logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2021
6m 54s

On the Road: The Tunnel to Germany

KAY XANDER MELLISH
About this episode

Getting to Sweden from Copenhagen is easy: you take a quick trip across the Øresund Bridge in your car or on the train. Getting to Norway from Copenhagen isn’t too hard: there’s a ferry that runs every day from Nordhavn.

Getting to Germany from Copenhagen, on the other hand, is a headache. But in 2029, a new direct tunnel will open between Denmark and Germany. The Danes are building it with very little help from the Germans, who originally weren't too interested in a tunnel that went through an obscure and neglected part of their country. 

Thousands of construction workers will be required to build this tunnel to Germany, and many of them will be internationals. But what will this influx and money and people mean to the southern Danish island of Lolland, which is currently one of the poorest parts of Denmark?

Up next
Jul 1
July, Nature in Denmark, and following The Daisy Route: The Danish Year Part 7
July is vacation month in Denmark, and it’s ironic that many Danes go elsewhere on vacation at just this time of year, when you have the best chance of good weather in Denmark. And I do mean chance – there is never any guarantee. Some Danes go abroad, driving vacations to Souther ... Show More
7m 59s
Jun 1
June: Danish pride, women in uniform, and the reverse Jante Law: The Danish Year Part 6
As of this month, girls who turn 18 can be drafted into the Danish military. This is new, even though girls in Norway and Sweden have been eligible for the draft for some time. Denmark is proud of its record on gender equality, so maybe it’s a wonder it hasn’t happened sooner. Af ... Show More
8m 8s
May 2
May, the candle in the window, and getting old in Denmark: The Danish Year Part 5
There's a lovely May tradition in Denmark of setting a candle in the window on the evening of May 4. This is to commemorate the surrender of the Germans and the end of the Nazi occupation in 1945. The Nazis imposed a blackout on Denmark to confuse the Allied air forces, so now th ... Show More
8m 19s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2022
280: Immer wieder eine Schiffsreise
Cari und Janusz sind im Urlaub und nehmen uns mit auf ihre Schiffsreise von Italien nach Griechenland. Auf dem Weg dorthin hat sich Cari außerdem mit unserer Hörerin Valeriia in München getroffen, die vor kurzer Zeit aus der Ukraine geflohen ist. Dann sprechen wir noch über Elon ... Show More
34m 15s
Mar 2023
Language Learning Through Travel
I will visit Denmark, Sweden and Poland, from May 17 to June 2. I’m working on my Danish, Swedish and Polish to prepare. Travel is a great motivator and stimulating, but we don’t have to leave our home country to travel. Hope to see some of you there. 
5m 28s
Oct 2021
Climate change: Lessons from Denmark
Denmark is at the forefront of the global effort to fight climate change. It has committed to cut emissions by 70% below 1990 levels by 2030. It also wants to be carbon neutral by 2050 and end all fossil fuel exploration. Denmark was an early adopter of climate friendly policies ... Show More
48m 32s
Jun 2023
392: Wie oft duschen die Deutschen?
Manuel ist zurück aus dem Urlaub und hat ein Follow-up zum Thema Verkehrslärm. Cari nervt hingegen eine andere Plage: Fliegen. 🪰 (Diese "bugsiert" Manuel meist durch die Balkontür nach draußen — und wir erklären, woher dieses Verb kommt.) Danach berichtet Manuel von den Open-Air ... Show More
29m 33s
Oct 2018
Norway: From Oil to Renewables
We know that to keep our climate safe we need to stop burning fossil fuels and move to renewables. But how? Leading scientists and government delegates have been asking that question this week at a gathering in South Korea. Perhaps inspiration can be found in Tromso, in the Norwe ... Show More
49m 21s
Jul 2023
400: Streit im Easy German Team
Mit Blaulicht und 150 km/h wurde Janusz zurück nach Deutschland gebracht. Wir berichten, wie die Fahrt nach Berlin gelaufen ist und wie es Janusz jetzt geht. Obwohl Caris Europa-Reise ganz anders als geplant verlaufen ist, freut sie sich über "das Konzept Europa". Zum Abschluss b ... Show More
33m 39s
Nov 2022
When Sweden’s roads went right
In September 1967, all Swedish traffic had to change the habit of decades and swap to driving on the right-hand side of the road.It brought them into line with most of the rest of Europe except for Britain and Ireland but caused a day of chaos. In 2016, Ashley Byrne spoke to Bjor ... Show More
9m 6s
Feb 2024
Denmark: Cashing in on Sweden's Eurovision
As Malmö receives the keys to this year's event, we look at how Copenhagen in Denmark could be the real economic winners - without having to pay for it. When the Swedish city last hosted the competition in 2013, officials estimated around a third of overnight stays were in the Da ... Show More
18m 27s
Jun 2023
Learn Swedish: Travel
Here's some phrases for train or bus travel, asking where to buy tickets, asking about the services, buying a ticket, and finding your departure platform. This episode exposes you to phrases, repeated in English and Swedish, to improve your Swedish vocabulary and help you to expr ... Show More
4 m
Jun 2023
Learn Swedish: Navigation
Asking about places and getting directions! This episode exposes you to phrases, repeated in English and Swedish, to improve your Swedish vocabulary and help you to express yourself in Swedish. These episodes are meant to accompany and accelerate your existing Swedish language st ... Show More
2m 31s