On Sunday we went to meeting and then in the afternoon had our own little mini sing!

On Monday we went to Valley Forge, where George Washington and his troops wintered during the 1777-78 winter. These cabins are replicas of the ones the troops would have built and then lived in for the winter. Now whenever I think the camper feels squished or cold I’ll just think of the poor soldiers and try not to complain…??

There was an old train station at Valley Forge which isn’t in commission any more. Some trains still drive by, so it was really cool when we got to see one!

This was George Washington’s house that he lived in during most of the American Revolution. The main floor of the house was dedicated to work space, planning the troops next moves, and the top floor had three bedrooms. All of the rooms were decorated as if we were in the 17th century! One of the rooms had a little camp bed with a canopy-it looked rather out of place for a soldiers bed!?

That night we tried the famous Philly Cheesesteak!!! They were delicious and filling!!!

On Tuesday David took us on a tour of downtown Philadelphia! We took the train down-which was super cool because I’ve never been on an actual train before!! Our first stop was the Mint. It was really interesting and the stats were pretty crazy! When the Mint first started it took about three years to produce one million coins and now it takes about 30 minutes!!!? The process is way too long to describe but in the end you get coins that are worth something.? Interesting fact; if you dig a U.S. coin out of your purse and it has a little “P” on it it was produced it Philadelphia, and if it has a “D” on it it was made in Denver, Colorado.

For lunch we had the most AMAZING Chinese food I have ever had! We got it from a cart parked on the sidewalk, and then found a park bench to sit on while we ate!

After lunch we went and got in line to see the Liberty Bell. It has a big crack in it…? The bell is all about the freedom of the people; freedom from the British, from slavery, etc. I kind of think that if I were an American it would have held more meaning to me, but it was still pretty cool to see something that’s a pretty big part of history!!!

Next was the Independence Hall, where the parliament gathered when Philadelphia was the capital city of the U.S. for 10 years. Downstairs(pictured) is where the House of Commons gathered and where the second president, John Adams, was sworn in(not to be confused with my cousin?). Upstairs is where the Senate met and where George Washington was sworn in for his second term of presidency. The room is small because at that point in time the U.S. was only made up of 13 states.

Finally we did the National Constitution Centre!!! I definitely recommend this museum if you’re ever in Philly!!! It was not like any museum I’ve ever been in-it was SO interactive and interesting! You could be sworn in as president⬆️, vote, be a judge, and many other things. It was amazing!!! I learned about the events that are the reason behind the laws in the U.S. Constitution and why they exist.

We had about two minutes before the museum closed so we quick ducked into the statue room. There were a whole bunch of statues depicting the men who signed the U.S. Constitution. I talked with a couple…

…Cassia was escorted by one…

…and Dad, well, yeah.??

Wednesday and Thursday we spent with Ryan and Tanya and family!! Wednesday we just hung out and then on Thursday they took us to a few attractions! Our first stop was the Mercer Museum, which is not a museum about a certain thing but about almost everything under the sun! There were old buggies, boats and lots of different, old tools from all trades imaginable.

A quick stop at Rita’s revitalized our tastebuds and our feet. Their Italian Ice was AMAZING-it’s basically a slushy but better, but seeing as I can’t tell you why it tastes better, you’ll just have to go yourself and make your own judgement!?

No we aren’t mining for something!? These rocks ring when you hammer them because of the high percentage of iron in them. It seemed kind of funny to go around hitting random rocks with hammers but it was worth it when you found a good one! You would hit that rock about 20 times so that everyone knew you had hit the jackpot and then move on to another rock hoping it would also ring like a bell!

Finally, we went out for pizza!!!? Definitely one of the better ways to end a full afternoon!

I don’t have too many pictures about the next few days that we were in Philadelphia, but that doesn’t make them any less fun! We were parked in Jack and Mary’s yard and slept in their house. I went to a girls Bible study with their daughter, Kaylan! We had an amazing Easter dinner. We did some work. We went shopping, of course!? We went to the Kube’s house a couple of times-where my sisters and their kids dressed in some pretty crazy costumes. All in all, we had a great time, amidst a bit of work!