Carole Terwilliger Meyers's Blog, page 62

Good Eats: bakeries, Solvang, California

raspberry buttercream pastry at Danish Mill Bakery & Coffee Shop This tiny town has five busy bakeries.

●Birkholm’s Bakery & Cafe  460 Alisal Rd., (805) 688-8188.  Both cinnamon bread and cinnamon crisps are available here, and don’t miss the owl eyes cookies.

●Danish Mill Bakery & Coffee Shop  1682 Copenhagen Dr., (805) 688-5805.  With charming architecture and a cozy interior, this cute little bakery is the perfect place to enjoy a cherry boat pastry and cuppa.

●Mortensen’s Danish Bakery  1588 Mission Dr., (805) 688-8373.  Daily 7:30am-5:30pm, to 8pm in summer.  The popular pretzel-shaped Danish Kringle coffee cake here is filled with custard, marzipan (sweet almond paste), and raisins, and you’ll also find all-butter shortbread, napoleons made with real whipped cream, and chocolate eclairs. 

counter at Olsen's Danish Village Bakery ●Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery  1529 Mission Dr., (800) 621-8238, (805) 688-6314.  Operating within a large, open room and featuring little atmosphere, this bakery is known for its butter cookies and breads (it makes the delicious pumpernickel bread used at the Greenhouse Cafe).  How can you go wrong with a fourth-generation master baker in the kitchen?

●The Solvang Bakery  438 Alisal Rd., (805) 688-4939.  The specialty here is Scandinavian pastries and gingerbread.  Gingerbread houses are created for holidays year-round, and do-it-yourself kits are available.  Tables are provided should you want to sit for a spell and enjoy something right on the spot. 


More things to do in Solvang.

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images ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Things to Do: Hans Christian Andersen Museum and The Book Loft, Solvang, California

Hans Christian Andersen Museum  1680 Mission Dr., (805) 688-2052.  Daily 10-5.  Free.  Located upstairs in The Book Loft--a wonderfully browsable bookshop with a delightful selection of books for children--this tiny museum holds the largest collection of Hans Christian Andersen books outside of Denmark.  You’ll see a 5/8-scale Gutenberg Press built by a local craftsmen as well as some original journals and artwork by the well-known author.  Don’t leave here without purchasing a souvenir book for tonight’s bedtime story, perhaps The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, or The Princess and the Pea. 

More things to do in Solvang.

More information on Solvang.

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips. 
images ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Sights to See: love around the world

If you are still in a Valentine's Day mood, here is another LOVEly post! It depicts images of love from all around the world.  My favorite happens to by own, which occurs at a handicrafts market in Mexico City. 

More happenings around the world.

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips. 

image ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Good Eats: Ingeborg’s Danish Chocolates, Solvang, California

Ingeborg’s Danish Chocolates  1679 Copenhagen Dr., (800) 621-1679, (805) 688-5612.  Daily 9-7.  Chocolates and candies galore are made here with original Danish recipes and no preservatives.  Danes especially like the nougat logs and marzipan pigs.  Peek in the back to see an assembly-line machine similar to the one used in that famous, and hilarious, “I Love Lucy” episode.  Pick out a sweet treat or opt for something from the soda fountain counter with swivel stools.  Or, if you’ve been really good and it’s not too close to mealtime, maybe they should have both!  

More things to do in Solvang.

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video ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Sights to See: Solvang, California

    Founded in 1911 by midwestern Danes, the replica Danish town of Solvang is just 35 miles north of Santa Barbara.  It seems right out of a Hans Christian Andersen tale, and some people have described it as “more like Denmark than Denmark.”  Its downtown features authentic Danish architecture, complete with thatched roofs, hand-carved storks nesting by chimneys, and windmills.  This charm is now locked into new construction by town ordinance. 
    It is a popular shopping destination, with hundreds of specialty shops offering a wide variety of gift items, and it is an especially satisfying destination around Christmas when seasonal decorations add to the festive air.  Many of the boutiques operate inside buildings that are themselves of interest, with beams and other architectural details.  With kids in tow, you might want to work out a trade where one parent browses while the other plays with the kids in a park, and vice versa. 
    Many restaurants and outdoor cafes offer Danish menus, and four thriving bakeries turn out excellent breads, cookies, and pastries--meaning you’re never very far from a sweet and a cuppa.  Part of the fun is walking around and selecting an appealing spot to dine. 
    Benches are everywhere in this clean little town, making a visit especially easy on elderly visitors and those with young children.  Pile the whole family onto a surrey-covered bike to tour the town, or ride the Honen--a replica 1800s Danish streetcar pulled by two blond Belgian draft horses.  Don’t miss touring the town again at night, when it is lighted up like a fairyland. 

More things to do in Solvang.

More information on Solvang.

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips. 
image ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Things to Do: Spice Market, Nadi, Fiji

Spice Market in Nadi, FijiNadi Spice Market  Also known as the Central Market, this is a simple covered market where locals come to sell their produce and hang out with their friends and family.  You’ll see tables laden (often sparsely) with just one thing—like pineapples, or coconuts, or eggplants—and many folks display their items on newspaper atop the dirt floor.  More . . .

More things to do in Fiji. 

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips.


image ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Things to Do: vacation visits with animals around the world

Love animals?  Need some ideas for animal-centric vacations?  Check out this inspiring blog post about visiting animals around the world.  That's me in Thailand on top of this massive elephant. More about my adventure.

More things to see and do in Thailand.

More animal attractions.  

More happenings around the world.

More travel articles to inspire you and help you plan some spectacular getaways.  

Things to Do: Vacation Visits with Animals Around the World

Love animals?  Need some ideas for animal-centric vacations?  Check out this inspiring blog post about visiting animals around the world.  That's me in Thailand on top of this massive elephant. More about my adventure.

More things to see and do in Thailand.

More animal attractions.  

More travel articles to inspire you and help you plan some spectacular getaways.  

Things to Do: Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey

Trump Taj Mahal  1000 Boardwalk, (609) 449-1000.  Health spa.  Named after Donald Trump's favorite blues musician, the Trump Taj has the city's second-largest poker room (it was featured in the 1998 movie “Rounders”).  The Steel Pier amusement park is directly across from the casino.

Robert's Steakhouse Atlantic CityRobert's Steakhouse  (855) 500-ROBERTS.  D M-Sat.  Located just off the casino floor, this posh retreat is a branch of NYC’s premier steakhouse.  It has its own butcher and ages most meat on site.


More things to do in Atlantic City.

More information on Atlantic City.

More casinos.
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images ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Misc.: Chinese New Year celebrations

One of my favorite travel experiences is to happen upon a special event. I’ve been lucky several times in NYC to be there around Chinese New Year. Most recently . . .read more about my experience in NYC as well as reports from other bloggers about celebrations in Hong Kong, Hawaii, and Taiwan.

More annual events around the world.

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips.

video ©2014 Carole Terwilliger Meyers