I’d written about Shipshewana, Indiana in a few of my novels, so arriving in the small community felt like visiting a familiar neighborhood, rather than embarking on a new place. My husband and I journeyed there to visit friends who were formerly Amish, and glimpsing into the quiet community was a rare treat.

When visiting Shipshewana:

Hotel: We stayed at the Amish Country Inn. The accommodations were three-star. The place wasn’t fancy, but it was clean and the staff was helpful. I’d stay there again.

We reserved the hotel on Cheaptickets and found a lower price than booking from the hotel directly. TIP: When booking on Cheaptickets I always search for Discount Codes. I found one for hotel stays and saved 30%. In the end our room was only $79/night (plus tax), and this included breakfast. The breakfast was a nice buffet with waffles, eggs, potatoes, fruit, yogurt, cereal, and numerous other menu items.

Restaurants: We ate out at two places: The Blue Gate Restaurant and The Essenhaus in Middlebury. The Blue Gate is one of the most popular spots in Shipshewana. It offers both family-style and menu dining. During the evening, on the Memorial Day weekend, there was an hour wait, but there was hardly a wait in the morning. We enjoyed the chicken, potatoes, green beans, and apple sauce, but our favorite menu items were the pies. I enjoyed the rhubarb cream (which is seasonal), and my husband (who is not a pie eater) enjoyed the raspberry cream so much that he had three pieces during our stay!

We also enjoyed Essenhaus. We ate buffet-style there and found a nice salad buffet and a dinner buffet with turkey, roast beef, fried chicken, and side dishes such as mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, green beans corn, and stuffing. Their pie was equally as good!

Entertainment: My favorite part of Shipshewana was visiting an Amish family. We spent time on their farm, got a buggy ride, pet their pony, and got to pet a baby fawn. (They have a deer farm.) Because we were friends of the family, we were welcomed with open arms. I also found that most of the Amish people around Shipshewana were friendly and smiled and waved. They didn’t seem to mind when I took photos of their buggies or horses either. What a delightful community!

Community: Second to visiting with our Amish friends, our favorite thing was touring the countryside. TIP: If you go approximately one mile east of Shipshewana you can turn down any road and find Amish homes. These homes were beautiful and well tended to. The gardens were immaculate, and we saw numerous Amish children doing chores around their own—little girls mowing the lawn and little boys tending the fields. We also saw both men and boys plowing their fields. One Amish man was using a team of eight horses to plow his field. He expertly stood on the seat of his antique plow as he directed the large horses.

The play: While in town we also attended a play at the Blue Gate theater. Playing during our visit was Half-Stitched, the Musical. It’s based on the book by Wanda Brunstetter. I’ve met Wanda before, and she’s a delight! Both my husband and I greatly enjoyed it. We were impressed by the talent of the actors in the play. I found myself laughing and crying as I watched.

The shopping: I didn’t have nearly enough time to explore the shopping in the area. There is great shopping stip behind The Blue Gate restaurant. Small shops were filled with antiques, boutique clothing, quilts, and other Amish-made items. I picked up a few things (a quilted laptop cover, for instance), but I could have spent a whole day shopping! TIP: In each store there were Clearance items. Look for those first!

The local life: One night we were invited to go to the pony races in Nappanee with Amish friends. I pictured kids on carts but instead found jockeys riding carts behind extremely fast horses. The races were fun to watch, but I mostly liked seeing the Amish in their natural element—sitting with friends and family. I smiled as I watched Amish children sitting on the laps of grandmothers, and I loved hearing them talk to each other in Pennsylvania Dutch!

The pie: Between the Blue Gate and the Essenhaus I sampled thirteen kinds of pie! (No, I did not eat 13 pieces, but I sampled friends’ pies.) Here is my list from my favorite to least favorite, although all of them were GREAT! (*Pies I ate the whole piece.)

Rhubarb cream*
Strawberry rhubarb*
Raspberry cream
Pecan cream
Peanut butter
Peanut butter chocolate
Lemon meringue
Raisin cream
Custard pie*
Strawberry
Peach*
Cherry crumb
Raspberry turnover

There are other things I want to see next time, such as Menno-Hof, which gives the cultural history of the Amish people. I’d also like to attend an Amish auction. Also, our Amish friends invited us to stay next time . . . so that will be on the agenda for certain. I’m looking forward to visiting Shipshewana again!

1. Hug a redwood in the California Redwoods

One of my earliest childhood memories was going to the California Redwoods with my parents and grandparents. Walking through the trees I felt as if I’d been shrunk down like Alice in Wonderland.

Make sure you visit: Trees of Mystery in Klamath, California. Giant statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the blue ox guard the entrance. (Maybe that’s why I love their tall tale!) 

Bonus: the coastal highway getting there is beautiful!

2. Hug a papaya tree in Jamaica

A few years ago a group of writers and I decided we’d have our private writer’s conference on a cruise ship, instead of a stuffy, old hotel. The bonus was my whole family was able to go and enjoy the ship. In addition to my husband, me, and two teens, we also had our toddler and 83-year-old grandma with us. When we were looking at an on-shore excursion we found one that would work with the whole family. 

Make sure you visit: the Martha’s Best Papaya Plantation. We had a tour of the whole plantation on a Jeep/bus and a tasty jerk chicken lunch. Our whole family enjoyed it. 

Bonus: the ride to the plantation on the tourist bus allowed us to see the “real Jamaica” beyond the touristy docks.

3. Hug an Alaskan tree—just make sure there isn’t a bear cub in it!

Just a few months before the cruise, I traveled to Alaska with my husband, toddler daughter, and co-author to research for our book Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska. 

Make sure you visit: Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau. The glacier was beautiful, but even more exciting were the bears! There was a large bear trying to catch salmon in the creek and a small bear up in a tree. We learned from the park ranger that that’s where the little ones go to eat their stolen salmon. Otherwise the big bears steal it back. 

Bonus (or not): Alaska is stinkier in person than the photos suggest. The rotting salmon the bears leave behind can be overwhelming!

Here are a few dos and don’ts before your big trip!

Do try a few Czech words with servers:

Hello = Ahoj (pronouced like a sailor’s ahoy!)

Good = Dobře

Thank you = Děkuji

Don’t expect Czech desserts to be overly sweet. They use far less sugar than American recipes. (Yes, that means you can have two pieces of cake.)

Do try eating the Czech way with your fork in your left hand and knife in your right hand.

Don’t turn up your nose at anything you’re offered at a Czech home, but only take what you can eat.

Do expect your bread to be freshly baked that morning.

Don’t expect refills on your drinks.

Do ask for vegetarian options if you’re in a tourist area.

Don’t expect a lot of vegetables with your meals. Most items on a Czech menu are heavy on meat and starch.

Do pick up some reading material about Prague, to read while you sit an espresso at a sidewalk cafe. I recommend my novel Night Song, set there during World War II.

Don’t get offended if you’re asked to share a table with people you don’t know. It’s not uncommon.

Do expect lunch meats, salami, cheese, rolls, plain yoghurt, boiled eggs and cucumbers for breakfast. No pancakes and waffles there.

Don’t let your 2-year-old eat the gold filigree in the cathedral, even if it looks like pizza.

Don’t let the name Smazeny syr stop you from eating it. Fried cheese with tarter sauce is a treat—a family favorite and a perfectly acceptable dinner, too!

Do try Czech spa wafers and Czech gingerbread—both are popular in their country and delicious!

Do let me know what you love eating in The Czech Republic!

Travel tips for eating in Prague, The Czech Republic

My first meal in the Czech Republic was in 2000. I was there with two author friends Anne de Graaf and Cindy Martinusen Coloma. We were researching for novels. (Wait, let me take that back.) They were researching for novels. I was along for the ride. Little did I know as I ate Czech goulash that the next day God would drop the idea for my first novel From Dust and Ashes into my lap.

We sat outside, just a spoon’s throw from the Prague astronomical clock and I couldn’t believe I was there, enjoying this view with two friends. The night was quiet and the food was amazing. We probably picked one of the most expensive places to eat, but it was worth the memory! (Besides in 2000 the exchange rate was great!)

I’ve picked up a few pointers about eating in Prague since then. I thought I’d share them with you:

1. If you can help it, don’t eat near the major tourist attractions. A bottled soda near St. Vitus Cathedral cost us $6.00. A nice dinner in Old Town Square will be four times as much as a meal just a few blocks away.
2. Dumplings are one of the mainstay of Czech cuisine. You will find them on every menu. They are either wheat or potato based. A traditional Czech meal consists of dumplings, meat (pork or beef), and cabbage.
3. For dessert also try sweet, fruit dumplings or apple strudel
4. Try the ice cream! Zmrzlina is delicious. It’s Italian style and comes in a variety of flavors. The scoops are small, so try a few. As with the meals, the farther you go from the tourist attractions, the cheaper your zmrzlina is.
5. Unlike American restaurants you do have to pay for extras like bread at your table or ketchup at McDonalds. If you don’t want the bread send it away before the basket is set down and they won’t charge you.
6. Most restaurants do not serve tap water. Bottled water comes with gas (mineral) or no gas. Usually soda is cheaper. Beer is the cheapest. (Of course, I’m not a beer drinker.)
7. America sodas may be on the menu, but they come in small bottles and they taste slightly different. You cannot take the bottles for a souvenir!
8. Restaurants do not serve drinks with ice. The only place you’ll find ice is at American fast-food places like McDonalds or KFC. (Which are both popular there.)
9. Also unlike in America, servers do not depend on tips for their income. In tourist areas servers might hope for an “American” tip, but for the Czechs common tipping includes rounding up the amount to the nearest 5 or 10 crowns. Over tipping is considered prideful or showy.
10. In restaurants near tourist destinations most waitstaff speak English or there are photographs of the food. Also most places have English menus although the grammar might be interesting. (Pointing at the menu works, too.)
11. Czech waitstaff may seem dour, but Czechs overall don’t smile as much as Americans—don’t be offended.
12. Credit cards are accepted in restaurants near top tourist destinations, but if you’re beyond that expect to use cash.
13. Czechs are reserved in restaurants. It is easy to spot Americans … they’re the loud ones in the establishment! Try to be quiet.
14. Expect a meal to take time. Americans are used to getting in and getting out, but in Europe the fellowship with the others at the table is as important as the food. Don’t be in a rush.

Have you eaten in the Czech Republic? What have you learned?

One of my favorite places in the world is Prague, Czech Republic. I’ve visited five times—the first time, in October 2000, I was there with two friends as we research for the books we were writing. The last time I was there was August 2012. (And I’m already scheming of when I can go back!)

Last summer, in Prague, I figured out that the only thing that makes me happier than embarking on a new place with a fold-up map and guidebook is revisiting places off-the-beaten path that have special memories for me. A have a few places in Prague that feel like they’re “mine” even though they’re a gazillion miles away. Even though they’re only “mine” once or twice every few years.

We discovered At the Red Peacock during a mission trip in 2009. We were traveling around with a dozen teenagers, and at every restaurant we stopped to consider someone was displeased with the menu. (They post their menus in the windows for you to check it out.) As we continued on through the cobblestone streets, our hunger grew. Finally, my husband finally declared, “We’re going to eat a the next restaurant we see!”

Now, let me set up the situation: We were walking along side roads/allies a few blocks from Old Town Square. We were heading away from the crowds … and all the decent looking restaurants. I was getting more worried by the minute that we were heading into the wrong part of town.

Then, as we stood at a crossroads of two alleys, an oriental lady beckoned to us, calling from the entrance to an even smaller alley. “Come, come. Good authentic, Czech food. Low, low prices!” she declared in a thick accent. And my husband approached her!

With a set of his jaw, he looked at the menu and then directed everyone to join him down the alley! I thought he was joking, but no.

I was prepared to be jumped, but instead the woman led us to a small restaurant. No more than a window and a door that could be seen from the street. Inside, one couple sat in a front area, but the rest of the place was empty. An older waiter stood at the bar and eyed us. The place looked like a front for the Czech mafia or something—right out of the movies.

With not as much as a smile, the waiter led us loud Americans to a side room where we filled two tables. Amazingly, the prices were less than half the price as those in Old Town Square—just a few blocks away. The portions were large and yummy. Needless to say, this is our dining destination any time we’re near Old Time Square. (And we’ve been known to eat there two nights in a row.)

In addition to the great food, there was also a fascinating history behind the Red Peacock. It turns out that it used to be a famous brothel in Prague. The story on the front of the menu states that famous men were seen going “upstairs” numerous times a night. I tried not to think of that while I was eating my pork and dumplings! I’ve also eaten the Svíčková na smetaně, marinated sirloin served with dumplings and cream. And the schnitzel is wonderful … and huge! (I’m getting hungry as I write this.)

The restaurant looks like what you’d except with heavy wood furniture and a “medieval pub” theme without even trying for it. Another thing to note, in the Czech Republic, they do not have the same public access concerns as we do. There is no handicap access to most places. In the Red Peacock, the stairway to the bathrooms was as steep and narrow as any I’ve walked down. They’d be outlawed in the states.

But if you’re looking for great food, at a good price just a few block from Old Town Square I highly recommend it. And if you want to take me along to be your tour guide, I won’t turn it down! (I hope you don’t mind my hubby and kids trailing along. They happen to love Prague as much as I do.)