A very nice unplanned day and making pretzels!

Tuesday, July 28

I really didn’t want to leave today, and we agreed to extend a day and do some more exploring.  First stop, Sturgis Pretzel company in Letitz, which we finally learned to pronounce!  (LET its ) Nice tour, very interesting, and we were given lumps of dough, which turned out to be play dough, and learned to twist our own pretzels.  Got our official twister documents!  I posted the fun photos on Facebook, and received many comments.  A very fun experience!

Next to the Wilbur Chocolate factory, where we did not tour, but watched an interesting video, and got to see the ladies hand dip some chocolates, and sampled their famous “Buds”, while drooling over all the assorted goodies.  Bought relatively little, considering all the drooling and wonderful aromas wafting from the chocolate factory above our heads!

President Obama visited the factory.

Hungry, we stopped across the street at a cafe for lunch, which  turned out to be the best meal we have had maybe the whole time we have been gone! Tomato Pie cafe, and I had their signature namesake pie, which was fantastic!  Clem’s soup was delicious, also, as were the herbed scones, and his herbed lemonade.  Great stop! 

Noticed a caboose next to the visitors center, which turned out to be a museum of sorts, and went in and chatted with a guy who was vey knowledgeable.  We are definitely having a train trip! Model and real!  But I am enjoying it, and Clem is loving it! 

Next, on to  Ephrata, where the artist gallery we went to see was closed, but we explored the Ephrata Cloister and learned of the very odd group who lived and worked there.  They did make some beautiful hand made and bound books!  And apparently the leader, Beissel, created some pretty amazing music, but we were amazed at the celibate culture, which of course, died out with the last of the 80 members.

It turned very hot and humid today, and was a blistering 94 degrees when we finished our tour, and we headed back to catch a film at the Mennonite Information center, before dinner at Deiner’s, the reputed best Smorgasbord in the area.  It did not disappoint, and at $11.50 was a bargain to boot!  Even a little of everything resulted in being stuffed, and we waddled back to the coach for the evening.  

I officially love it here.  Great little towns, history, bucolic setting….great place.  I would definitely return.