Amish region

Last weekend we were privileged to spend Sunday in a Mennonite church and visit one of their homes, and join them for Sunday lunch.  It was an experience that money could not buy.

A few days later and we were in Amish country.

sharing roads with horse and trap

This was an experience that money could buy!!

Tourism gone mad. But coupled with that, another amazing opportunity and experience, also that money couldn't buy.

We stayed just east of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and cycled from Beacon Hill campsite into the town where there was a place called Kitchen Kettle Village.  A tourist trap.  Coaches thronged to the carparks, where the punters could be whisked away on an Amish sight-seeing tour, and have all the trimmings and trappings laid on for them.  There were some interesting things here, but mostly it was designed for the tourist.  Not our bag!

Later in the day, when we were almost done in by the tourist parts, and we were actually on our way back to our campsite, we noticed that there were a lot of Amish horse & buggies all going the same direction!  Possibly they were all going off to a Bible study, or prayer meeting?!?

Ruth spotted an Amish girl walking along the road, and asked her if there was some event taking place.

She told Ruth that there was an open meal for anyone, up in town, and we would be welcome!

We spared not a single moment and whirled Harvey round on the now familiar hand-brake turn.  Following the horses and buggies was simple, and led us straight to the scene.

It was absolutely amazing to see hundreds of horses lined up, tethered to their posts.  Equally amazing was to see the same amount of buggies and traps littering the edge of the fields.  There was even a car-park (not really a car-park, a buggy park) floodlit by a mobile generator and lights, similar to those used in UK for lighting up motorway contraflow lanes!  I thought they shunned all modern accoutrements.  Obviously not!

Horses have lights on them for night-driving, as do the buggies.

We had stumbled across a charity event for special needs children.  It was being held in their local school.  There must have been a couple of thousand people there, in marquees, with PA systems broadcasting the children singing things like "The Wise Man Built His House Upon The Rock", and "Yes! Jesus Loves Me".  It was as big as a major Christian conference would be in UK.  All within our little town.

Teenager boys roamed off to play volleyball, teenage girls stood a respectful distance apart, watching!  (You bet!).  Boys had all the same type of garb.  Plain coloured shirt, with long trousers held up with braces.  A pudding basin haircut was the "in" thing for the boys!

Girls had simple long dresses of various colours.  Some had a full length bib-type of apron.  Others had half-length aprons.  All girls wore a white net hat.

We were free to wander round.  The only request was that we didn't use our camera.

But by then we had.  Ooopsie!

What an amazing evening.  Held just on the night we were in town!  Awesome.