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Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real {Amish Country Version}

*PRETTY*


During our July vacation to Philadelphia we took a day trip to Strasburg, PA, only about an hour out of the city, to immerse ourselves in Amish country.   In keeping with the Simplicity Parenting philosophy that for every day of hectic activity try to provide a day of rest the next day, we followed our busy day downtown Philly with a quiet, peaceful day in the lovely countryside of Pennsylvania.  One of our stops was at The Amish Village.  I highly recommend it as a tourist destination.  They provide tours and have actual Amish people on staff to help explain the austere lifestyle they have chosen.

*NOT PRETTY BUT HAPPY*  


Part of the tour was through a stable area where the kids could see and pet farm animals.


*FUNNY*   


Above, KC pretends to be a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse.  According to our tour guide, formal education ends after 8th grade among the Amish.  This carriage is an example of the horse drawn buggies they use in lieu of automobiles as their only transportation.


 *WAY TOO REAL*  

Because the Amish do not use anything that requires electricity, many of their appliances are old-fashioned and run on gas. 




These are actual dresses worn by Amish women.  The white garment represents an unwed woman, the blue and black is worn by a married woman.


Handmade Amish quilts are lovely and sell for $500.00 or more. 


These coats and hats are worn by Amish men. 


Upon reflecting on our trip to Philadelphia, my son RW said this Amish village was his favorite part of our vacation.  We all learned so much and enjoyed the peaceful day away from the hustle and bustle of city life. 




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round button chicken



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Comments

  1. *kateAugust 11, 2011 at 9:15 AM

    Looks like a great trip! I hope we can get there next time we're down in Philly :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. PippajoAugust 11, 2011 at 3:20 PM

    We live just outside of Philly in South Jersey and took the kids to The Amish Village two or so years ago. They loved it, too! We have some photos that are very similar to some of yours! These are great shots. Thanks for bringing back the memories.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Woman of the HouseAugust 11, 2011 at 3:56 PM

    That pig sure looks peaceful and content! Love it and love the flowers! Wow!

    ReplyDelete
  4. MistyAugust 11, 2011 at 5:57 PM

    Thank you. We had a fantastic vacation and the Amish way of life can surely make you think about the worldly influences on your own!

    ReplyDelete
  5. MegAugust 11, 2011 at 6:14 PM

    Sounds like a lovely vacation. That quilt is beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  6. ElisaAugust 12, 2011 at 6:50 PM

    I love all that Amish stuff. I wish I lived closer to them so I could buy things from them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AndreaAugust 12, 2011 at 7:28 PM

    I really enjoyed this post and your pictures. Thank you for sharing! (I wish I could afford one of those quilts!)

    ReplyDelete
  8. no spring chickenAugust 12, 2011 at 7:58 PM

    The real is quite hard to imagine. And that is the happiest pig I've ever seen!! Definitely a fascinating lifestyle... the Amish, not the swine!

    Blessings, Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mary JoAugust 12, 2011 at 8:49 PM

    These are so lovely...
    And I wondered today how long it would take me to do all of the laundry that I did "the old-fashioned way"? Amazing. (I could embrace a slower pace.)

    ReplyDelete

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