Monday afternoon I decided last-minute to take a 3 1/2 hr. drive Northeast of Cincinnati to Holmes County, Ohio to visit the Amish countryside.  On the road by 11am Tuesday, the drive took me past rolling pastureland, through small Midwestern towns, with names like Utica and Stillwell.  Listening to an audiobook on tape, I would alternate my attention from the book to the passing scenery.  I was excited to finally have a peek into the somewhat guarded and secretive life of the Amish.  I spotted my first Amish horse and buggy in Danville, about 30 minutes from my first stop in Millersburg.  When I finally arrived at the Chamber of Commerce in Millersburg to pick up some information, the excitement was building.  My route was to travel 7 miles on to Berlin, 4 miles to Walnut Creek, 6 miles to Sugarcreek, 8 miles to Farmerstown, and 4 miles to Charm.

I had read that the Amish don’t like having their photograph taken, so when I saw this gentleman coming down the road in Farmerstown, I jumped out of my car, pointing to my camera as I gestured my question.  He shook his head “yes”.

This couple was passing my vehicle on a back country road in Charm.  The outside corners of their lips are turned upward in a small smile….

I couldn’t have picked a nicer summer day to be taking my tour.  The sky was a brilliant blue with puffy white clouds and a light breeze brought scents of freshly cut grass and wildflowers through my open car windows.  A couple of times my eyes pricked with happy tears for the beauty I was bearing witness to.

Everywhere I looked, well-tended farms sat on hillsides or in the valleys surrounded by green and blue.  The only sound within these peaceful communities was the clip clop of the horses’ hooves making contact with the road as they transported the Amish to and fro…

Do you feel the peace envelope you?  Off in the distance, the beautiful and happy horses had a snack…

This fella wanted a rub…

Berlin, Ohio reminded me of a small version of Gatlinburg, filled with antique shops, and specialty stores.

I purchased three blocks of cheese at Heini’s Cheese Chalet in Berlin, after sampling quite a few varieties.

My next stop was Coblentz Chocolate Company in Walnut Creek.  If you love chocolate, then go here!  The salted caramel is sooo goood!  The young lady that waited on me wasn’t very friendly, but perhaps that was because it was 4:45pm…15 minutes until closing time.

I had dinner at Der Dutchman in Walnut Creek.  If you’re in the mood for good home cookin’, this is the place!

Arriving in Sugarcreek after dinner, the shops had closed, which is fine by me…I’m not much of a shopper.

I don’t remember where I took this photo…but I like it!

Five hours isn’t really enough time to enjoy this beautiful area, but I planned on spending the night at my Cousin’s place in Mt. Vernon, almost 1 1/2 hrs. Southwest.  Tomorrow, I have some cool photos from his farm!

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