Thursday, April 11, 2013

A Little Danish

If I posted these two photos, would you know where I had visited this week?



Anyone who lives in California would likely guess Solvang and they would be correct.  Solvang is a small town located in the Santa Ynez Valley north of Santa Barbara.  It's a major tourist destination because of its beauty, its proximity to many wineries, and its Danish history and culture.  Although I spent only 24 hours there, it was a highlight of my week.  In fact, here are the FAVE FIVE highlights.

1.  Time with five other women who are also artists and who have been participating in a study group with me for the past two months.  Our overnight retreat in Solvang was the culmination of our focus group time.

2.  For me and the other spinner/weaver in our group, our favorite spot was Village Spinning and Weaving Shop.  Each time I wander into that store I smile happily as I gaze at All. Those. Spinning. Wheels. All. That. Wool.

3.  I love an early morning cup of great strong coffee.  The other coffee lover and I rose first and we walked along the streets searching for an open cafe.  We definitely scored with Bulldog Cafe.  And chatting with my friend made it all that much better.


4.  I can't not take photos of flowers!



5.  The Food.  Solvang specializes in goodies of a Danish nature.  Oh my!

If you ever are in California and driving between Los Angeles and San Francisco on Highway 101, be sure to take the exit for Solvang and delight yourself with a visit to this little town.

Note:  I will be computerless from Friday morning until Monday evening.  While I can check email on my phone, it will not be easy for me to steal borrow time on my daughter's laptop to visit other participants in Friday Fave Five which makes me rather sad.

16 comments:

nikkipolani said...

What a great way to spend time with friends -- in a picturesque village with fun things to do and pretty things to see. Did you manage not to buy any wool?

Tracy said...

Such FUN... a bit of Denmark in sunny CA! Thank you for taking us along, Willow! We've not been to Denmark in years... this inspires. :o) Happy Weekend ((HUGS))

Barbara H. said...

What a fun place to visit! I don't know that I'll ever be in that part of the country, but thanks for letting me visit it here. :-)

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

How wonderful, Willow! I've only visited Solvang two or three times but always love it! For me, it's all those delightful Danish pastries that get my attention. Next time I will look for the yarn shop!

ellen b. said...

I knew exactly where you were. What a fun overnight destination. Have fun over the weekend detached from your internet!!

Gracie Saylor said...

Thanks for the pictures of Solvang, Linda! Now I KNOW I would enjoy exploring it! I'm glad you had good times with friends there...precious times :)
xx,
Gracie

Susanne said...

What a sweet little village! It reminds me of Kimberley, British Coloumbia. It's modeled after a little German town with all the cute shops, restaurants and bakeries. Well worth the little pull off of the main highway.

Sounds like a really fun trip with friends!

Jerralea said...

Solvang sounds delightful.

I'm always glad when you take photos of pictures! They are gorgeous, and so it the little Danish town.

Faith said...

oh my...right in CA? awesome!i was gonna guess you flew to Denmark or the Netherlands :) (i'm part Dutch and of course Albany was the first place the Dutch settled when arriving on the Eas Coast i nthe 1600s thanks to Henry Hudson). LOVE those pics you took and I'm in total agreement about that first strong cup of coffee first thing in the a.m.! have a wonderful weekend....

Hollace said...

Hi, Willow! For all the times I have driven back and forth Portland to LA, including as a kid on summer vacations with my folks, I have never been to Solvang (or Hearst San Simeon, for that matter.) Usually we were on I-5 and once I remember my dad was in a hurry to keep going even though Mom wanted to stop. So I see a different kind of California trip in my future...
Aren't those poppies gorgeous? Although I am not sure they are poppies because I just saw something like them in the garden store expecting them to be poppies and they weren't. Whatever, yours in the photos are so beautiful.

Laura@OutnumberedMom said...

Love your flower pictures! This looks like such a fun place to visit. Thanks for the introduction. Have a great week ahead!

snoopydogknits said...

What a beautiful place Willow! It sounds as though you have had a lovely time. If there is a yarn shop close by then things only get even better! Ros

Brenda said...

I have not been to Solvang in YEARS! My daughter went recently and told me about like it was a new California jewel she had discovered :) It is a fun place to spend time.

Caroline said...

What a fun post! Our high school has a Danish foreign exchange student, and I've told her that I'm going to take a little trip to Nielsen's Market in Solvang to buy some Danish food for us to fix for her friends...

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I visited Slvang a couple summers ago and loved it! The entire Santa Ynez valley was so beautiful!

Brian said...

Willow, your photos of the flowers are beautiful, colours so vibrant. I just love the building and they are so beautifully kept.