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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. We tackle the myth of a modern Germany as we look at a celebrity businessman’s less than innovative idea for creating Germany’s Silicon Valley, we find out why German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had trouble getting his passport, and a genuinely life changing way for people to get prescription medication. We turn our attention to the recent AfD conference in Riesa that collapsed in acrimony, and we finish on why Nic hates shorts, even when he’s wearing them. Link mentioned in the show: Alice Weidel und die Nazizeitung For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Ärzte ohne Grenzen Image Credit Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

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? Always concerned with our listeners finances, Simon brings some serious economic news as we go through the newly released Oktoberfest beer price list. Which tent has the most expensive beer, who has the cheapest, and what about the Spezi? We look at where visitors can save a bit of money, and discuss why we should be thankful Oktoberfest isn’t in Britain. We finish this week with a story of pissed up plans, millions of euros of fraud, and a non existent Covid test centre. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Ärzte ohne Grenzen Image Credit Photo by Caroline Hernandez on Unsplash Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

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 themed clip-show for your listening enjoyment! We go back to Christmas to revisit our brave experimentation with cheese and stollen, Simon loses his mind after learning from a listener that Hawaii Kebap exist, but he quickly recovers his composure to celebrate the arrival of a new kebab shop at then end of his street. We engage in the fun and frolics of a potato quiz, learn about the horrors of Fish Finger Pizza, and ask why Germany seems to be so rubbish at takeaway food. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Ärzte ohne Grenzen Image Credit Photo by Freddy G on Unsplash Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

Simon surprises us all by announcing he’s become a Lord in the UK. No one has any idea why, but he’s making demands we all use his new title. To celebrate this sudden elevation to the ranks of the aristocracy, Simon has been binge watching Downton Abbey. Between that and his new title, Nic is beginning to worry about his podcast pal. Of course, there’s a reason for all this indulgent Britishness, 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 some time to discuss the top 9 Brexit benefits that for some reason weren’t printed on the side of a bus, recent technological problems with credit cards in Germany, and we finish with a sneaky Boris Becker update. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Ärzte ohne Grenzen Image Credit Bild von Jhoan Cordoba auf Pixabay Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

Things are heating up in the podcast cave, so much so that Simon has shaved his beard. Now looking more man than bearded beast, Simon discusses being reunited with his neck and why you should always be careful around a beard trimmer. Luckily for Nic and everyone else in Nürnberg, Simon did keep his beard long enough to display it a 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. Nic wonders why Bayern always has to complain about nice things, while Simon is just happy to ditch his car. 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. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Ärzte ohne Grenzen Image Credit Photo by Alexander Bagno on Unsplash Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

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 over the weekend, 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 German football fans get from invading the pitch after games across the country. Perhaps that’s not such a bad idea, after all, it’s far better than sitting as we learn from football legend Philipp Lahm that sitting might be as dangerous as smoking! We talk sitting, smoking and how best to approach geeting fit. To finish off the show, we return to the almost weekly topic of struggling food companies, this time it’s one of Britain’s favourite dishes, the wonderful Fish and Chips, which is under threat from lack of suppliers and the cost of living crisis. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Ärzte ohne Grenzen Image Credit Photo by Adrian Diaz-Sieckel on Unsplash Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

It’s been a weird week for British people as they watched the Queen’s Speech in the House of Lords, which for the first time in 59 years, didn’t actually include the Queen. Are we ready for a Elizabeth-less existence and will Prince Charles ever explain where he got all those shiny medals? From British royalty to the nearest German equivalent, David Hasselhoff was in the news as he promoted a niederbayerisches Weinfest…for a price. We bemoan our missed opportunity to get our own personal message from the Knight Rider and wonder which other celebrities we could engage on our behalf. 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”. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Ärzte ohne Grenzen Image Credit Photo by Luca J on Unsplash Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

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. Having warmed up with some Bierfest chat, it would only seem sensible to actually discuss beer. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of good news from Germany’s favourite beverage as prices are set to be increased. We look at the reasons for rising prices and what impact that may have on the industry and consumers at large. We make a disappointing visit to Simon’s favourite kebab shop and we finish with an update on Boris Becker’s legal woes. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Ärzte ohne Grenzen Image Credit maria-anne via Pixabay Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß

The world’s favourite cartoon super villan/saviour of the universe, Elon Musk, has dominated the news this week, at least in the English speaking media. We discuss why the German news has avoided focusing too heavily on Tesla’s “Technoking”? Language learning has never been the UK’s strong point, after all, everyone speaks English. While true, it might be the case that they will no longer be speaking the Queen’s English as we investigate reports of a crisis in language learning sector as Germans look to other countries to get their grammar fix. Der Spiegel recently reported in-depth on the rapid increase in obesity among British children. Is it all the fault of junk food or are we missing something. Finally, a fish restaurant has haddock enough of complaints about unruly kids and has decided that children have no plaice in their establishment. Are they right to ban families or are their rules a big load of Pollocks? For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Ärzte ohne Grenzen Image Credit Photo by karl muscat on Unsplash

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, such as runaway church bells, flaming wheels, and nicely decorated village fountains. 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, a man lauded for his tennis skills, but not for his creative financial efforts. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Ärzte ohne Grenzen Image Credit Photo by Xavier Teo on Unsplash

Finally we’re both recording from the same country as Nic escapes plague island, eventually. While he was stuck on a never ending journey home, Simon celebrated his birthday the only way he knew how, by replicating a famous British TV show. 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? Never one to be out done, 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. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Ärzte ohne Grenzen

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 and get all gooey eyed about Keanu Reeves. After changes to the rules on gambling advertising in the UK, we take some time to discuss the murky world of gambling. Are politicians doing enough to prevent massive gambling companies from taking advantage of addicts and is Germany doing any better when it comes to supporting those with gambling addiction? 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? For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Ärzte ohne Grenzen Image Credit Photo by Greenvalley Pictures on Unsplash

After two long years, Nic is back in the UK! While Nic was catching flights, Simon had a “holiday” in a local hotel, which allowed him to get the inside track on the mighty FC Nürnberg, but also meant he stayed in the old National Socialist parade ground. We talk crappy corner kicks, how Nürnberg deals with the past, and why English speakers need a WWII reference before talking about Germany. Nic has 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. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Ärzte ohne Grenzen Image Credit

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 as ferry company P&O sack hundreds of staff over zoom and ask why it is that mass firing doesn’t seem to happen as often in Germany. We return to Brandenberg for an update on the Tesla factory in Grünheide as Elon Musk personally opens the doors to welcome, among others, Chancellor Olaf Scholz. We finish off this week with a look at changes being made to language learning in UK schools as we wonder why it is that German students seem so much more adept at learning languages. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Ärzte ohne Grenzen Image Credit Ready made

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. When he’s not gardening, Simon has been putting in a shift with a new video game, although Nic is far from convinced. We respond to some listener’s questions. we reminisce about our first meeting and try desperately to remember why on earth we started the podcast in the first place. We also take a question from one of our many Austrian listeners and talk cultural connections with Bavaria. We finish this week with a look at changes to the Bundesliga as Schalke 04 remove their Russian sponsors from their shirts. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Ärzte ohne Grenzen Image Credit Photo by Leyre . on Unsplash

Simon is almost fully recovered from his brush with the Rona, but he crawls from his sick bed to join Nic for a discussion on surprise beard compliments and why the Germans aren’t as thirsty as the British for a pat on the back. We also return to Simon’s ever growing kebab update corner, After a week off, we collect our thoughts on the current crisis in Ukraine and we take some time to discuss the numerous changes occurring in German politics and society at large. We also look at the different approaches taken by the UK and Germany when it comes to accepting refugees. Finally, Nic’s experience in the mountains has led him to wonder if German ski culture is the worst of all the sub-cultures. Are skiers the worst, are snowboarders cool, and what are the Currywurst like? For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Ärzte ohne Grenzen Image Credit Photo by William Moreland on Unsplash

Simon is out with Covid, which leaves Nic to try and comprehend the massive changes happening in German politics since the invasion of Ukraine. Given the current situation, it didn’t feel right to record a wholly new podcast this week, so after a short intro and discussion on Ukraine, the invasion and Germany’s response, we’ve chosen some of our favourite segments from the last year to replay. For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees currently fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can: Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response. Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal Save the Children Image Credit Photo by Tina Hartung on Unsplash Ärzte ohne Grenzen

Nic and Simon discuss potential hangover cures and why the best must combine some weird ingredients. With strange combinations in mind, we chat about plans to release a fish-finger pizza and what would make the best “German” pizza. Following on from our chat with Abby Young-Powell last week, we bring you part 2 of our discussion as we focus on the differences between Berlin and Bavaria. Do all Berliners have to have blue hair, does Bavaria have techno, and which location is the best for new arrivals in Germany? To finish up the show, we ask Abby about the creative culture of Berlin and why it might be under threat from rising house prices and increasing gentrification of the capital. Image Credit Photo by Alan Hardman on Unsplash

On the show this week: We have a very special guest this week, Journalist Abby Young-Powell joins us to discuss German sauna culture and why the British seem so reluctant to enjoy one of the most popular activities in Germany, the naked sauna. While Nic isn’t entirely convinced, Abby and Simon lead the charge for getting your sweat on! Of course, we’re not just talking about the health benefits of a good steam, Abby has worked for many years as a freelancer in Berlin and she brings her experience to the podcast as we discuss the highs and lows of freelancing in Germany. Is it easier to work freelance in Berlin and how can someone get started? Simon and Abby also discuss their experiences freelancing in different industries and how to avoid getting caught out by the byzantine German tax system. Image Credit Photo by Max Vakhtbovych from Pexels

On the show this week: Rejoice you lovers of kebabs, Simon’s getting a new kebab shop at the end of his street! While he plans for a future smothered in chilli and garlic sauce, Nic wonders why takeaways are so rubbish in his area, is it a Germany problem or just Bavaria? Olaf Scholz surprises the world, not with any particular policy, but by wearing a slightly baggy jumper. While sections of the German media ponder the ramifications of his sartorial choices, we discuss the issues faced by women in politics and why late night press conferences on planes might be a change from the Merkel era. We take a break from the comings and goings of German politics and lament the dumpster fire that is the British government and why having a liar in the highest position in the country might not be such a great idea. After recovering our composure, we finish by looking at the curious case of chickens in high-vis vests.