USA Pt.2: Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania

Travel plans for the quaintly named Bird-In-Hand, PA were made swiftly from the vast and elegant 30th St Station in Philadelphia, just before my train departed towards Pittsburgh. I was going to stay in what is known as 'Pennsylvania Dutch Country', which has at its heart the town of Lancaster, considered America's oldest inland city. From what I saw of Lancaster (in my hot trudge from the train station to the bus depot) it was attractive enough, but I've always gravitated towards little towns - a product of my lived experience growing up no doubt - and jumped at the chance to stay at the little village out on the Old Philadelphia Pike.


It suited me just perfectly; a beautiful heritage inn (plus an upgrade because the bureau that did my booking from elegant 30th St Station wasn't so thorough. Sometimes ineptness has its rewards!) and a room full of white lace and dappled sunlight. The inn was located beside a cluster of antique and craft stores with a backyard stretching into rural farmland (see picture beside), and the only sounds (besides the rather busy traffic of the Pike) the clop-clop of horses pulling Amish buggies, the whoosh of wind in the trees and the sonorous lowing of farm animals. I loved it!

The Amish - whose faith is characterised by simple living on the land and shunning modern conveniences - fled persecution in Europe for Pennsyvlania (and other US locations) in the early 18th century. ('Dutch' is actually a variation of 'Deutsch' - the Amish still speak a German dialect). I visited some stores run by Amish and found them cheerful and friendly, and received a number of waves from kids jumbled in the back of wagons, looking timeless in their straw hats and breeches (belts are not allowed), and bonnets and unicoloured dresses. I went on a little tour with a Mennonite fellow whose family had broken away (Mennonites are more progressive), and it was intriguing to find out a) how the Amish have to make access decisions when new products hit the market and b) how they manage to 'get around' obstacles to certain conveniences; ie phones aren't allowed 'in the house', but the back shed may be rigged up for such a purpose. I thought their sense of community, responsibility and self-sufficiancy wonderful, but the 'no education beyond 8th grade' didn't sit quite as comfortably.

I also made short work of some great germanic 'comfort food' (roast pork, saeurkraut, pickled beets and eggs, soft salted pretzels, various puddings - I put my love for hefty foodstuffs down to the austrian ancestry).

Such a tranquil stay!