Day 1: Solvang

We got up early in the morning, maybe 6 am, got dressed and got on the road for our first stop, Solvang. I have been wanting to go to Solvang for many, many years. Never made the trip because a 4 hour drive just to see a little town seemed like too much, especially now with little kids. But since we were in the vicinity I definitely wanted it to be a stop on our roadtrip. It actually turned out to be only about an hour from Nishen and Geeky's place. We arrived early and the plan was to go straight to breakfast. I had read online that a Danish speciality, Aebleskiver, was a must have when in Solvang. Apparently they are like a pancake formed into a ball. In Solvang they are served sprinkled with powdered sugar and raspberry jam. So, we headed over to the Solvang Restaurant.

                                                The girls eating their first treat, rice cakes!

At the Solvang Restaurant 

           
Truth be told, I wasn't that impressed with the Aebleskivers. It was like a really poorly made donut hole. Maybe my expectations were too high with all the hype I heard about these things. Glad we got to taste them for ourselves since they are a part of Danish history, but next time I think I'll pass.

After breakfast we took a stroll through the main street in Solvang. It was very cute! One of the stores we went to was full of statues... all the disney characters, a bunch of christmas stuff, rock families, and clocks.

We decided to be brave and venture into the store. He is Daniel giving the girls a stern talking to about how to behave in a store full of breakables. We have no pictures of inside the store because we had a tight grip on each kid the entire time. Literally everything around us was breakable. And the items were so darn cute, I could barely resist touching them, let alone the kids. We made it through the entire store without breaking (or buying) anything. We continued to walk around and window shop.

Whats this?!

Next on the agenda was a trip to Sunny Fields Park. We jumped in the car and drove a few miles to reach this pretty fun park. I fed the baby and the girls played for awhile. It was getting pretty hot, but the kids didnt seem to mind and Daniel and I were able to find some shade thankfully. We stayed about an hour...

After we nearly melted in the sun, we headed back to the main street. We were only a bit hungry at this point so Daniel and I decided to share a meal. We ended up at a Garden Cafe. During lunch we saw a horse drawn carriage pass by. 

Veena's was checking out the kids menu. She finally decided on carrots...

                                        Veena's first jarred baby food. She wasnt really a fan. 

After we ate lunch, we decided that our trip wouldnt be complete without some Danish sweets. We had the option of Danishes or ice cream. Daniel and I both opted for the Danishes and they were awesome. The girls opted for the ice cream and I think they'd say they made the right choice.

                         

                                 Dan's a softy and shared his Danish. Not I!
             

The girls even shared their ice cream with each other. How sweet.

After we finished our treats, we headed to our next stop in Solvang: Ostrichland. Yes, you read that right. The land of Osctriches. If you have never fed one of these animals, you must! They are crazy! And apparently they do bite, luckily they didnt bite us.

                                

The girls were a little scared at first and I dont blame them. I didnt even end up feeding the Ostriches because they were pretty strong. 

 Daniel ended up becoming pretty good friends with these guys.

Priyana was the brave one to go first. Feeding the one right next to the "Yes, we like to bite" sign made it more dramatic.

Sariah took a turn trying to feed the Ostrich.

He had to yell at her for not getting it close enough for him to reach.

Aaaah, thats pretty kid. 

Veena really wasnt all that impressed with them.

Along with Ostriches, there were also Emus. The Emus were definitely smaller and a little more gently in their eating habits. The girls were not scared of these guys. Their mother was. 

We left Ostrichland and headed back on the road to San Luis Obispo. All the kids slept, so no crackers had to be thrown at anyone. It took about 2 hours to get to San Luis Obispo and once we got there we learned that gas prices in SLO are way more expensive than in Escondido. $3.99 a gallon! Craziness. I think when I fill up before we left it was under $3.50. 

We checked into our first hotel and the girls were thrilled. They were asking for the hotel the entire time and actually thought the whole road trip was all about staying in hotels. They love hotels; they take after their mother. 

We stayed at the Embassy Suites. The cool thing about the Embassy Suites is that they offer a managers evening reception where snacks and drinks are free from 530-730pm. So, being the cheap asses we are (I mean frugal), we of course enjoyed those free items.

                                           

Despite being on a trip, still had to make sure the girls got their veggies!

After we filled up on some food and drink, we changed our clothes and headed to the pool.

It was going to be Veena's first time in the pool and we were all swooning over how dang cute she looked in her little bathing suit. But, alas, we felt the water was a little too cold for her. So, the girls and I went in while Daniel and Veena watched. The girls were especially excited because the pool was indoors!

We had a great first day. We brought the pack n play, but Veena had no intention of sleeping in it. The girls got to watch shows on the iPad until they fell asleep, another treat only reserved for vacations.