 Nicole and I recently visited the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area...home to the Amish.  The Amish are a very interesting people who still live by the "old" ways. When you visit the area, it is like taking a step back in time. The Amish still plow their fields by horse, get around by horse and buggy, and have no  electricity or phones in their homes. The area is extremely rich in farmland, with farms as far as the eye can see. Because the Amish do not have phones in their homes, they have a community phone  for when it is necessary to contact someone outside of the area. It is known as "the Amish phone booth". The Amish school children still attend one room schoolhouses, which can be found dotted throughout the area. The Amish are also well known for their handmade goods. The Amish are excellent craftsman, especially when it comes to working with wood or quilt making. A lot of the Amish furniture is exquisite. As I stated before, the Amish use the horse and buggy as their main means of transportaion. They do this because they  believe that a car allows too much mobility and therefore a greater temptation for an individual to leave the community. They even have different types of buggies for different occasions. They use the enclosed buggy for every day travel. A couple who is dating, or "courting" as it is known, must ride in an open buggy known as the  courting buggy.All buggies must have direction lights and a slow moving reflective triangle on the back. The area is also known for it's trains. Theres is a full size train museum where you can climb aboard all kinds of real trains.  You can take a ride on a real train pulled by a steam locomotive. You can even stay in a motel where the rooms are real cabooses. There are also two or three model railroad places with working displays.
|
| Other Related Links: The Pennsylvania Dutch |
| Home Page | Mike and Nicole's page | Top of Page |
|---|
Get your own Free Home Page