MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 2012
Rented a car today with Lancaster County as my destination for the next 3 days. It is only 1 ½ hours drive from Philadelphia. (Driving in Philly is a nightmare so if you ever travel here, avoiding driving at all costs. ) As for Lancaster County, I cannot say enough wonderful things about it. Especially if you are interested in the Amish way of life. This area is home to approximately 30,000 Amish people, many of whom are farmers. It is a beautiful area with gentle rolling hills dotted with farms complete with barns, silos, fields, cows and horses grazing and a home with the laundry hanging on the clothes line, an Amish buggy or two in the driveway. Their children could sometimes be seen outside either playing or helping with the farm work, wearing the traditional blue shirts, dark pants and staw hats for the boys and the girls wearing the blue dress with a dark colored apron and their hair pulled up. The fields were full of corn, alfalfa and tobacco.
While driving out and about , the Amish horse and buggies can often be seen parked in parking lots, on the road with their horse and buggies, and the Amish people walking, or using a scooter along side the roads. Plus many of the young Amish women work in the restaurants and some of the shops. I learned on this trip that their schooling only goes through the 8th grade for both boys and girls and once they are married, the girls almost never work outside the home.
There are several little towns in Lancaster county but I only had time to visit Bird-In-Hand, Paradise, Intercourse, Ronks and Strasborg. One more important thing to mention is the food. There are many wonderful places to eat, referred to as Pennsylvannia Dutch cooking. Most are smorgasbords or served family style and the food is WONDERFUL.
Parking Lot of a Farm Supply Store
I Always Liked the Laundry Look in a Yard!
Telescopic Lens are Great!
Beautiful Farms and Beautiful Country Everywhere You Look!