Well, here we are then, the end. After 250 episodes and almost 5 years of podcasts, the curtains close on the old Decades from Home stage. Before we wistfully turn to an empty podcast studio before turning off the lights, we take a look back at the show, discuss our favourite guests, and who came up with the best episode title.

Thank you to all of the listeners, guests, contributors, and co-hosts who’s been part of the last five years, you’ve been class, and we love you!

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Kicking off our penultimate episode in style, we have a listener email to pore over as we discuss the curiously creepy phrasing to be found in German. We also outline some key strategies to maximise a hotel buffet, and just in time for Simon to go on holiday too.

From which eggs make the right breakfast, we turn to Scotch eggs in the UK as Nic tells us about a dream pub lunch, along with some questions about who sends out the worst tourists. Does Britain really have a monopoly on terrible holidaymakers, and can a dose of patterned German politeness topple the Brits abroad image?

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It’s never too early to start the festive cheer, and with Christmas biscuits hitting the shelves, Simon’s pleased for early Plätzchen. We take a tour the slightly odd world of the local Freibad with Nic, and we discuss the retirement of a one man bottle capping factory, and we finish by looking at water theft as a neighbours call police to settle whether rain water can really belong to anyone.

Despite decades of living in Germany between us, there is always a cultural error to be made, as Producer Simon discovers this week. After a slightly embarrassing conversation with a farmer, he brings the debacle to the show and Nic & Simon try and unpack the details.

We discuss how to manage when you find yourself in an intercultural communications disaster, why language is sometimes only half the battle, and why we overestimate our own ability to understand subtle social cues across cultures.

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We’ve discussed the topic of integration on the podcast more than a few times over the five years of the show, but how integrated do your hosts feel now that we’re bringing things to a close. Simon asks the important questions to find our how Germany we’ve all become: do we have any cash to hand, do we know how to recycle a pizza box, and can we handle the shops being closed on Sunday?

We also discuss handling those scary compound nouns, the ethics of crossing the street on the red light, and what footwear choices should be combined with staring out the window at your neighbours.

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We’ve always wondered what it’s like to rub shoulders with the great and good, and thankfully for us Simon’s here to tell us as he enjoys the corporate seats at the Allianz Arena. We find what makes a Bayern Munich buffet, meeting celebrity footballers, and how not to be a fan.

We also look at what some have termed Clubsterben (the death of clubs) in Berlin which has seen Gay and Lesbian clubs close as costs increase. We also discuss the similar issues seen across hospitality, and ask whether the local government should step in to protect important community spaces.

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It may not feel like a year, but apparently it’s time once again for Germany to go full crazy for Jugendwort des Jahres 2025!!! We look at the runners and riders, discuss the pernicious influence of English, and learn far more about the word “Goonen” than anyone ever needed to know.

From words to actions, we discuss the world of tattooing to end the show. We ask Simon about his changing views on tattoos as he’s got older, whether he ever considered a face tattoo, and we discuss the curious case of a forced tattooing of a swear word and a new ruling by the Bundesgerichtshof on how to deal with the perpetrators.

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What’s the definition of bravery? Surely it’s living in Germany and answering the phone to unknown numbers. It can be panic inducing, but it might be the purest form of conversation, and as Simon argues, it’s also a good chance to practice some German.

Something that needs no German whatsoever is the phenomena of “cool” English shop names, especially hairdressers. Simon shares his list of best/worst German shop names, we discuss the fear of straight razors, and why haircuts at sea are a terrible idea.

We find some time to talk about the joys of people watching in Nürnberg, and how to survive the monotony of the Landstrasse, and we finish on the world’s largest Knödel.

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As summer continues to cut a rug through to August, we talk tourist sites, and three in particular: Neuschwanstein, Herrenchiemsee and Linderhof. Why these three? For the simple reason that they are the three newest German UNESCO World Heritage sites. Are they worthy entrants, and what does this have to do with the Great Wall of China? We find out.

Summer also means school holidays, but it wouldn’t be German school holidays without a little bit of complaining. What’s boiling people’s blood? The most obvious of German annoyances, Bavaria. Yes, Bavaria, who along with their southern neighbours Baden-Württemberg, are refusing to move their summer holidays with their fellow Bundesländer. We question the Bavarian belligerence, but wonder if they might have a point after all.

We finish off with another listener question…well sort of…not directly, but it does give Nic and Producer Simon a chance to have their favourite argument: Tanks vs Castles!!!!

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There are many ways to have the perfect summer, and Nic has landed on his perfect recipe. All he needs is a few beer tents, some schlager, and the cleanest public toilets he’s ever seen. An England win in the European Championships would also help too, and we consider the chances of that happening with a review of the tournament so far.

From ball kicking to treaty signing, we discuss the exciting new friendship treaty between Germany and the UK, but it have been signed somewhere with a more interesting name than Kensington? There’s still plenty of positives to enjoy, except maybe Friedrich Merz’s new stand-up routine.

We also finish on the recent summer interviews from public broadcaster ARD, which faced some disruption when they attempted to interview the leader of far-right AfD.

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