Historical, Beautiful San Antonio!

Our first night of adventure began at the Texas Legato Winery Harvest Host. We were welcomed by fields blooming with blue bonnets and our gracious hosts. After a quiet night, we headed south to the magnificent hill country of Texas. We setup camp for three nights along Canyon Lake.

With only one day to explore San Antonio, we packed a lot into our schedule. We began our visit by meandering along the River Walk on our own, poking in and out of unique shops. We scarcely passed any other people, affording a quiet stroll. We stopped to admire these magnificent bronze sculptures from the Briscoe Museum of Western Art. Sadly, it was closed, but what joy to see these sculptures along the river!

Asking the locals for intel is always wise! In one of the artsy shops, I inquired “where’s the best guacamole on the River Walk?” He quickly replied, “Boudro’s.” He was right! Our waiter, Walker, began making table-side guacamole with a squeeze of orange and then lime. He chopped an avocado into small chunks, added roasted tomatoes, peppers and cilantro. The result was perfection, scooped on warm, fresh chips. I followed with white and black soup—a combination of white cheddar and black bean soup—while Skip enjoyed a classic caesar salad.

After our taste-sensation-overload, we began a four-hour tour of San Antonio along with our tour guide/driver and three other guests. We drove through historical neighborhoods on our way to the Alamo. The historical importance of the Alamo to the Republic of Texas is legendary. “Remember the Alamo!” became a symbol of brave resistance and a rallying cry in Texas’ struggle for independence.

Next stop… the Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo, also known as the San José Mission and the “Queen of the Missions.” The thick stone wall surrounding the mission felt more like a military fort than a place for worship. Tiny stone-walled, stone-floored rooms were built into the protective mission walls as bedrooms for natives willing to leave their tribal heritage outside the walls to become part of the mission colony as Catholic converts. The sanctuary was beautifully adorned.

Next on the tour… the Tower of the Americas. It was built in 1968 for the Hemisfair, the world’s fair that celebrated the 250th year anniversary of San Antonio’s founding. This tower is second only to the Stratosphere in Las Vegas. It is taller than the Seattle Space Needle which was constructed five years earlier for the 1963 world’s fair. And yes, my ears popped on the elevator ride.

We finished the tour with a relaxing river cruise with a guide who thought he was the next Jay Leno. The engineering that built the River Walk around the natural flow of the San Antonio River is a marvel, enjoyed by throngs of tourists, but thankfully, not on our day of touring! We loved the old buildings and the sense of history along the river. A Costco stop on the way home, including our first ever Costco hotdog for dinner, capped off our San Antonio visit.

Next post… Fredericksburg. What a fabulous town! Hope you’ll come along for the ride!

Note: Having sufficient internet to upload photos and a blog post has been a challenge, so there might be a bit of a delay.