Dutch baby
It occurs to me that I haven’t mentioned what’s happening tonight, have I?
Tonight, I am leaving on a road trip, traversing with PZC and the Handy Graham to their motherland – a distant, foreign place called PENNSYLVANIA. I have never been there. I’ve never really had any huge desire to go. But now that the time is upon me, I have to say that I am looking forward to exploring “the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country,” otherwise known as Lancaster County. I hope that I see all sorts of Dutch things, like windmills, tulips, wooden clogs, and drugs.
Looking at the map, there’s a town called Intercourse, and another called Paradise, and even one called Fertility. Those Amish must be onto something.
It is a 760-mile journey, and we’re leaving tonight at 7:30pm, driving through the dark in my trusty Honda. Is this insane? Am I too old ladyish for such shenanigans? Yes. But it’s something that we’ve been planning for a long time, and there’s no way that I would miss my friend Rebecca’s wedding in Lancaster on Saturday. So we’ll drive tonight, and come back on Sunday.
Paul tells me that I should get excited about a miraculous gas station called Wawa. I can’t even type that without laughing. I looked them up online, and their current slogan is “Gottahava Wawa.” Trust me – I’ve already said it at least 15 times, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
The next time you hear from me, I will have experienced Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland, before arriving in the heart of Pennsylvania. This is ridiculous. I KNOW.
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tags: Amish | Driving | Dutch country | Friends | Lancaster | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Ridiculous | Road trip | Travel | Wawa
Holy crap that’s going to be a long drive! And yes, Wawa is superior to all gas stations/convenience stores. Give us a wave as you pass through MD!
Wawa is the best! I wish we had them out here in the West. Everytime I visit my family in Jersey we stop at a Wawa. I’m so jealous.
Have a great road trip! And Mazal tov to Rebecca. :-)
Holy Crizzap! Wawa is amazing. When we’re in the area, we rock the Wawa 2 or 3 times daily! You’ll love it!
You do realize that the Pennsylvania Dutch were Germans? You probably do. But if you want tulips and windmills, go to Holland, Michigan. Their unofficial slogan was “If you aren’t Dutch, you aren’t much”. Not a very cool thing for a Finnish kid to hear every day.
Have a great time. May your heart beat with the rhythm of the bumps on the highway.
I am an idiot. But still, Isaiah, that makes no sense. Why did GERMANS call themselves DUTCH?
Oh man. I am showing my naivete.
By the way, you look Finnish.
Have you ever had one of those 3-D pancakes called Dutch babies? Oh man. So delicious. Have fun tonight AP– that car ride sounds loaded with potential! :)
How will this affect your challenge of not spending any money for seven days? Or is that over already?
Emily: last Saturday (when the challenge started), I wrote checks for all of my bills and set aside some $ for this weekend’s gas. So this was a planned expense.
The rule: I can put gas in the tank… but NO OTHER SPENDING. I’m bringing my own food. I have two little slices of summer sausage left, and a little bit of cheese and crackers, but no more apples. I DO have chocolate-covered espresso beans. And raisins.
But according to my scale, since I started training for the half, I’ve GAINED 10 lbs. Awesome. I obviously will not be starving to death anytime soon. :)
Germany, in German, is called “Duetchland”. The Germans call themselves “Duetch”. So when Germans began to immigrate to Pennsylvania, the locals misunderstood and referred to them as the Dutch. But now they are given the qualifier “Pennsylvania Dutch” so generations of people can laugh at our forefathers’ misnomer.
True story.
Okay, I too was dragged to WAWA when I visited PA last month. And can I just say? It’s a gas station. A BIG gas station. Why is everybody getting so excited about this??
Wawa is a big deal to those folks in PA. My little sister lives there now and she once held the door open for Sigourney Weaver at a Wawa gas station.
So, keep your eyes peeled for the Rich and the Amish.
I love Isaiah saying “so generations of people can laugh at our forefathers’ misnomer.” Thanks for the history lesson, by the way!
annie! this trip sounds fantastic. do something for me: replace all of your yes’s, yeah’s, and mm-hmm’s from here on out with “jah.”
it’s a dutch thing. :)
am i weirdly obsessed with the amish? jah!
if you happen to drive through new hope, pa, say hello to the land where i used to live once upon a time. have a blast ;)
WHAT?!?! my grandparents live in new holland!!! if i knew you were going up there this weekend, i would have TOTALLY tagged along. and brought wine and cheese!! since i’m fasting from those essentials, i have some to spare.
if you pass by Shady Maple Smorgasbord, you HAVE TO eat there. you’ll blog about it for days.
p.s. there also is a town called Blue Ball nearby. i guess it wasn’t always Paradise.
Isaiah – “If you aren’t Dutch, you aren’t much” was the slogan of my childhood. And tall, blonde people were our mascots.