Santa Ynez Valley
It was a cool, gray morning when we left the Santa Maria Valley and headed for another girl-named valley, Santa Ynez. The valley, river, and nearby mountains all get their name from Mission Santa Ines (Spanish for Saint Agnes). The teen-aged, virgin Agnes earned her spot among the saints when she chose death over renouncing her religious beliefs. In her honor the mission was founded in 1804 and her name introduced to the area. 
Our destination in the valley was the small old-world-style town of Solvang, the Danish capital of America. The name means “sunny field” in Danish and the area must have appealed to the Danish immigrants who founded it in 1911. The town’s architecture was designed to reflect the mother country with half-timbered walls, thatched roofs, and wooden storks on top (storks are considered good luck symbols in Denmark).
We arrived early in the morning which was wise since we had our choice of parking spots and were able to explore Solvang Park without dealing with a crowd. Since we were early we goofed off and took our pictures with the statue of Hans Christian Andersen, Denmark’s most famous author. The park was ringed by flower beds filled with bright blooms; it was very tidy and oh, so European.
Soon we spotted Uncle Russell, Aunt Kathy, and Cousin Jennifer ambling down the sidewalk, so we joined them. It was an enjoyable stroll around town. We let our noses lead us from one tasty bakery to another; Uncle Russell knew exactly where all the best treats were (he seems to have a bit of a sweet tooth…). The bakeries specialized in Danish pastries and cookies. We were even introduced to aebleskiver. The name translates as “little apple slices” which was how they were once made but the golf ball-shaped, pancake-like pastries have long since evolved. They are now lightly dusted with powdered sugar and served with raspberry jam.
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