Saturday, June 11, 2011

Amish Country

On our way back to New York, we made our way to Amish Country in Pennsylvania.

There is one of the largest Amish communities in Pennsylvania, where they live, farm and educate their children independently.

They are known for their simple way of life and reluctance to adopt modern technology.

A traditional Amish buggy.














We took a tour through the countryside.......















.............such tourists!















........live buggy in motion!














Enjoying traditional Amish fare.........














.......and mastering the kids cross word puzzle!














Cheers!
















Thursday, June 9, 2011

Gettysburg

Last weekend we headed 3 hours west to Gettysburg. Gettysburg is the sight of the famous Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War in 1863.

The battle with the largest number of casualties in the Civil War, and it is often described as the war's turning point.

The Union Army (the north aka the Yankees) finally defeated the Confederate Army (the south) who has been invincible up until this point, and the ending General Lee's invasion of the north.

It is also the sight of President Lincoln's historic Gettysburg address, a dedication ceremony to honor the fallen Union soldiers and redefine the purpose of the war.


















Top of the Pennsylvania Memorial.















List of soldiers who died.
















David and a canon.














Despite the bloodshed, over 57, 000 casualties from both sides during the 3 day campaign, the war continued for 2 more years.

Below is one of the bloodiest battlefields in the USA.
















The majority of the dead, especially from the South were left to rot in the fields, and the town of Gettysburg left to deal with the aftermath.

Luckily this pub was built - so its not all bad!














Monument to General Lee.


















Our tour of the battlefield was very interesting, as you can imagine Dad and David were in heaven!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Memorial Day Weekend

On Memorial Day my parents arrived for a visit, and we had a jammed pack weekend. We enjoyed everything from brunching overlooking Central Park to walking thru Times Square.....


















.......making a visit to Eataly for lunch....














.........and returning to Broadway to see Priscilla the Musical - oi oi oi !

Times Square Fun

After dinner we made our way down to Times Square to see the lights.....


















.....we ran into some very friendly NY policemen. Unfortunately Christopher was not impressed......















......but luckily Elmo made an appearance and all was good!