Day 3...It is Sunday!

Because our third day in Solvang was Sunday, and the festivities were still going on, we had a decision to make. Dean (being brought up in the Lutheran faith) wanted to go to the original Solvang Lutheran church. It is the oldest one, and the only Lutheran Church in the town. So we got up early so that we could attend the 9:30 a.m. service.

The Church was beautiful and full of history. After enjoying a traditional service, my flutter-bug husband took many nice pictures, both inside and outside of the building.

Hanging in the middle of the ceiling of the chapel, is this amazing model of a ship. I'm told that it has something to do with the builder of the building, perhaps he was a ship builder. That reminds me of an LDS Church in Southern Utah, near Pine Valley Mountain that was built by a ship builder, and the roof of the building was actually shaped like the hull of a ship, only upside-down because it was built by a ship builder. Looking up at this Lutheran Church, one is reminded of an upside-down hull of a ship also. Amazing.



Also of interest was the huge "Christus" statue situated in the front of the chapel. I was particularly interested because this statue is the one that the LDS Church uses in many of its Visitor's Centers all over the world, and I have an 18" replica of it at home. It was of interest to Dean, because the man who originally sculpted the statue lived in Denmark...he was a "Dane!" And the original statue remains in a Church in Denmark. The story is told that originally the sculptor had made the statue with arms raised up toward the heavens, but while it was "curing," he covered it with a damp cloth overnight and the arms were down, open to his "sheep" when the sculptor found it in the morning. He left it that way; he figured the Lord had wanted it to show a more loving stance. Whether that story is true or not, it does give the statue more warmth.

Ah! What is a trip to Solvang without a visit to "Pea Soup Andersen's" for a bowl of their world-famous split pea soup. The restaurant has been there for decades. I remember going there on a trip that Gerry and I made to Solvang over 50 years ago. Needless to say, the soup was still delicious and we left with not only our tummy's full, but a few souveniers, as well.


Back to the festivities...we joined the fun at the park where there was a lot of entertainment and frolicking going on. Have you ever seen anything cuter than these adorable little children all decked out in their native Danish costumes. They were dancing to beat the band...and there was quite a good Danish band playing. Watching these little ones brought joy to our hearts. They are the same ones we saw Friday night at the opening program under the big tent.


Check out the big Uncle Sam! He was a hoot! How he stayed up on those 4 foot stilts, I will never know. The bottoms were like little "baby" feet, complete with tennis shoes. I'd say he practiced a lot and didn't get rattled when someone bumped into him. I saw him lose his balance once and he did not fall. Amazing. He was funny, too. He walked around, telling (sometimes "lame") jokes, and everyone (especially the children) just loved him. Later, he turned up in a crazy basketball outfit with a hoop on his head and played basketball with the children. Gotta love these guys who get out there and not only have fun, but make fun for others.

With the day drawing to a close, everyone gathered at the park to see the end of the parade and watch the children parade through the park. Everyone had a great time and we were so happy that we came to share this celebration with them. The only thing left for us on this day, was to see the live play, "A Fairy Tale," at their outdoor theater.



It was a magical play, complete with music and singing. It was the story of Hans Christian Anderson and the creation of his Fairy Tales. Nearly all of them were portrayed in the story. There was a little boy of maybe 9 or 10, who played Hans Christian Anderson as a boy, and he was the show stealer. He was such a delight. We expect to see more of this young man in the future. We had front row seats on the east side of the stage, so we saw a lot of the action "up close, and personal!"

After the play, we walked back to our Time Share, still feeling the magic of the play we had just witnessed and with a new respect for Hans Christian Anderson and his amazing gift for story telling. It was the end of another perfect day in Solvang, California.

Solvang Danish Days...75 Years...

Saturday morning, September 17, 2011. It's the Danish Days celebration! Not only is it the 100th Birthday Celebration of the town of Solvang, but they are also celebrating the 75th year of the Danish Days Celebration. Let the fun begin!

My good friend, Joan (Tommasino) Trent and her husband Bruce, met us at our Time Share early in the morning. They drove all the way from West Hills in the San Fernando Valley to join us for the day and the celebrations. I've known Joan since I was three years old and we have been friends ever since.


The first event of the day was breakfast! And what would a traditional Danish breakfast be without Aebleskivers and sausage! Ah! You're asking what are aebleskivers? They are the most delicious little round pancakes served with rasperry syrup! Delicious. Traditionally, they are made with apples or applesauce (hence the name "aeble") inside each ball, but that is tedious work, and I'm sure when they are served by the thousands, a bit too time consuming.

The first thing Joan wanted after breakfast was a candied apple. So off to the shop we went and made our purchase, and enjoyed them emensely.


With full tummies, we walked around the town to enjoy the festivities. Thre was a young man there carving wood with a chain saw. He was making the most unbelievable pieces imaginable. I particularly loved the bench with a horse's head on each end. I could just see it on Mark's ranch. But, alas, $500.00 was a bit of a stiff price for me to pay, and besides, how on earth would I have gotten it on the airplane?

While we were engrossed with the wood carving, the beginning of the parade came by. We stopped what we were doing and enjoyed the festivities. It was a wonderful parade, reminiscent of the ones in my home town of Santa Monica, when I was growing up.


After the parade, we wandered through the town and looked at all of the displays and enjoyed the festivities. We wandered into the Viking Village and enjoyed learning about what it was like to live in the time of the Vikings. It was very educational.



Anyone for lunch? That was another Danish treat. We thoroughly enjoyed our little Danish open-faced sandwiches...one with chicken and one with beef. They were delicious.

After lunch, we enjoyed a liesurely walk to the museum to learn more about this quaint little town. The first thing we were treated to was another story-telling time by Hans Christian Anderson. He was amazing with the little children and kept that Danish accent throughout his presentation. We really enjoyed him and his program.


Do you think it was a full enough day? Oh, my! Everywhere we turned, we found something else to do. But, these old folks were tired after the museum (where Dean tried his hand at lace making and it intrigued me so much, that I vowed that I was going to learn, too!), that we just wandered back to our Time Share, relaxed a bit in our homey atmosphere and then said good-bye (or should I say, "so long just for now") to our dear friends. It has been a very long, but thoroughly enjoyable day!