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Monday 15 June. Amish country
I picked up the car (a Dodge Charger) at Chicago airport earlier than planned, which meant I had time to stop at a handy Aldi on the from Chicago to Nappanee (approx 170 miles) to stock up on stuff to nibble on while I'm driving. It is a bit old for a rental (46k miles) and would look better in black, but it is comfortable enough, and rear wheel drive is a lot of fun when it's someone else's tyres. (btw I've noticed that very few American cars have low profile tyres like us, or even alloy wheels. Keeps the build/maintenance costs down I suppose)
There are some much bigger Amish communities than Nappanee, Indiana, but this fitted my route best and came nicely packaged - I was booked to stay at the Nappanee Inn, which is right by an exhibition area called Amish Acres.
I first became aware of the Amish way of life thanks to a Weird Al Yankovic parody of Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise called Amish Paradise - very funny and well worth a listen if you can find it. Another band called Electric Amish has done parodies like I Wanna Hoe Your Land and Sweet Home Indiana.
The Amish community practices a form of Mennonite religion. Their values are very 19th century, they have strict dress codes for men, women and children (very plain clothes, with no zips or buttons), and are very calm and submissive. If someone breaks their rules he is essentially excommunicated from the community. They don't have cars or use mains electricity, and travel around in horse drawn buggies and on bicycles. They work the land and sell the produce to the general community. They also make quilts and do a lot of woodwork for resale.
I chose the hotel for its convenience, also because it offered a "traditional" Amish menu and had a pool. Well, guess what. When I arrived, the hotel was closed and a sign redirected me to its sister, the Inn at Amish Acres, which is traditionally Amish, except the in-room TVs and trouser press!! After checking in, the conversation went something like this:
Me: Can I get on a tour now?
Receptionist: No, they all finish in 10 minutes, at 4
Me: Oh. OK then, what time do they start tomorrow?
R: Around 11
Me: Oh. I was hoping to be away by 1. Never mind, what time is dinner?
R: We aren't doing dinner tonight Sir
Me: Oh. Where can I go for dinner then?
R: - directed me to a place downtown which did "Amish" food. (I got there at 7:45 and it was shut…)
Me: Can I use the pool then?
R: I'm afraid the pump is broken. You can sit by it in a rocking chair if you want
Me: That's not quite the same is it? How about the show tonight?
R: I'm sorry, that won't be happening
Me: Oh. Where's the nearest Walmart then?
I guess it's off-season for Amish hunting then. And so it came to pass that I visited Walmart, but by the back roads and via real Amish country, of which there is plenty around here. While I saw plenty of Amish sights, the Amish people don't like to be photographed As I didn't want to offend, the best I've managed a few surreptitious shots taken while driving. And there is one of the horses and traps tethered outside Walmart (I like the Recaro seats in the foremost trap), and I just managed another using the long lens of a family in the buggy, but it was twilight so quality is poor so I've had to manipulate it a bit.
So after evening dinner, I asked the girl serving burgers (- oh, did I forget to mention the lunchtime tuna footlong sub??) where the bars were in Nappanee. After some intense thought she said "Go left out of here, take a left at the lights, and Hunters is on the left. Or it may be the right. There used to be a Martini bar, but it closed". Maybe she mistook me for James Bond.
Anyhow, she was wrong, on both counts. There aren't any bars in Nappanee. None. At all. So no Budweiser, hoorah!!! I don't believe Indiana is dry (some states still are) but this town is parched. If you are into quilts and quiet nights in then this is the place for you!!
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