My Year in Berlin: Black gold

I like to be cozy- it's a fact! I like it when it is very, very warm. I don't mind our summers, hot and humid, because I can't get enough of the warm weather. I love to be warm. In winter, I love to hang around in my house, on a lazy Sunday, in my PJ's, with thick wool socks on my feet, a cuddly hoody and perhaps a cat on my lap, to keep me extra warm!
So it was quite the surprise (read: shock!), when I went to my boyfriend's flat for the first time, and I realized that his heating came in the form of a coal oven! That is something that I am definitely NOT used to, as you don't find many of those (or perhaps none whatsoever, but I would have to do some research to be more sure) in Montreal. They are, however, very spread here in Germany, and you will find, even here in Berlin, many apartments that use coal ovens as their main heating source. He tried to convince me that the oven gets very warm and that it is cozy, but I knew that his flat, in winter, would never reach the temperature that I like to live in (I first went to his place in late August, when it was still warm outside, and when heating was not necessary). I had some time to get used to the idea of having to use a coal oven, although, even now, it is not something that I would ever choose for myself. First of all, it's a lot of work. You need to set a fire, and when the wood is nice and hot, you can set your coals on top of it. Of course, you don't have a coal cave in your flat, so that means that you have to go outside and get coal from your shed, where it is kept. The heat of the coals travels in a labyrinth of tunnels found inside the oven, and in turn, heats the tiles that make up the oven. The oven itself gets pretty warm (actually burning hot), but on a really cold days (of which there are fewer than at home, but still more than one would except), the room does not really get very warm. The heating process takes time. You have to let the coals burn, the door of the oven open, for a while before you can close the doors (and thus keep the heat in). The coals need to be glowing red before you can close the doors, otherwise there is a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. The oven stays warm for quite a few hours, but eventually the coals burn through, and you have to start all over again.
I have learned to live with this, although I have to admit, I could not imagine having such a heating source in my own flat. It is very dirty business, and it is simply never hot enough for me! But this has given me the excuse to buy warm, nona-made wool socks, and to cuddle up with my oyster!