Mir ist Kalt!

Mir ist Kalt! = I am cold!
Die Decke= blanket

It's been a long day; you're ready for bed. You can't wait to get into your king/queen extra firm plush mattress with 7-million-threaded Egyptian silk cotton sheets, 6 goose feathered pillows, and Eddie Bauer 100% pure down duvet comforter. If you share your bed with someone, it's all good. There is plenty of bed and cover to go around. You both can cocoon yourselves into the covers comfortably, with only a little stealing of them.

That is what Jack and I were used to. In the US, we had a queen bed, 6 pillows, sheets, and a large duvet. Call us spoiled, but I could steal the covers with minimal complaints from my significant other. However, in Germany, things are different. You see, Germans don't really use sheets. Sure, there is a fitted sheet, but no top sheet. Ok, we can deal with that, since we have a down comforter. However, German duvet/blankets/Decke are only as wide/long as the bed. That's right...they fit perfectly to the dimensions of the bed...no extra give. That means, that if either of us turns/sits up/moves in any way, shape, or form, the covers move with them, leaving the other very cold.

We have recently turned off the heat, as the weather is 70s during the day, 50s at night. With enough Decke, this is not a problem. Normally, Jack and I are hot at night (maybe it's body heat?), so it's not an issue. However, I woke up this morning, freezing, with my butt bare save my sleeping shorts, as Jack was cocooned into the covers. Granted, he didn't cocoon to the point of wrapping the Decke around his body several times, but because he turned to the other side, all of the Decke went with him, leaving littl' ol' me without any warmth. Survival of the fittest taught me to steal the covers back, which I did, leaving Jack without covers. After both waking up grumpy from the other stealing the covers, we decided to scooch together in the middle, leading elbow-to-the-nose bonking, kicking, and discomfort. A few of you have asked why I gave the USA a point for larger bed covers. Now you know.