{Travel} California Birthday Trip - Montecito, Buellton & Solvang Day 2

Of course we were up early on our first morning in California and excited about our next destination.

We got ready and left the hotel in Manhattan Beach.

We chose a spot halfway along our route and ended up in gorgeous Montecito.

By that time, we were ready for breakfast and got a table at the Montecito Coffee Shop out on the lovely porch.

Coffee with a view...and what a view!  We enjoyed a very leisurely breakfast (but didn't run into Oprah, Harry or Meghan) then got back on the road. We took the scenic route along the coast and it was so pretty.

We timed out our next stop perfectly and showed up right when they opened.  Every since we saw the movie Sideways we've wanted to visit the locations that were featured.  Our main destination was Solvang, California but first we stopped at Hitching Post Wines in Buellton.

The Hitching Post Restaurant was featured in the movie but is only open for dinner.   We did a wine tasting at their beautiful outdoor property next door (they serve lunch too but we were still full from breakfast).

It overlooks Ostrich Land and we could see ostriches in the distance.

We got to try some of the wine brands from the movie (see the green tag around the bottle on the right?).  Only Pinot Noir--not Merlot (IYKYK).

I could get used to this life!

He's looking pretty happy!

Our sommelier, Josh was so knowledgeable and full of interesting vineyard information.

The food looked good and we were sad we weren't hungry yet.

This is the original Hitching Post.

We then made the short drive to Solvang Danish Village.  From the visitor's guide - "Solvang is a sun-soaked slice of Danish culture in the Santa Ynez Valley, where California wine cellars mix with European bakeries and shops."

It looks like something out of a Scandinavian fairy tale.

There are quite a few windmills along with other Danish architecture.

We sampled the æbleskiver from one of the bakeries. They are traditionally served in groups of three and a donut type pastry sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with a berry sauce. Delish!

Our hotel wasn't ready yet so we were out exploring the quaint town.

We took the cute trolley tour to get a better view of everything and hear more about the hisroty of Solvang.

You bought tickets for it at the ice cream parlor that was also a windmill.

They were getting into the Halloween spirit all around town.

The hotel we stayed at was The Royal Copenhagen Inn which was adorable and centrally located.

The facade of our room looked like a Copenhagen house.

It was very clean, the staff was super nice and the stay included free continental breakfast delivered every morning! 

to be continued...

Please follow me! 

Instagram @heather_ourlife 

Facebook ourlifeinaclick

Linking up:

Little Things Thursday

 

Pin It