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Northern California, Part One of Four

[Note: This was a car trip we took in 2011.]

Solvang


The windmills of their minds
Solvang is a small town founded by Danish immigrants in 1911. The founders hoped to preserve and promote Danish culture, starting by building a traditional folk school and church. But it wasn't until after World War II, when the tourist trade picked up, that building facades were redesigned to look more like a Danish village, and building codes were created to require this style for future construction.

Hans
The public park features a large sculpture of Hans Christian Anderson.

I'll take one of everything.
Among the many shopping opportunities here, bakeries are the most exciting. We had a snack here just a few minutes after arriving in town, and came back to stock up on our way out.

Meat!
Pastries are not the only food source in Solvang. At the Viking Garden Restaurant, Steve enjoyed the three-sausage platter (with sauerkraut, red cabbage and potato pancake).

The Danish flag
We arrived in Solvang the day before the expected visit from the Prince and Princess of Denmark. Excellent timing! Traffic was light, we had no trouble finding a parking spot, and the town was nicely decorated.

This roof needs some pigeon spikes
In Denmark a stork on the roof is considered good luck, so many buildings in Solvang are topped with these bird effigies.



Pismo Beach


Looking north
At Pismo Beach we stayed at the Shelter Cove Lodge, at the top of the cliffs where we had wonderful views of the beach and ocean. We had a great dinner at the Ventana Grill, which was within easy walking distance from our hotel.

That last step's a little tricky
The path to the beach.

Seagull
The peaceful atmosphere and lovely scenery made this someplace we'd enjoy visiting again.

What dolphins would look like, if we had dolphins here

Emergency exit only

Moon
Daytime moon over Pismo Beach.

Steve on cliff

Steve enjoys the clifftop walkway.




 

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