When I first got to Heidelberg in September, I dropped my bags off at my hotel and walked down the main street of the old town. The street is lined with restaurants and cafés, and people eating, drinking, and talking happily. It is very alive in the evenings. There are many ice cream shops, too! I chose a heidelbeer flavored ice cream cone, because the name sounded like Heidelberg. It turns out that heidelbeer means "blueberry" in German! Do you think the city was named after blueberries?
I soon learned that traditional German food is a lot of meat and potatoes: for example, schnitzel is a thin slice of pork or chicken that is breaded, fried, and served with a side of potato salad and greens. I've also eaten a lot of käsespätzle, which very popular: it is like mac-and-cheese, but with a thin noodle instead of macaroni. The bakeries are incredible here—you would never believe that there are so many kinds of bread! I was once invited to thave breakfast with a host family, and the mom would bake bread, churn butter, and make jam from scratch. It was fresh and delicious.
Heidelberg is also a very international city. That means that many people who live here are from different countries, and they bring their cuisine with them, too: Korean, Greek, and Italian restaurants are easy to find.
