Solvang

My parents wanted to go on a mini-vacation with our girls, so they invited us to join them in Solvang. They'd been watching some show on the Travel Channel and it highlighted Solvang's adorable Christmas decor.



Turns out folks in Solvang don't believe in decorating for Christmas until after Dec 15th. So our stay Dec 4-7 was a wee bit too early for the festive season.


I sent out a tweet to the Internet asking what we should do, not miss in Solvang and it was overwhelmingly in support of trying Abelskivers. This pleased me, as I believe every vacation is merely to try the local cuisine.



The girls enjoyed... being in Grandpa and Grandma's timeshare. I swear, at this age, just being in a hotel, any hotel, is the most exciting and thrilling vacation ever. I recall feeling just like them when I was a kid too.


The city of Solvang is adorable. It's small and quaint. I love the architecture... and that there was no way I could get lost.



We had Aebelskivers at Solvang Restaurant and tried out the lunch at the Red Viking. Turns out the folks from Denmark eat a lot of meat. My body was craving fresh vegetables after this trip.



We found the BEST bakery in town. Mortensen's Bakery. Their apple strudel was so flaky, and tasty... and their butter cookies have depth of flavor.



My friend WendySue also recommended we rent a surrey. I have always, always wanted to ride one. So I was thrilled to find out they had them in Solvang. We had a blast. Here's a little tip. As they didn't do a lot of business during the week - we were able to negotiate a better price. It's great to have a sales guy as a hubby.



I will say, after the ride my sitz bones were sore. Also, we had one bit of an accident.. My hubby was going commando fast on pedaling, but didn't realize that that would affect my Mom who was behind him. She has a bruise from the pedal on her leg. Ouch.



We also made a short jaunt into the Hans Christian Anderson free museum/book shop/coffee shop. There was a table filled with The Princess and the Pea books. We found one written by Lauren Child, one of our favorite authors, and author of our beloved Charlie & Lola series. Child's Princess and the Pea book is quality throughout. Go buy one. I know I will.


My parents tell me that as children the stories they loved the most were the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales translated into Chinese. The stories included The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelina, and The Emperor's New Clothes.



My 4YO was mesmerized as I pulled up each story on wikipedia to tell her how each of those stories originally were written. She loved it.



While in Solvang my girls discovered they really liked ping pong. Which is cute since they can barely see over the table.

This was a short trip, which was just enough to see all of Solvang. Sure, it is a little more work, but I enjoy traveling with my girls.