Yes, we did go to the visitor's center and the place next door- I can't remember what they called it. I thought the temple replica and info was very interesting- E wasn't so interested. One of the ladies working there gave us a great background on the Mennonites and Amish and I bought some apple butter there. Then we drove around the farm areas, went to a place where they had a great Amish store and theater next door that showed a fime about an Amish teen. The staff there gave an introductory talk before the film and that was also very informative. E was particularly interested in that because it answered a lot of his questions about how the kids are raised and if they are ever allowed to leave and what is expected of teens. He left having having a very positive attitude about their beliefs as Mennonite-rooted and how they allow their teens a choice. We both learned a lot of respect for them!
I hadn't realized that the denomination I was raised in stemmed from their same core beliefs. Since I had taught those to E, that opened the door for a lot of discussion about religious beliefs, way of life, etc.
We had the family feast at a restaurant that claimed to be a 'sister restaurant' of Millers- all I know is that when we left we were too stuffed to take a walking tour! That's ok though- we bought some jam, a Christmas ornament, and some fudge and had learned a great deal. Also, E had a chance to try a few Amish dishes (shoofly pie, for one) and we got some photos of authentic Amish (not buggy rides) driving down the rode in thei buggy in the midst of traffic. LOL!
I think we'll come back sometime and when we do, we'll try a local German restaurant.
Terry, the only portion control we followed was to only take a small portion each tiime the bowl was passed- but it was passed a lot! One thing- I thought teen boys grew out of being a bottomless pit. Now I know different. We had E (who's a teen), a middle-aged man, and an elderly man at the table, along with myself and two other women. Let me tell you- E ate a lot and the middle-aged man ate a lot more than E and none of us thought the elderly man would ever quit asking for more food. LOL! That man was medium weight, too- clearly not going hungry so I have no idea how he could eat that much.
I would have loved a quilt or two but I didn't even bother looking- I knew the prices would be out of my range for this vacation's spending budget.
