{"id":16,"date":"2012-06-24T18:04:31","date_gmt":"2012-06-24T18:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/?p=16"},"modified":"2023-07-07T22:39:17","modified_gmt":"2023-07-08T05:39:17","slug":"little-denmark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/suitcasejournal.com\/?p=16","title":{"rendered":"Little Denmark"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In just over a week, Ryan and I will be in Solvang, California for a few days of relaxation and wine tasting!\u00a0 While it’s not really called Little Denmark,\u00a0Solvang is a sister city to Aalborg, Denmark and it definitely has a European feel.\u00a0 The city of Solvang is small (2.4 square miles, according to Wikipedia), with\u00a0a much smaller, walkable\u00a0downtown area made of a few streets in each direction.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I am fascinated by the Danish-style buildings, the Danish fashion worn by some shop owners and sold in shops around town,\u00a0their shop front design<\/a> is very nice and the small town feel. \u00a0It’s a cute town that’s great for a weekend getaway (or longer!) since it’s only about 2 hours away from Bakersfield!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Here are\u00a0some of\u00a0the things I’m most looking forward to during our trip:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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1.\u00a0Walking around downtown Solvang<\/em>.\u00a0 During the day this will involve stopping in the Danish shops, gift shops, bakeries, and two of my favorites: Jule Hus (for everything Christmas) and Vinhus (for wine, cheese, and other snacks).\u00a0 \u00a0I also noticed their glazede shop fronts<\/a>. And once everything is closed at night, it means enjoying the quiet area and the white Christmas lights that are strung on the trees year round.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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2.\u00a0Wine tasting<\/em>.\u00a0 Downtown Solvang has several wine tasting rooms.\u00a0 This is very convenient since they are all very walkable (spread out\u00a0in the dowtown\u00a0area) from our hotel and other hotels in the area.\u00a0 On previous trips we’ve enjoyed tasting wines at Mandolina (Italian varietals) and its sister tasting room, Lucas and Lewellen.\u00a0 I’m looking forward to visiting the Wandering Dog, which has blind tastings on Thursday afternoons, and Sort This Out Cellars, which has live music on Friday and Saturday nights and is open until 10!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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3.\u00a0Relaxing at the pool and hot tub at the hotel<\/em>.\u00a0 While many of our vacations are full of activities, this long weekend away allows for relaxation time.\u00a0 There are not many establishments that open really early or stay open late, so the beginning and the end of the day are perfect for relaxing at the hotel.\u00a0 We’re staying at the Hadsten House, which has a pool and hot tub.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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4.\u00a0Wine tasting (again)<\/em>.\u00a0 There are several wineries outside of Solvang, in the neighboring cities of the Santa Ynez Valley.\u00a0 Some of them are reminiscent of Tuscan villas, like Melville Vinyeards, and some are up in the hills and boast gorgeous views.\u00a0 For a different wine tasting experience, we love going to the “Lompoc Ghetto” – it’s a group of warehouses that have been turned into wine tasting rooms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And to finish off – a few pictures from our trip in October 2010.\u00a0 We will return with more pictures!<\/p>\n\n\t\t