After eight days enjoying the most
relaxing home-style vacation in my house, it’s time to pack up and head out for
Flagship Resort, Atlantic City, New
Jersey. We are
ready to explore the “Gambling Capital of the East Coast.” There is a moment in time when we are all
attached closely, smiling in front of the camera again outside of my house.
It’s about 200 miles from my
house to Atlantic City, New Jersey. Ben decided to take us to Longwood
Gardens – the world’s premier horticultural showplace - designed by Pierre Samuel Du Pont
in Kennett Square, PA.
Longwood Gardens, Here We Come!
When we were strolling at Longwood
Garden path, I imagined myself at a
giant, Schoenbrunn royal garden in Vienna, Austria
back in 1999 with my family. The lush
world of exotic flowers inside the Conservatory or outside of exquisitely
maintained grounds filled our heart with joy.
It seemed that we always encounter a new vista at each turn. We all enjoyed at a leisurely pace in idyllic
surroundings. The Italian Water Garden
with aquatic display has the charm of European style. I like the most! It reminds me of Mirabell
Park and Gardens in Salzburg,
Austria where the movie
“Sound of Music” was filmed. The
highlight of the garden is Longwood's legendary fountain shows. The brilliant jets of water spray high in the
air, every hour on the hour, to the amusement of the audience like us.
Another excitement is the fountain display music – celebrate America
with well-known patriotic music on select days of the week. Aren’t we lucky to catch this one? It’s Friday!
It’s absolutely stunning! I can
smell the aromas and hear the fountain and music around me.
The Idea Gardens – under the
vines of hanging gourds
The Topiary
Garden – hand-crafted cute shapes of
different animals
On the way from Pennsylvania
to Atlantic City, New Jersey,
our plan is to see the America’s
oldest Amish settlement – Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Thousands of early Dutch settlers, also
called Pennsylvania Germans or Pennsylvania Deutsch, still live a centuries-old
“Plain” lifestyle. Driving down the
winding country roads, where wind mills dot the landscape, providing power
harness from nature, and Amish boy plows through the field with horse-drawn
traditional machinery. We caught the
sight of Amish family in a horse drawn buggy, with horse droppings (poops) on
the right lane of the road reserved for them.
We stopped at the roadside Amish vendor for their well-known home-baked
bread. Much to our surprise, the Amish
man, with long beard and round black flat-topped hat, denied our polite request to
take the picture of him and his stand. We figured it's the cultural code of Amish community to shy away from publicity.
We arrived at Atlantic
City from the pitch dark road to the bright glitzy
modern skyscrapers around 10:30 pm. Long drive!
Another 120 miles! Guess what? You never know who provided the most
entertainment, include the most colorful and funny joke of all time, and much
needed mental sharpness for Ben to concentrate on his driving. We will announce at our next gathering.
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