Santa Barbara and the Valley

The first photo today (with the windmill) is our hotel. Very quirky, but lovely large clean room and good enough for what we want. On top of that we are opposite "The World Famous" Andersens Split Pea Soup Restaurant. Not heard of it? No - neither had we; but it is a good old fashioned place that serves decent food (and we went twice as it was only across the road). Another film link - our hotel was featured in the film "Sideways".




Our first visit was to the very odd town set up in the early 1900s by three Danish men to keep alive Danish customs (they obviously had not though of going back to Denmark!!). It is an unusual town that to us seemed a little confused with Swiss clocks and Delft china (made in Taiwan!) as well as Danish pastry shops. Highlight was a fabulous antique shop. No excuses about being such a new country just loads of top class stuff. Mentally spent a fortune.

From there we went to the Mission of Santa Ynes (Saint Agnes to you and I) which was a pretty adobe style church complex. That is where the picture of the humming bird comes from. We then drove through rising temperatures and hilly roads to some caves with paintings by local Chumash Indians. Little is known about their origin and meaning, but very impressive. We ended the day with a mooch round Downtown Santa Barbara and the pier. Like Monterey, very familiar and few photos. We have put up one of the coast line and one of a very cheeky pelican who was too lazy to fish for itself.

Our second day started in a fantastic Carriage Museum full of saddles, art by a local artist / cowboy and (as the name suggests) lots of beautifully preserved carriages, stage coaches, covered wagons of various types but all made and used in the USA as well as a fire engine and a Paddy Wagon / Black Maria.

From there we went to El Presidio which is the earliest fortress in Santa Barbara. Some was original some reconstructed and the brightly decorated chapel and the kitchen stood out. After lunch in a posh department store we went back to the hotel via a paddle in the sea before our last night on the coast. Inland to Barstow tomorrow.

Answer from last blog - Beach Master Brian is from Happy Feet 2.