Travel Tuesday - Visiting Amish Country

This week for Travel Tuesday I would like to take you to Bird in Hand.  A small beautiful quiet little Amish town near Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
To be honest, the Amish have intrigued me for many years.  I find it amazing and fascinating that in this day and age, there are people who are so strong in their beliefs they can do away with the electrical luxuries the rest of us all use on a daily basis.
I find them to be a peaceful and forgiving people, and although I have photographed the buggies, out of respect I will not show any pictures of actual Amish.

What can you expect if you travel to this part of the world?  Peace and a visit back in time.  Beautiful rolling green acres, with farmers working their fields the old fashion way, with horses and old fashion plows.

Of course you will see lots and lots of buggies.  They share the road with you.

Along with their beautiful horses.  I am a horse girl myself, I love to see the beautiful animals.

There are places you can tour, that are actually set up so you can see inside the Amish culture.  They will tell you all about their homes and how they operate.  Why they wear the clothing they do.
Can you believe none of the women's dresses are sewn, they are all pinned together with straight pins, seriously!
They'll explain which men wear the beards (married) and which do not, and why.

They will tell you how they cook, and show you.  As well as talk to you about how they survive, what business they own, what food they harvest.
It's actually quite interesting to learn about them, and why they do what they do.
You'll learn about the difference between the Amish and Mennonites, and by the time you leave you'll speak a little Pennsylvania Dutch and be able to tell the difference between an Amish or Mennonite.

Take a drive around the area, and visit a few of the covered bridges "aka Amish kissing bridges".  Placed throughout the beautiful country.  I love these covered bridges, some have far more character than others.  But many of them are very, very old!

I highly recommend some Dutch cooking!  There are several eateries in the area where you can stop and get your fill in good ol' Dutch cooking.  I will say this was one of my favorite things.  But I will say, eating too much of it, you'll gain a pound or two, its so fabulously yummy!
Additionally, do some shopping.  Hand crafted amazing goods, that you'll surely be able to treasure!

Enjoy your evenings, in this peaceful country.  Watch a sunset and be surrounded by country where there are far more hoses carrying buggies, than their are cars driving down the road.

IF YOU GO:
*  These pictures are all near Lancaster, an area called Bird in Hand.  Which is actually a tourist community for the Amish.  They have lots of their stores and shops where you can buy their hand made goods.
*  Be respectful of their privacy, don't photograph them unless they approve it.  Don't drive down their private lanes.
*  There are actually Amish communities all over the Midwest and Eastern states.
*  We stayed at a local hotel in Lancaster.  There are actually lots of hotels, Inn's and B&B's.
*  This particular area is near Philadelphia, it was about a 30 minute drive.
*  These pictures were taken in the fall, the hills would be a lot more green in spring and summer.

Visiting Historic Downtown Philadelphia

TRAVEL TUESDAY

Taking You To Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  

If you love the history of the United States, then you will definitely want to add Philadelphia to your list of travels to see one day.  Rich in history and home to some of the most famous sights.  This is actually a place you can see everything in one long day, however you might enjoy it more if you have 2 or more.

Sorry, the building was under construction when I went, which is why you see the scaffolding

Right in the center of this Historic National Park is Independence Hall.  You'll have to get your tickets beforehand however, they are free (or were:).  Here you'll get to see the actual birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.

The tours won't take you into every single room, but they will take you in and show you exactly where things happened, and explain the history and architecture of the building.  Next door you'll find Congress Hall and Old City Hall.

Next, walk on over to the famous Liberty Bell, one of America's iconic symbols of Independence.  Learn about the bell's history and the myths of when the bell really rang, and the rich history surrounding the famous crack in the bell.

If you don't mind a tad bit of a walk, you can go and visit Betsy Ross House, the birthplace of the American Flag.  Tour her home, learn about Betsy herself and her life and how the idea for the first stars and stripes originated.

Pictured above is the outside of the Betsy Ross house.

Philadelphia's buildings are unique in themselves.  I apologize for the bad picture quality, (It was late at night, and I was exhausted after running a marathon:)  when I took them.)  Pictured to the left is the Masonic Temple and next to it the beautiful Philadelphia City Hall.

As you travel down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Eakins Oval, you'll get to see a few fun sights and statues like these.  Above is one of the fountains - Sorry I went in late fall so the fountain wasn't running.  The below picture is the Washington Monument, uniformed George Washington on his horse.

The famous 72 steps leading up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  For those of you who remember the "Rocky" movies with Sylvester Stallone.  These are the steps he runs up in the movies, with the famous song "Gonna Fly Now".  If you are like me, you'll want to mimic the running of these steps.
and make the famous Rocky Pose with your hands up in a cheer when you get to the top. 
Now you can't see me unless you look really hard in this picture, but I am at the top with both hands in the air, letting the camera take my picture after the 72 step climb:)

After you climb the steps, next to the building is the famous bronze statue, where you must go and have your picture taken:) Not because you have to, but because it is fun:)  

Ignore, the haggard look on me.  I had run the Philadelphia Marathon, and went from the race, to the shower and then walked downtown back to the museum so I could run up those steps and then have my picture taken:)  Yes, just because I run a marathon, doesn't mean I just go lay down, if I am on vacation I will still go see the sights!!!

Additionally, while you are out sightseeing make sure to stop and grab a famous Philly cheese-steak sandwich!  I found a fabulous little sandwich shop near Independence Hall, because I asked a local where the best place to get one was. 
I highly recommend just asking the locals!  After I ask them where the best place to get something is, then I ask "Have you ate there?  Would you?"  If they hesitate, I'll ask someone else.  But if they jump with a yes immediately, I have found I can usually fully trust their recommendation:)  That's my little travel eating tip for you!!!

IF YOU GO:

A few other sights I didn't mention or picture above that if you have time are worth seeing:
Carpenters Hall
Franklin's Court
Elfreth's Alley
Fireman's Hall Museum
Edgar Allen Poe House
Institute of Contemporary Art
Franklin Square

*  Most of the places, I found to be free but I did have to reserve timed tickets beforehand.
*  The Betsy Ross house did have a small fee.
*  Personally I found it easy to just park my car near Independence Hall, in an underground parking garage and walk to all of the places in the National Historic Park.
*  As for the museum, and Elkins Oval, I found it easier once I was in my hotel downtown to just walk everywhere.  However, if you prefer to drive for a large city its quite easy to find your way around and I personally didn't think traffic was all that bad!
*  If you enjoy marathon's the Philadelphia marathon takes you around all of these attractions by foot.  You can also read my marathon review by visiting HERE.