Packed and flying away! For my oldest daughter’s spring break, we decided to head to Washington DC. She attends university on the east coast and her friends all went home for spring break, so this means mama gets to go on vacation with her daughter! Love!
We are planning to visit the capitol, as many museums as possible, the zoo, the monuments, and more! I tried to get a White House tour but failed. Sad face. Anyhoo. . .
The weather predictions are forecasting mild temperatures and some rain. So, my spring wardrobe should work; plus, I will bring my winter puffy coat just in case. After all, the east coast is unpredictable!
For my nail polish, I am going with this classic pink hue since it will not show chips while I am traveling. I always steer clear of dark nail polish when I travel. If I wear dark nail polish, it always chips on day one of my trip, if I wear a light color, it doesn’t chip. Murphy’s Law.
Shop my spring break suitcase online:
So, here I go! Stay tuned for my spring break coverage from Washington DC!
If you are frequent traveler, you may already be on to Apple AirTags. If you don’t already know this, keep reading.
These handy little devices are great for tracking items you might lose or misplace. Many people already use them for things like car keys; but did you know that you can place one in your suitcase so that if gets misplaced at an airport you can locate it? Yes, this is allowed by TSA. Love that!
In addition to being allowed to place an Apple AirTag inside your checked or carry-on suitcase, several airlines are now partnering with Apple in order to help locate your bag even faster. Before this partnership, a tired traveler would call the airline and explain their bag didn’t show up at their destination. They would explain there was an AirTag inside the bag and they could see it sitting on the tarmac at the last airport they left from. Oftentimes the airline would brush them off, and it would take days for the bag to be located and returned to its rightful owner. Now, with this Apple AirTag partnership, travelers can share the link to the AirTag with the airline and the bag can be found in record time, which means it gets returned to its owner right away. Love this!
Now that this partnership exists, I am placing Apple AirTags in both my checked baggage and also my carry-on bags. With carry-on bags, you never know when you might have to check them at the gate, so being prepared with a lock and an AirTag is a wise decision.
Not all airlines have partnered with Apple for locating AirTags. Check with your airline to see if they are partnering with Apple. Also, use an AirTag even your airline is not partnering with Apple, this will still help you find your bag, even if it takes a little longer than partner airlines.
Chances are, if you live in California, you have been to Solvang while driving from SoCal to NorCal, or vise-versa. It’s one of those towns you hear about which offers a great place to stop and grab lunch while driving up and down the state. I remember stopping for lunch there as a child on road trips with my mom, and we have also stopped with our kids on the way to Disneyland. This time, we did things a little differently.
We decided to take a road trip and explore the middle of the state a little bit more closely than when we are just driving past. We stayed in Santa Maria and day tripped to all the places we normally drive past, but really deserve more attention. First day trip of our road trip? Solvang.
The city of Solvang is a Danish Village off highway 101 nestled in the northern part of Santa Barbara County. It was originally founded in 1804 when Mission Santa Ines, pictured below, was established; and roughly one hundred years later it became the largest Danish settlement in the United States. The mission is one of the few in California which still has a lot of original walls, fixtures, etc. It is a great piece of California history.
Solvang itself is built mainly with Danish-style architecture and you can feel transported to a small, Danish village while visiting. Although a tourist town, Solvang offers free parking, friendly faces, and a plethora of bakeries, shops, and sites where visitors can enjoy a little bit of Danish life.
We visited the Hans Christian Anderson Museum which is a must-see for anyone who enjoys books. They had historical artifacts and books inside, plus a modern bookstore downstairs. It was really unique and perfect for anyone who loves to read! We tried to visit the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art, but it was closed on the day we visited Solvang. If you want to visit this museum plan your trip on a day when they are open. We visited on a Tuesday, and they were closed.
Walking around Solvang is also a museum in itself as many buildings and windmills are historical. Definitely take a walking tour! We also found the bakeries are all really good and you can easily find Danish treats to enjoy in person, as well as bring home for later. As for lunch places, many of them offer a mixture of Danish fare and American food. We enjoyed Lunch at “Solvang Restaurant.”
If you are from the Bay Area, chances are, you enjoy a good boba from time to time; or everyday! There is a boba place in Solvang which offers Danish boba!
Hygge Boba Tea and Smoothies has a large boba menu which offers your favorite flavors from home as well as a couple of unique flavors keeping in Danish theme. I enjoyed a Danish Pastry boba.
We did patronize a few bakeries, but we found Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery had the largest selection and we ended up bringing home a box of goodies to enjoy. I highly recommend stopping in there before leaving Solvang and filling up a pastry box with delicious treats!
Solvang was in the high nineties on the day we visited, so I wore a comfy tee, shorts, and of course good walking shoes. It was nice ducking into air-conditioned shops when things got a little too warm! haha So, when you visit, check the weather ahead of time since they are little bit warmer than the coast.
I highly recommend spending a day in Solvang instead of only stopping for lunch on the way to SoCal. It’s an amazing little village on the central coast and it is definitely worth a relaxing visit so you can drink everything in! Also, bring your appetite so you can enjoy all the bakeries!
Thanks for stopping by!
XOXO Cathy
Cookie Notice
We use cookies on our website to help it load faster. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
