Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Our next stop was in Amish country.  The countryside is beautiful - lush and green from all the rain.  The Amish farms are huge with large houses and barns.  According to information published in 1998, there were about 37,000 Amish and Amish-related groups plus the conservative Mennonites in Lancaster County.  These groups are referred to as the plain people of Lancaster County. 

An Amish Farm              Another Amish Farm          One More Amish Farm

Visiting Amish country and learning more about them was especially interesting to us after having met the Yoder family from Indiana a few years ago.  They were a delightful family and shared many things about their culture.  Some people assume that they are backward and others that they are poor.  Neither is true.  While they do not use electricity (someone must work on Sundays to make it available), they have some innovative appliances run with gas and propane.  They are very industrious people and are often quite wealthy, but they are community-oriented and share what they have and take care of one another.   Throughout the country there are numerous shops with all sorts of Amish-made goods.  We spent quite some time in a store that sold homemade jams and jellies and bakery goods.  My all time favorite find was something they call Peanut Butter Schmeir - you smear it con toast or crackers, etc.  The woman also make the most beautiful quilts and the men make furniture and leather goods.  None of them are educated beyond the 8th grade, so there will be none in the professions.  The English, as they call their non-Amish friends, are delighted to have them as friends and neighbors.

Delectable goods for sale          Amish Horse & Buggy        Amish Quilt Example         Terry checks out a school  

We also found  the Strasburg Railroad Station where we took a 45-minute train ride, saw Thomas the Train and spent hours in the Train Museum.

Thomas the Train          Gerry as Engineer       Old Time Train