Greetings from Solvang, California—aka a little taste of Denmark right in the middle of the Santa Ynez Valley. In this video, we drove about an hour and a half down from San Luis Obispo and spent the whole day exploring this storybook town: windmills, half-timbered buildings, steep roofs, and surprises around every corner. We kicked things off the right way at Mortensen’s Bakery (there are 10 bakeries in town, but this one had the line to prove it). Between Pepper’s Florentine “sugar bomb,” my lemon boat (basically a lemon croissant), and that chocolate éclair that kept on giving with pastry cream and raspberry, we were officially in Danish pastry mode. From there we headed into the Copenhagen House to tour the Solvang Viking Museum (and yes, it’s a little tricky to find because it’s tucked in the back of the gift shop). For $10, it was absolutely worth it—Viking artifacts, weapons, a reconstructed Viking ship, and even costumes from Viking Valhalla, plus a whole section on amber and why it matters in Denmark. We grabbed a huge, delicious lunch at Bit O’Denmark (massive portions and massive wine pours), made a quick Dolly Parton house stop (because obviously), met Lulu the troll at the California Nature Art Museum, and wrapped it all up with the must-try treat in town: aebleskivers covered in raspberry sauce and powdered sugar.