Our weekend to Santa Barbara

This weekend we took a roadtrip to Santa Barbara! 

It took us just under three hours to drive there on Saturday morning and we arrived in Isla Vista, the University of California Santa Barbara town, just in time for lunch. We parked on the street and began walking into the student area. It was good to know I didn't need the maps, even though it had been a while. 

Our first stop was one of my favourites from when I studied there in 2015; Freebirds Mexican food! We got an enormous plate of nachos to share, and while Mitchell was skeptical about just one plate for both of us for lunch, after they'd piled on cheese, beans, rice, salsa and guacamole, he was pretty convinced.

After we were full, we walked onto campus and looked around, and walked out around the lagoon to the campus beach. It was just as lovely as I remembered. I got a smoothie from blenders on the way out (which I also had very fond memories of) before walking the rest of the way around the centre of Isla Vista. We passed fraternity houses and people partying in the houses which overlooked the beach, and could hear music all along the street. 

On the campus beach

The lagoon

Once we'd seen everything in Isla Vista, we headed back to the car to check into our AirBnB out in actual Santa Barbara. It was a cute little studio flat, only a five minute walk to the beach. They even provided beach towels. We packed these up and went to paddle and read on the beach until it was time for dinner. 

We were thinking about going into Downtown Santa Barbara (and contemplating the various pros and cons of buses, parking or Ubers) when I noticed a little town centre right by us on the map with a few restaurants to choose from. We chose the vegan restaurant which was nice as it meant we got several options to choose from for once. My pasta was very nice (Mitchell's enchiladas were ok) and we got to sit outside in the evening light. 

The next morning, we set off early again to go and visit Solvang. This is a village up in the mountains which was started by three Danish settlers in 1911, and the whole town looks like it's been cut straight from 1910s Denmark. All of the houses are very pretty and old style, there are tons of bakeries selling danish pastries, and lots of gift shops selling Danish and Viking memorabilia.  

We had a lot of fun walking around and exploring. We had brunch first, as we'd set out earlyish and without breakfast that morning, but it did mean we got a parking space without trouble. We then explored all the shops, found the windmills, and bought some treats. I got a caramel apple, Mitchell got a pastry, and then we bought some fudge to take home with us.  

Look, my headband matches my dress, I'm adorable

This took us to about 2pm and after a bit of a fight to get out of the now very busy car park, we went back to our AirBnB to drop of the fudge and for Mitchell to change into some shorts. Once done, we drove into Downtown Santa Barbara for the afternoon. We managed to find some free parking close to the pier which was nice, so we were almost immediately able to start walking along the beach. 

The first thing I wanted to do, was walk along the beach to find an art sculpture I'd seen on Instagram which was new since I'd been here last. We found it and got some colourful pictures, and then hopped over to the beach for a little while (we were both really enjoying the books we were reading that weekend). 

The white sands of Santa Barbara

As it got cooler, we went in search of food. But first, we walked along the pier, hoping to see some seals from the top. We didn't see any wildlife that day unfortunately, so we walked back along the busy path. We then made our way to the main part of Downtown Santa Barbara. We walked past all the fancy bars which had tables lining the pavement and music playing, and into the bit I remembered better. It seemed a little fancier than I remembered, with the pretzel shop being replaced by yet another gourmet ice-cream parlour, but it's just one street, so I could remember my way around. 

We stopped to pick up come sandwiches for the next day and were wondering what we could find for dinner, when I saw a sushi place which looked good and not too fancy. We ordered some rolls and while we were sitting in the shop waiting for our order, I remembered that I'd actually been there once before! I'd gone for a friend's birthday, and it had been pretty good!

Once we'd eaten our sushi, it was time to go home for an early night, ready for our big day the next day. It was memorial day on Monday, so we both got a day off work. 

We set the alarm for 6am and woke up ready to go out on a boat to the channel islands! However, I woke up to an email saying that the boat had been cancelled because of high winds in the channel! It was such a shame, as we were really looking forward to going out on the boat and exploring an island that is 100% National Park owned. 

So, we had a bit of a lie-in instead while we looked for something else to do. Mitchell found a hike nearby which promised good views and a waterfall, without being too long, so we packed up and set off for that instead. 

It was about four miles round trip and very steep on the way up to get to the waterfall. It was very shady though which was nice, as we'd packed hiking gear for a chillier island temperature. 

We followed the creek all the way up and got to cross it just before we got to the waterfall. The waterfall wasn't very fast, with just just a trickle coming down, but the creek was nice and cool and I went for a paddle. We ate our lunch there and headed back down the trail. 

You can just about make out the sea in the valley

At the end of the trail, some kids had set up a lemonade stand, so we bought a cup each and took it in the car with us. The maps said three and a bit hours to get home, but the traffic actually improved as we went and we made in home in two and a half. In fact the worst traffic was on the stretch of highway which is right on the coast and has the sea to one side, so it really wasn't too bad. 

We had a lovely weekend, despite the last minute change of plans. But, we did get our money back for the boat trip, so we can go again another time. 

Lots of love from two happy people,

Emily and Mitchell

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