Intercourse for a day

It was a 2 hour ride to Intercourse, Lancaster County, Pensylvania with much motorway, we crossed the Mason-Dixon Line, I saw signposts for  New Oxford, York and Dover. We also crossed the long bridge over the Susquehanna river but I was here to get my fix!

We found the Travelers rest easily and my room was ready so I dumped the suitcases and we went off to lunch after which our goodbyes were said and I walked back into town to find the quilting shops.

It wasn't long until I found Zoosks Fabric store!  I was like a kid in a toy shop! I have never seen so many rolls of fabric in one place and certainly not speciality fabrics.  My suitcase is much heavier now!

Kitchen Kettle is a large shopping complex but not modern department stores. Pretty much anything could be purchased though. There was a huge, gorgeous quilt shop that also sold handbags!

They are getting ready for Halloween, but I heard my first Christmas carols when I went in the Christmas shop! 

The community is mostly Amish and they take very seriously the commandments and especially the one 'highlighting craven images' They don't have any photographs of each other or their children and we were asked not to take photographs of them. There were many of the buggies up and down the streets of this little countryfied town.  They go really fast and I thought one of them was going to turn over. She came to a junction and was turning left and the horse reared up a little. It was OK though I suppose they are used to it. This was an expensive buggy it had indicators flashing. I would have loved some photographs!

I did manage to get this one when I was on a trip round the Amish farms the next day. My motel did complimentary trips so I was on it at 8.30 until 10.30, this worked out very well as I had to check out at 11.  I also had a breakfast included which had just about everything, excellent value!

The trip was excellent, we drove round the countryside and the Amish farms are very well kept.

Of course they are also very good at making money and we called at three shops on the way.

This was one of them.

 I (and a lot more people) were more interested in what was going on in the back yard! A pig was chasing a sheep. The poor thing was too big to be chased and after a while it turned on the pig!

They had a real mix of animals in one field, one sheep, alpacas, goats, chickens, geese and one nasty pig!

It really is beautiful countryside and I missed the chance of a wonderful photograph, a man was driving a plough with four horses, I put my camera up but didn't take one.

We had an excellent guide. She wasn't Amish and told us that as she spoke about them she would distinguish between them and us by calling us English. Then she wanted to know where we were from and I said I was English which caused a laugh. 

She told us much of their lifestyle. When the men get married they have to grow a beard.. They get married on a Tuesday/ Thursday in November. They are too busy on the land until then. If you are English you can take wedding presents but if Armish you don't because the couple will live with parents until the spring and spend that time visiting the guests and collecting their wedding presents.

In the town they speak Dutch/German to each other. The children are brought up to be multi lingual.

The village that joins Intercourse is called  Bird in Hand.  
Named that by the early settlers who were uneducated but knew the saying. 

This is a school, we saw several and all are one roomed buildings. The little building is the toilet.

They grow lots of produce to sell and vegetables for themselves. Saw lots of pumpkin patches.

The last shop we stayed at was a quilt shop. Yeah, lots of lovely quilts and fabric, couldn't resist!

Time to move on. No cabs in Intercourse, so I had to catch the bus into Lancaster. The bus was due at 12.10. I was at the stop at 11.30 so time for some people watching. I was joined by another lady who had moved to Intercourse 5 years ago to live amongst the Amish. 

An Amish couple came along and I knew it would be difficult to get my case on the bus but thought for sure he would help me. But he didnt. He stood behind me and let me struggle with it.

There was a train to Philidelphia at 1.40 so I was hoping to get the connection. I hadn't booked it but as usual everything worked out OK.  Bus got in on time and a short walk to the bus station and another bus came along within 5 minutes . Off at Amtrak, ticket out machine and onto the train. I don't like lifts but I've been so grateful for them!  Next stop Philly!