Tasting My Way Through Solvang

 My day started out at Good Seed Coffee. I got an iced almond latte. It was an average coffee.

 Iced latte in hand, I crossed the street to Mortensen's Danish Bakery.

 Along with the standard danish, they had an assortment of other pastries and cookies.

 I grabbed a seat outside after ordering my danish choices.

 I got a cherry one that was really tasty.

 It started to get warm out so I got in the car and drove to Buellton.

 I have driven past Andersen's Pea Soup restaurant many times but had never stopped in. Since I was staying so close, I just had to go.

 I was greeted by this chef when I walked in the door.

 These funny guys were cooking themselves in a vat of pea soup.

 I ordered the famous soup. It was really good. When I cook it, it is chunky with peas, carrots, and potatoes. This one was more of a bisque. It is vegetarian and there is an option to add meat toppings.

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They gave us a basket of crackers to enjoy with the soup.

 I had the tuna and avocado salad. It was a good, dry tuna and the crisp vegetables were very refreshing.

I was on a sausage kick so I ordered this sausage appetizer plate. The sauce was amazing, a tomato sauce with sauteed onions. And the garlic toast on the side was incredible.

 This food was all really good and I definitely want to make a trip here again.

 They have a bakery inside. It seems like bakeries are the big thing in this area.

 After Buellton, I drove down Highway 246 and passed Solvang and ended up in the Santa Ynez/Los Olivos area. I saw a casino on the highway so I stopped in.

 They had a cafe inside where they served Starbucks coffee. The weather called for a Frappuccino and that is what I ordered.

 I also tried their cherry gelato which was delicious.

 After my very brief stop at the casino, it was back to Solvang. I went to the Book Loft which has the Hans Christian Andersen museum inside. I took a peek at the displays. 

 I bought some themed books. Since the central coast is big on wine, I picked up some books about it. I also got a book about the area and the paranormal goings on.

 This is a cute bookstore with a very nice person running the register area. She was very friendly and knowledgeable.

I walked around a bit and found this little fountain.

 And then I saw this gigantic shoe.

 I stopped in here for some treats. But since the temperature was so hot outside, I didn't think it would be a good idea to get chocolate. I did buy a soda and sat at the counter. And then I bought some candy ropes.

 They had these bags of rock candy lined up in rainbow order.

 An iced cold soda is one of the most refreshing, satisfying things on a hot day.

After a day of walking, I was ready to get in my air conditioned room and on the comfy bed. I had to rest up for another day of outdoor fun.