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<\/a><\/p>\nFort Laurens<\/a> – The only Revolutionary War fort in Ohio. Really, there’s not much left of the fort. But the site is commemorated.<\/p>\n Fort Laurens is located on the edge of the Erie Canal.<\/p>\n From there, there’s a scenic byway that follows along the Erie Canal<\/a>. So, we followed it. Built in the early 1800’s, a flood produced complications and it was quickly replaced by the mega-business of trains.<\/p>\n From there, the road took us to the town of Zoar. Zoar was a town founded in 1817 by a religious group of German Separatists. The town is rich in cultural heritage and architecture.<\/p>\n Then we found ourselves in Berlin, with Amish buggies on every street corner!<\/p>\n These are Amish Convertibles.<\/p>\n Sometimes, they’d just rather walk.<\/p>\n They farm differently, yet with incredible perseverance. I admire their “organic” lifestyle.<\/p>\n Their farms are picturesque.<\/p>\n But, the life of the Amish is not all work and no play. They take time to enjoy family, and food, and and occasional game of baseball.<\/p>\n We visited the Amish and Mennonite museum in Berlin, which was interesting. They featured an Amish school house- remarkably not very old.<\/p>\n They also had an old buggy- from the old days of westward wagon trains.<\/p>\n The actual town of Berlin can be a bit of a tourist trap. Still, it is a nice place to visit.<\/p>\n The town of Sugar Bush, near Berlin but quieter, is known for it’s Swiss roots.<\/p>\n With such rich European heritage and being a perfect region for the dairy cattle, this area cannot help but be known for it’s cheese.<\/p>\n We stopped at this Guggisburg cheese site where we had the opportunity to taste lots of fabulous cheese- all for sale for a reasonable price.<\/p>\n We also stopped at a local winery – Breitenbach.<\/p>\n They make a wine out of this (dandelions). Though interesting to try, it was not favorable to my pallet.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n