The reason I stayed in Buellton is because the hotel rate was reasonably cheaper compared than staying in Solvang and is only a short drive to Solvang. Buellton is where the split pea soup was originated. It is a tiny town but a little progresing. They have a lot of hotels along the Highway 101 and I stayed at Days Inn Hotel which has also a windmill office. So cute!
I arrived at Buellton on Wednesday afternoon beating the afternoon traffic in Santa Barbara and nearby places. I immediately roamed around a little bit at Solvang when I arrived at 1530H heading especially at the Old Mission Santa Ines. The rectory was open as well as the gift shop but the church was already closed so I didn't have the glimpse of the altar where the beautiful patron Saint Agnes was found. Good thing I went there right away on that day because they told me from the gift shop that they will gonna be close the next day on Thanksgiving Day. Waaah!
The mission was a sprawling cream colored adobe structure which is nicely painted. It never depicted a good old structure hailing from the 1700s but a very powerful and proud edifice. The church was close at that time because when I got there it was almost closing time and close to dusk. I took the time of taking pictures of the facade and the surrounding lush and beautiful rose garden and the "Via Cruces" promenade.
It was already dark when I left the mission church and convent so I decided to go back the next day to explore the whole downtown area of Solvang. I went back to Buellton and passed by the country restaurant called AJ Spurs which is about to open at that time of the afternoon. It was a very sleek country or Cowboy inspired restaurant equipped with a lot of Western decors and stuffed live animals.
The food was very fresh and taste great. I've ordered a 100% USDA approved 14 oz. ribeye steak which was the most tastiest and yummy ribeye steak I have ever tasted. It was a very huge portion smothered with sauteed white onions and accompanied with a delicious scoop of mashed potato and assorted sauteed long beans. The steak was very soft, chewy, and impecably delicious. It just magically melt inside my mouth. I was in limbo when I first took a bite and tasted it. I happily savored every moment of it until I got full. The portion was huge and when I left there I was greatly stuffed.
After the dinner I headed to the hotel and checked in. The lady at the reception was very friendly and extremely loquacious. I chatted with her about Solvang and she gave me some idea where to go and have fun during my stay there. She was very helpful in my search for fun in Solvang. I thanked her for giving me some information on where to explore around the place.
The next day I woke up at 0800H and took a shower then left the room and checked out after partaking the continental breakfast courtesy of the hotel. I left after that because I still have to go find the Nojoqui Falls. The falls is easy to locate because the direction given to me by the receptionist last night was still embedded at the back of my head. Nojoqui Falls is awesome and I have already blogged about it prior to this. Please refer to the blog. Thanks!
After I went to Nojoqui Falls I drove back to Buellton to gas up and then headed to Solvang proper. At the mouth of the city, I stopped by at the Kronberg Hotel because I have to take a picture of the windmill in front of the hotel to document on my online album. In the downtown there were a lot of windmills also and a lot of tourists there also enjoying the whole beautiful village which is famous all over the country.
Roaming around Solvang feels great because I felt like I was strolling in a fairy tale place but literally I am not. I was so excited knowing and exploring the magical place fully well especially the downtown area full of odd houses and business establishments. As I ambled along the cobblestoned streets I just can't help taking pictures of all the nooks and crannies of the entire downtown area. I may have probably circumnavigated it several times as well as took a lot of pictures and I am extremely satisfied with what I saw.
The establishments and edifices around there were like patterned to the houses in Denmark and some business establishments have also Dutch names I couldn't even read and pronounced. The atmosphere in the area were very calm and serene and the people were very very polite and markedly approachable.
I saw a lot of foreigners there mostly consisted of Europeans, Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans. I also ate at a Danish restaurant that served the famous Danish Aebleskiver which is a spherical pancake stuffed with sliced apples inside and drenched with a thick strawberry or cherry syrup. I also tried eating some Danish sausage and Danish meatballs which were very very delicious when coupled with a purple saurkraut.
I strolled around the downtown area alone and had observed various people and places I passed by. I felt like a lunatic wandering and imagining that I'm in a fairy tale land appreciating the wonderful things and beautiful scenic magical spots as well as the uniquely strange shaped and colorful buildings around me especially the odd buildings and houses scattered all over the area. I was in awe of everything that I saw and I forgot my direction already.
I also went in some Danish pastry shops and bought some Danish goodies for myself as well as sipped a hot creamed coffee while I was lonesomely strolling on the busy tiled streets. There were huge windmills I saw everywhere and it had really amazed me how beautiful they were just like the favorite places that I admired which are the lighhouses.
I kept ambling aimlessly around the area like a crazy person greatly and extremely appreciating everything I saw around me. I kind of believing now and is used to an idea that I am in a fairy tale land currently. It was so beautiful and what a unique experience. I really love it there!
There were signs already posted along the streets about the incoming Julefest Festival early next month. And I noticed that each business establishments had already an undecorated Christmas pine trees outside their businesses in preparation for the Julefest Festival wherein they will decorate it during that festival to be held sometime in the first week of December.
There were also a lot of famous and not-so-famous wineries lined up around the downtown area but apparently right at that moment some were closed in celebration of the Thanksgiving Day. Damn.... I am so unlucky whenever I decided to see a special place, to expore and unwind, because of the Thanksgiving Day it was an extremely bad timing to do wine tasting. It was pretty much nice to stroll around there though.
Being there in this fascinating and fabulous community was a huge and lucky opportunity for me. Solvang is a very very progressive place and I was really awestrucked with it's alluring beauty. The buildings were very beautiful, strong, and strangely nice to look at. It seems that I was just in Europe at that moment traveling around Denmark and enjoying the beauty it has to offer, but technically I am not. Actually, I am in Solvang, California and it is no difference than the ones in Denmark because it is an exact replica of it as what people say.
As of now, I can't forget my first trip here in this wonderful place on earth. I actually never regretted coming here either. Hoping to be back again here soon if God is willing. It seems that I never wanted to open my closed eyes and stop dreaming because if I do I will surely lost sight of Solvang which had captured my heart, my soul, and my imagination. It was just like magic to be there. It was just like a greatest dream come true. For sure, I will be back again here and enjoy it the second time around. What a great day indeed in this fairy tale Danish community village called Solvang.
Solvang you have etched something special into my heart and I will never ever forget you as long as I live. Ciao and see you someday again, hopefully.
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