I have just got back from a truly lovely weekend break in Millersburg, Ohio. It is a place I have always wanted to visit as I have been fascinated by the Amish way of life, which is partly due to having a keen interest in environmental issues and in history. Now that I have moved to America, from England, I thought I would seize the opportunity to visit an Amish town.

It was a long drive there and back, from Indianapolis. However, the journey was definitely worth it when we arrived at the delightful Guggisberg Swiss Inn. It is a very charming place with very helpful and conscientious staff. It has very traditional rooms and an interesting interior décor. In the main lobby is an enormous fireplace, which I can imagine would be spectacular in the wintertime. The Inn is very much decorated in accordance with a Swiss Inn and it really does feel like one. It was very like the Inns I have visited during previous trips to Switzerland. The rooms are very spacious with two comfy double beds ( with lovely, soft , green patchwork quilts on them), a large bathroom and a good sized wardrobe. Yet, the best bit about the room was when you stepped outside onto the walkway. You are instantly struck by beauty of the, almost, panoramic views of Ohio's rolling countryside. It was perfect. Especially when you are able to take a seat on their rocking wooden benches and absorb the gorgeous sunset, which many guests did.

One of the best experiences of the trip was going on a horse ride the next day. It was an hour long trail provided through The Guggisberg Inn, as they have stables on site. The instructor (Tammy) was very friendly, informative and helpful. The horses were very well behaved and obviously well cared for. It was a fascinating, and very enjoyable, way to get to explore the countryside a bit more. Some of my other favourite experiences included shopping at the local Amish antique and craft malls. I could quite happily spend a few days just looking at the skilfully made crafts and pieces of woodwork that are in these malls.

I later went on to purchase, what I think is a must have souvenir from Millersburg, a patchwork quilt set. I received friendly advice and guidance from the staff at Gramma Fannies Quilt Barn and was able to leave with the materials I needed to make my own memento from my trip to Ohio, which I will be able to treasure. I cannot wait to get started!

After these unforgettable experiences, I was able to sample some of the local delicacies. The best meal I had was a dish at an Amish restaurant in Walnut Creek, called Der Dutchman. It consisted of a very tasty shredded pork sandwich, smothered in gravy and served with a dollop of mashed potato. It was very filling and very scrumptious. As were the cakes in their bakery next door. I am amazed I could eat any lunch as The Guggisberg Inn also provided a tasty breakfast that catered to everyones needs. This ranged from cereal to a hot breakfast casserole, which was delicious. It was a bit like scrambled egg with lots of cheese and bacon. You only need a little bit of this on a piece of toast and it makes the perfect breakfast.

My bits of advice for any future visitors to Millersberg are ; Make sure you know where you want to go and plan your days accordingly. That way you wont miss anything important as there is lots to do; Make sure you have some spare room in your bags for all the local produce, which are just too tempting to resist. There is lots of locally made cheeses, jams, cakes, noodles and chocolate. Finally, make sure you take the time to chat to the locals as you can really get a sense of how important the community spirit is to the local people. It is a great way of finding out a bit more about the local history.

I am now starting to plan for my next trip to Montreal this weekend. I fear there is too many things to do there to fit everything into one weekend, but I will certainly give it my best shot.