Solvang-Day Five:

The next day ran similar to the first except that the water worked all day. I got my second massage, where she practically removed the rest of that knot, and before I could wander back upstairs, Dan sent a text he was on the patio. I walked over to the lobby patio, we chatted and planned the afternoon. We decided he should ride the bike up and return it now, then come back to clean up. We would then walk around, shop, taste wine, and find food. I went upstairs to change, poured a glass of wine, hit the computer a few minutes and watched bad TV while he cleaned up.

Walking into town, we knew we wanted to go the other direction on the street, and found a neat and modern wine tasting room called Santé. Modern, sleek, white furniture was accentuated by color-changing LED lighting behind pictures and the bar. I enjoyed a glass of wine while Dan tried to locate Ingrid’s based on the directions given. On a hunch, I asked the male owner if he had heard of the place. He had not, but he pulled up the computer and located an Ingrid’s Salon…right around the corner. Did they have a secret? It was worth a look. Dan helped me finish my glass of wine, and promising to come back tonight to see the lounge in its full glory, we wandered off. We found Ingrid’s Salon as it was on the map, and sure enough, small letters under the sign also announced lingerie. After walking around to the back to get in, we found a lone hairstylist-presumably Ingrid-working on a lone patron. The rest of the shop was insane. Lingerie, costumes, and shoes were hung from racks, piled in bags on the floor, or piled on shelves. The reason for using the back door was apparent when seeing the several boxes piled in front of it. With Dan’s help, I found what I needed, at the best price I’ve ever paid, and we were off. Fire hazard happily behind us, we walked back towards town. I found a shoe store, bought new sandals while Dan explored the farmers market that had literally popped up in 20 minutes. We stopped into Toccata tasting room, which was next door to the shoe store, and bought two bottles. Both were excellent, red and white. We then wandered to Panino for lunch. We split a chicken salad Panini, had a beer, and decided to head back to the hotel for a nap. Later that evening, we headed back out to Santé and had a glass of wine. The place WAS stunning at night, and totally different from the rest of the town. Sadly, it was relatively empty. Our bartender was a lovely woman, a lounge singer, and very good at that. We listened to some of her music online while we chatted. As we were leaving, another couple came in, so there was at least some business. We were tired and the town was closed, we headed back to the hotel, nibbled on leftovers, cheese, salami, and fruit, and fell asleep.