer Simon considers visiting the Rundfunkmuseum in Fürth, while Nic & Simon wonder why a mysterious wooden phallus has appeared in a Munich street. They then try to explain a survey suggesting Germans have fallen out of love with Spargel.

Episode 232: Beerenverbände Ultras, Out Now!

People often ask us where they should visit when they come to Germany, and we're honest, we always say the Rundfunkmuseum in Fürth. Producer Simon swears by it.

Find out on Ep 232, coming Saturday at 9am!

That moment when you accidentally let slip to a room full of Germans that you don’t really like Spargel.

Sometimes it's hard explaining to people what Germany is really like, luckily I've made this handy diagram to help with that.