We toured the Swiss Heritage Museum, where we most enjoyed visiting the old school house and our storyteller-tour guide's animated portrayal of our school teacher. She had us saying The Pledge, singing My Country Tis of Thee, even practicing our vowel sounds. Several of the kids were called out for their shananigans and given proper discipline, including poor Mary who was stuck in the corner wearing a dunce cap. She gave each of the kids a name suitable to the time period...and you can imagine the grief Frank gave her when she called him "Peter." Oh Lord, help us.
The kids tried various pioneer games including walking on stilts, feed sack races, and "jumping the Wabash." We also toured a home/garden, cheesemaker's home/workshop, apple cider press, a doctor's office and church.
After the tour we drove into the center of town to see the beautiful Swiss Clock Tower and Glockenspiel (love that word.) The clock rings beautiful chimes every hour, but at certain hours (noon, 3 and 6) it plays music and doors open high up on the tower for statues to revolve/peek out. Very sweet. (the kids loved laying on their backs at the tower's foot to watch the statues go round.)
From there we traveled a few blocks over to the Palmer House for pie and ice cream. YUMM!
Our drive home was a scenic tour past Amishville Campground (where we had initially planned to visit...but it's restaurant/Amish home tour is only open on the weekends). It was eye-opening for us all to realize how many people in that area choose to live a life without the many ammenities we've come to rely on...like electricity, and running water, and cars, and OMG nearly every modern "convenience." Can you imagine a life with no I-anythings (pods, pads, phones.) Simpler, more difficult, humbling.
here are a few shots from the day...
And there it is...way up high...5foot tall statues revolving through those clock-tower doors.
