Decades From Home - A Podcast About Germany 40% German

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.