Our Family Trip Part II: Lancaster County

Bright and early (even in a very darkened room) we awoke and took advantage of the complimentary continental breakfast before checking-out and driving eastward to Intercourse, PA. Right next to Bird-in-Hand, PA. Love the names. We went on an open-carriage buggy ride through the farmland as our driver Beniel, a woodworker by trade, answered various questions about Amish life. It was so quiet and peaceful with just the sound of birds and the horses hoofs as we pulled past corn and alfalfa fields off of the side roads. The Amish farmhouse we stopped at momentarily (to buy cookies and pretzels) had an immaculate close-cut lawn (push-mower) and a beautiful vegetable garden. Not to mention the freshly hung clothes fluttering in the breeze. Very tranquil indeed.

Lancaster PA

Adjacent to the buggy rides was a restaurant, Amish house and theater, but the times of the tours didn't jive with our little ones schedules/attention spans so we decided to skip that and stop at the nearby market. We bought some fudge, dinner rolls, fresh apple cider and a pink little apron for Evalyn that she wore the entire day. I still wanted to tour some aspect of Amish day to day living so we stopped at the Amish Village near Strasburg. The tour was very informative albeit crowded with a large group that arrived just after us. Matt had to take Henry out halfway through but Evalyn made it and once we were outside again she liked the animals and waterwheel.

After lunch at a nearby smorgaspord restaurant we packed our tired children into the car once more and headed home via Route 1, crossing the Susquehanna River at Conowingo Dam. Fortunately both kids slept almost the entire drive home. We did have to stop once for a roadside potty break and again for gas in Baltimore of all places.

We were quite happy to get home early enough in the day to relax and unpack. How nice it was to come home to our own beds! Especially Henry the Monkey's newly crib-tented bed. I'm glad we made the trip but I really hope that someday it will be more fun for everyone and not just a lot of work to see a little something of nearby attractions.

I really enjoyed the peaceful environs of the Pennsylvania Dutch people and contemplating the beliefs of the Amish, Mennonites and Brethren, especially thinking of Matt's family heritage. His grandparents were active members of the Church of the Brethren. Matt shared a fun anecdote about his grandmother. In school whenever they were assigned to learn about their family heritage and ask their grandparents or whoever where they came from, most kids responded "Italian" "German" "Polish" etc. But Mia's response to Matt's query was always "We're Pennsylvania Dutch!" Simple as that. : )

For some reason I was hoping for a less-commercial take on the whole Amish experience and was disappointed with how marketed everything was. I wanted to buy some of the wares but wondered how much of a cut the retailers got and wished I could buy straight from the families that made the crafts. It sounds silly I suppose. Everyone is out for making a living and the Amish themselves probably don't mind the niche market and ease of finding buyers for their simple wares. Not everyone can farm these days so other areas of income are necessary. It just felt like I was contributing to the exploitation of a simple lifestyle.

What if Mormons had different living restrictions placed on them and were regarded the same way? How would I feel to live a voyeurist existence where people came by at all hours to see what my house was like and buy things from me for the sake of it being "Made by the Mormons" or something. I dunno. Still not sure what I think of the whole thing. Obviously there's the curiosity within me that wants to learn about the real Amish life and not just the one portrayed by the tour-guide for profit. So what does that say about me? Maybe I should just stick to National Geographic to learn about the world. Then I wouldn't feel like such a hypocrite.