‘Sunny Fields’ California*

• Posted on KK
• in friends, travel
• on November 1, 2011
• 5 Comments.

In mid-September, I took Dan on a ‘thank you for keeping me sane over the summer and during RA training’ trip to Palm Springs and Santa Barbara. When we told our friends about it, they were all excited because Palm Springs is lovely, and Santa Barbara is also lovely, albeit in a completely different way. However, when we told our friend Chris about it, all he wanted to know was if we were stopping by Solvang, California on the way home – which happens to be his hometown – and since we’ve returned, all he has wanted to know is when we would be posting photos of our adventures on the blog.

Today is that day.

So, Solvang is a little bit of Denmark right in the middle of the Santa Ynez Valley which is basically right in the middle of…rural California. It was founded (according to Wikipedia) in 1911 but a group of Danish settlers who wanted to get the hell away from the awful winters in the midwest. In the 1940s, a guy started building homes and other buildings in the Danish style, and then the idea of a Danish village caught on. So now when you drive downtown, you think you are in stereotypical Denmark/Germany. Dan and I actually audibly gasped. It looks (and I do not mean this negatively) like a permanent Renaissance Faire.  There are multiple (4) windmills. There are stores that sell traditional wooden clogs. Seriously.

The bonus of our short visit is that we happened to be driving through during ‘Danish Days’ which is an annual festival celebrating Danish traditions. And, if you’ve paid close attention, you’ll notice that 2011 is the town’s centennial celebration, so this was a BFD.

Chris clued us in while we were in town about what we should do:

1. Take (several) pictures with the big wooden shoe. Check.

Just chillin, with my not-huge-but-definitely-larger-than-average shoe.

I would respectfully like to submit my opinion that this shoe is quite exciting due to it’s size.

Ha. I have a huge shoe. And now probably lots of germs on my foot from the thousands of other people who have done this exact same thing.

Get away from me.

2. Take pictures of a windmill. Check.

Yep, windmill. This is how they do in Solvang.

Another windmill, which I feel is inferior to the other. Sorry windmill #2. The truth hurts sometimes.

3. Eat some aebleskivers (otherwise described as ‘pancake puffs’) which in Solvang come with a raspberry sauce – sadly, not completed because the lines to get them were crazzzzzy, what with Danish Days and all. We did have some lovely ice cream though.

Not 4. I’m saddened to learn that there is a copy of a Little Mermaid statue in town, which Chris somehow left out of his suggestions. Sigh. Apparently, because Hans Christian Andersen was Danish, there is a bit of a preoccupation with him in the town. Study up if you plan to visit.

So, Solvang. If you have a healthy curiosity about all things Danish, you should be there.

*The post title refers to the name of the town. Solvang translates to ‘sunny fields’ in English. Chris, you better have known that.