San Antonio & Alamo

Posted by Melissa
I have to start out with - TEXAS IS HOT!!! We are really thinking that our decision to move the the Pacific Northwest was a REALLY GOOD one after experiencing over a week in south west New Mexico and Texas! 59 degrees or so sounds really inviting.

That said, we loved San Antonio. We stayed in a cute Victorian style Bed & Breakfast right on the Riverwalk, The Inn on the Riverwalk.
http://www.innontheriverwalksa.com

Here's our balcony

The view from our balcony was spectacular. This is the river just below our balcony. We also had an awesome view of the downtown night skyline, but alas - none of those pics turned out.


It was about 3 blocks south of the busy part of the walk so it was quiet at night but also easy access to everything. The riverwalk is a beautiful gem, hidden just below street level. It was created early this century after a significant flood. Some townspeople wanted to shunt the river underground into a tunnel but a farsighted planner convinced them to create this wonderful oasis.



This was the view from our boat tour of the river.
We enjoyed Mexican food at tables right on the river plus Margaritas with lunch and dinner - I couldn't resist a slushy cold drink with temps soooo hot.
Several people recommended that we watch the IMAX movie about the Alamo before visiting. Well, you didn't have to twist my arm to get me to sit in an air conditioned studio for an hour, so off we went. It was great and we got a thorough education about the Alamo before heading over there. In fact, we now know more about Texas history than we ever expected. Did you know that Texas has flown the flag of SIX different governments?

The Alamo is now a beautiful, peaceful place with huge live oaks and shaded grounds. It was sad to think that so many died here. There were less than 200 Texans, including names we know well like Davy Crocket and James Bowie, against almost 4,000 Mexican troups under General Santa Anna. All of the Americans died. I would highly recommend a visit there - after viewing the movie.

San Fernando Cathedral was another highlight. Construction started on this church in 1731. It was originally a relatively simple spanish colonial style but a French Gothic addition was completed in 1873 so it has a bit of a split personality.

A beautiful painting just inside the front door honors the women of the community who were the main force in getting this church built. It depicts the three Marys who arrived at Christ's empty tomb, but pictures them as a Spanish/American women, a Native American woman, and a European woman.


The interior of the church was so beautiful - I just have to include several pics.





We closed out our trip to San Antonio with a visit to the Witte Museum to see a special exhibit of Bodies Revealed. We had wanted to see this exhibit for a long time - it was in the Sacramento area a while back. The exhibit includes actual human bodies that have been preserved and allow you to see muscles, tendons, heart, lungs, etc. No pics were allowed but here is a link to their website:
http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/

Up next: Austin