Bird-in-Hand & Intercourse, PA – Amish
Country - June 26
Since we left the Appalachian Mountains
a few days ago, we are now seeing beautiful farmlands with corn, wheat,
soybeans and bales of hay. The Amish farms are especially beautiful. Can’t
explain why, but what picturesque landscapes!
The Amish & the Mennonites have very similar religious beliefs, but different in how they handle modern technology. (among other things) I won't elaborate on the comparison's as it's an easy Google.
4 in a small buggy pulled by a pony
We started the day with a buggy ride
with Aaron and Jessica’s Amish Buggy Rides. http://amishbuggyrides.com/
They have different tours and we
opted for a 1 hour one that takes you through town and into the countryside
with a visit to an Amish farm. The Amish driver & guide with the buggy was
very informative and told us that we could ask anything we wanted about
Amish, Mennonite, Quakers and the Pennsylvania Dutch. We could also take photos
of anything we wanted on the tour. What an awesome experience. Our guide was
explaining how there has been some acceptance of some technology, but they
still maintain their simple lives and religious beliefs. The children are
allowed to attend Amish schools which are still small 1 room buildings where
they are within walking distance to it. The buggy held around 10 people. If you wanted you could also pay for a private tour in a smaller buggy.
arrival at the buggy rides
We went through town and then turned onto a country road past fruit trees and farmland.
photos from the buggy - woman on a scooter
fruit trees
farm equipment
man working the field
We got out of the buggy at the Plain & Fancy Farm
and took a walk about to see the farm equipment they use and were shown what
was the milking room. They sold all of their milk cows as it was no longer
profitable. The area now houses their Labrador and her puppies. After the tour we had an opportunity to buy cookies and a cold
drink from the daughter of the farm owner. They had home-made cookies and
home-made root beer and lemonade. We got a bag of 3 cookies which were very
good, and we split a root beer. Both were yummy. We boarded the buggy and rode
back to town.
some of their farm equipment
apple waste is fed to the animals
cows looking out of a hole in the fence
showing us the milking room
milking machine
lab and her puppies
mother & her calf
calf is one or 2 days old
mules used for farming
me petting one of the mules
the daughter selling the refreshments
Greg with the cookies & the root beer
their laundry
ponies
back in the buggy
There was a gift shop at the
restaurant where I got a token souvenir of an Amish man & woman. Karen, you
could have found the perfect Christmas ornament there.
Then, we drove back to the center of
Bird-in Hand to have lunch at Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant & Smorgasbord.
We opted for the buffet since we wanted to try a variety of the local Amish
dishes. Everything we tasted was fabulous. There was Chicken Pot Pie (more like
dumplings), home-made buttered noodles, mac & cheese, ham balls, broasted
chicken, Turkey, Pork & Sauerkraut, fresh vegetables from the garden cooked
to perfection, a couple of soups, large salad bar, roast pork, clam strips,
lasagna and so much more. The dessert bar featured Shoofly Pie (molasses pie),
whoopie pies, cherry crumble, apple crumble, puddings, ice cream, cakes, pies
and more.
our lunch stop
fresh green beans, fried chicken, chicken pot pie
ham ball, clam strips, pork
buffet area
We passed by an Amish flea market.
Cathy & Tom I could picture us shopping there or at least taking in the
whole scene. If the Amish were photo friendly it would have been great photo
ops. I grabbed a few as we drove by.
Amish swap meet
We then drove on to the town of
Intercourse. (Sonya & Scott quit giggling) We passed quite a few buggies
and beautiful farms. Also, some great slices of life watching Amish families
playing in the park or working in the fields. One was mowing a lawn and another
spraying the lawn for weeds or pests.
It was a great day and we learned a
lot about their way of life as it evolves slowly to modern times. I’m sure
there are degrees of “Amish-ness”. The houses don’t have electricity; but do
use propane for stoves and lights. Some farm equipment is still mule powered
and some also use batteries for more power. The homes were beautiful and looked
modern from the outside.
We drove around some more before
heading back home.
Tomorrow, we are visiting the
Harrisburg State Capitol Building and returning to Gettysburg to finish the
Battlefield Park.
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