Amish Country, Part II

How do they do it? How do they keep living their simple life when all around them exists the fast-paced, hyper-technology, materialistic, media-crazed world?


There is a little part me that wishes to live such a lifestyle. I know it is a lot more than that -- one can't just decide one day to give it all up, and go join the crowd (plus I would look out-of-place with my tan skin and dark hair). So the next best thing to do is to take a trip up to Holmes County and be inspired by the simple way of life, the bucolic landscapes. I do find myself feeling refreshed and re-inspired after each visit.



Last time we went for a day trip from Columbus to Holmes County, we only scratched the surface of the Ohio Amish country. For one, we picked the wrong day to go (Sunday - their sabbath!). We also thought Millersburg would be the center of it all (that's how it looks on the map), where in fact, Berlin and Walnut Creek are more centers of the Amish country.

We still did not make it to the latter two towns (saved for the next trip!). From Columbus, we took I-71 north to Hwy 39 which took us through Millersburg. Before we hit Berlin as we had planned, we got side-tracked and found ourselves heading south for Charm, Ohio. Yes, how can one say no to such an elegant name of a town? It was charming, indeed, and we had lunch at an Amish-style restaurant complete with creamed chicken and biscuits.

We also found ourselves, later on, driving on Ohio's First State Road which is a gravel road winding along the hilly landscape peppered with farm houses, beautiful old barns, horses and cows. We would occasionally pass by an Amish buggy containing well-clothed passengers (it was COLD!) who would wave to us from their small window.


Last but not least, we saw our first snow of the season! Yes, this is true. Some hills were actually covered with the powdery white stuff. Can you imagine the children's plea to stop to have a snowball fight? We reassured them that this would not be their only snowy opportunity.

All in all, it was another pleasant trip to the Amish country. We feel lucky to be close enough for a day-trip for a bit of rejuvenation, and a little reminder that indeed, less is more. Always.

Amish Country

Did you know that Ohio has the largest Amish population in the world? I honestly did not know that until I moved here. If I had to guess, I would have said that place was somewhere in Pennsylvania.

Holmes county, just 1.5 hours northeast of Columbus, is home to some 40,000 Amish people who have lived and thrived there for the last few centuries. Their lives today is not very different from the lives of their ancestors who settled here long ago.

We drove from Columbus, using Route 62, to get to Millersburg (what looked to be the middles of Holmes County). Silly us, we chose Sunday - their rest day - to visit the Amish country. The people there laughed when we asked about the Amish... Wrong day! They said.

Well, we didn't really need to go into shops or restaurants or anything like that... We just wanted to be in the Amish country, to see the buggies go by, to say hi to a few of the folks whose lives are so admirably self-sufficient, and so very sustainable.

The Amish do not use what we all take for granted today: electricity, computers, cars, any motorized machines. They grow their own food, and communicate with each other via community newsletters.

If you would like to find out more about the Amish way of life, I recommend a great little book, The Amish Cook. The photographs are outstanding, and so are the stories, and recipes included.

Well, as you can see from my photos, we were lucky to have passed a few buggies, and waved to a few friendly folks who waved back with beautiful smiles. But it took going out of the beaten path, for sure, to really get into the Amish landscape. Don't expect to see these horse-drawn buggies in the middle of Millersburg!! I would not be riding through town like that either...

We will go back again, maybe not on a Sunday next time, and take in more of this part of Ohio (and the world!) that I consider a little gem.