If Heidelberg is a fairy tale land, then on one particular night, we had a fairy tale moment.

The weather forecast warned us that rain was going to loom over part of our vacation. Heidelberg, with a 100% chance of rain, would have more puddles than tourists on its cobblestone streets. There’s an inherent positive aspect of traveling off-peak season: less people. But on a day where distant thunder slowly draws closer and rain droplets begin seeping down our backs despite carrying an umbrella, we quickly realize precisely why there is a “peak season”.

However, no matter the weather, two weary travelers staying in a 17th century pension (boarding house complete with creaky stairs and one bathroom for six guest rooms to share) still have to find some place to eat dinner.

So bundling up in our best rain wear, we traverse onto the seemingly desolate Hauptstrasse (main street) in the Altstadt (old town).

To me, when I think “Germany,” the city of Heidelberg doesn’t immediately come to mind. In fact, the name would be completely foreign to me if it hadn’t been for my girlfriend of years ago (now my wife, Jolene). She studied abroad for one semester in this fairy tale city filled with cobblestone streets, fresh baked pretzels, and church bells that ring every hour. If this is sounding a bit like the opening of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, it’s actually not too far from reality.

At least an hour by train or car from any major airport, this humble city of 150,000 has become a destination point for day tourists. Countless groups arrive by the busloads to walk the centuries-old streets, to take enough photos on their cell phones and cameras until they run out of memory storage, and to hop back on a bus to their accommodations near the Frankfurt Airport. This is what most people see when they visit Heidelberg. They take in the fairy tale charm, buy a souvenir at a local shop near the foot of the Church of the Holy Spirit along the Hauptstrasse (main street), and never look back.