We started off the day in Hershey, Pennsylvania where the Hershey Chocolate Factory is. The roads in the town are named Chocolate and Cocoa and the lampposts are Hershey kisses - wrapped and unwrapped. Hershey Park is an amusement park like a Six Flags, filled with roller coasters. We went to Hershey's Chocolate World and took a free tour which described how the chocolates are made from cocoa beans. There were also options to do taste-testing tours and make-your-own-candy-bar tours. Heavenly.
Then we traveled to Lancaster County in Pennsylvania where we all we did was eat Pennsylvania Dutch food. Worth it. We drove and walked around the area, being careful to avoid the Amish buggies on the side of the road. The weather was perfect and the company was even better (Kyle, and three of our friends).
Lancaster, Pennsylvania is the oldest and largest Amish community in the United States. They are part of the Pennsylvania Dutch from Germany who first settled in the area. Kyle has had a strange love for the Amish since he visited a small community when he was twelve. So, naturally, he has not been able to stop talking about when we were going to visit.
And also, naturally, I want this hat.
The Amish own most of the homes and farms in the area. They live off of their land and only technically use electricity to warm their homes, but the power comes straight from their windmills. They don't like pictures because they quite literally translate the Bible verses about not making "graven images" to mean photographs of their faces, which is why we only grabbed a few pictures on our trip.
Their clothes and hats are handmade; their scooters are amazing and their food is delicious. This is Benuel who was selling Pennsylvania Dutch staples- homemade root beer, whoopie pies, shoofly pie (molasses + brown sugar pie). Delicious. We also went to a farmers' market in the area where most of the shops were run by Amish teenagers - they sold scooters and homemade pretzels and baking mixes.
How adorable are these pygmy goats?
It was a beautiful day. And also this guy is ready to be Amish.
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