Back from Trip
I don't like posting before trips with HI I AM GOING TO BE GONE but now we are back from Solvang, CA, a Danish town. I had actually not known there was a Danish town in California (it's not very Danish at this point, but they still celebrate a lot of Danish things and you can't throw a brick without hitting a Danish bakery and the fake windmill density is very high.)
Highlights of the trip:
* The local museum was tiny but well done and the name contained letters in the name that I cannot figure out how to make on this keyboard so I won't try. One of the draws of Solvang was an adult school since Danes have a concept of education continuing into adulthood, which is really cool. It was in a house built by local artists along the lines of a Danish farmhouse so it was just a very neat house, too.
* "Pastry Pig-Out" which I did not participate in for obvious reasons, but I had gotten some great almond brittle at the farmers market the day before so was definitely not suffering. Everyone got one or two pastries from the yummiest Danish baker in town and cut them up into pieces so everyone could try lots of things. In general the drip coffee in Solvang was very good, and there was one shop that made good espresso drinks. (The shop that had free wifi didn't make good cappucinno but their drip coffee was good and they had a decent tea selection, a couch, and a crowd of happy regulars.)
* La Purisima Mission was incredibly well done, with craft shops and rooms lovingly restored so you could see how people lived, a sampling of livestock (I forgot to ask if they were the same breeds as would have been used; they looked like they might be) and a well-labelled garden. It was interesting to see it in context, since most missions are now embedded in cities so it's harder to get a feel for what they were like at the time. I find Mission history very depressing but the actual day to day practical living parts are fascinating.
* Super yummy food at the Wine Cask in Santa Barbara, which was recommended to us by Seagrass restaurant when we poked our heads in and they said they weren't open for lunch.
* Watching Sideways after having eaten at the hilariously over the top A.J. Spurs which shows up in that movie. (The huge platters of ribs are real.)
* Saw a fun town parade. I rather miss marching in parades.
* Birding expedition on Lake Cachuma where we saw bald eagles and kingfishers and lots and lots of grebes and ospreys and other hawks and a mystery bird that no one could figure out. Brad and I aren't birders but it turns out it's really fun to watch birders watch birds and the scenery can't be beat.
Oops:
* Somehow missed the Hans Christian Andersen center? And I call myself a reader?
* Was too sleepy so did not get to see Danish folk dancing.
V. tired today, but managed the morning walk this morning.
Highlights of the trip:
* The local museum was tiny but well done and the name contained letters in the name that I cannot figure out how to make on this keyboard so I won't try. One of the draws of Solvang was an adult school since Danes have a concept of education continuing into adulthood, which is really cool. It was in a house built by local artists along the lines of a Danish farmhouse so it was just a very neat house, too.
* "Pastry Pig-Out" which I did not participate in for obvious reasons, but I had gotten some great almond brittle at the farmers market the day before so was definitely not suffering. Everyone got one or two pastries from the yummiest Danish baker in town and cut them up into pieces so everyone could try lots of things. In general the drip coffee in Solvang was very good, and there was one shop that made good espresso drinks. (The shop that had free wifi didn't make good cappucinno but their drip coffee was good and they had a decent tea selection, a couch, and a crowd of happy regulars.)
* La Purisima Mission was incredibly well done, with craft shops and rooms lovingly restored so you could see how people lived, a sampling of livestock (I forgot to ask if they were the same breeds as would have been used; they looked like they might be) and a well-labelled garden. It was interesting to see it in context, since most missions are now embedded in cities so it's harder to get a feel for what they were like at the time. I find Mission history very depressing but the actual day to day practical living parts are fascinating.
* Super yummy food at the Wine Cask in Santa Barbara, which was recommended to us by Seagrass restaurant when we poked our heads in and they said they weren't open for lunch.
* Watching Sideways after having eaten at the hilariously over the top A.J. Spurs which shows up in that movie. (The huge platters of ribs are real.)
* Saw a fun town parade. I rather miss marching in parades.
* Birding expedition on Lake Cachuma where we saw bald eagles and kingfishers and lots and lots of grebes and ospreys and other hawks and a mystery bird that no one could figure out. Brad and I aren't birders but it turns out it's really fun to watch birders watch birds and the scenery can't be beat.
Oops:
* Somehow missed the Hans Christian Andersen center? And I call myself a reader?
* Was too sleepy so did not get to see Danish folk dancing.
V. tired today, but managed the morning walk this morning.