Remember The Alamo!

Good Evening Folks!

The news this evening said it is unusual to see rain in San Antonio, TX at this time of the year, and my answer is: "The knew we were coming"!

You know how I like to get shots of the different cities' skylines, right? This time I really got a poor shot, as it was raining outside and I couldn't really put the window down fearing that some car would give me a free shower from the passing lane beside me!

The first thing we did since it was raining, was to go Hotel hunting. We found a very nice Ramada who's only a mile away from downtown and the Alamo. Rooms are clean, and the price is right, couldn't ask for anything better.

I killed some time waiting for the rain to stop, planning the next days with more details for the things to see and the places to visit, until it finally stopped raining, and we had the chance to go out and enjoy the city.

You can imagine already what our first stop had to be; of course, the Alamo!

I don't think I really need to get into much detail about this important piece of American history.

It felt good to be there, and NO, I didn't actually imagine the Alamo to be bigger than what it actually is. I say this because I came across a lot of reviews of people claiming that they thought the Alamo was actually smaller than what they thought it was.

Here's another nice shot where you can judge for yourself:

And yes, I'm sorry, but I also have to post the picture that proves I've been there!

The Alamo itself could be considered small (although in my opinion it isn't), but the surrounding park (Gift Shop, Research Library and another unidentified building) is quite big compared to the size of the Alamo itself.

This is for instance, the entrance to the right of the main entrance (the classic postcard picture), very "Old World" feeling (as the rest of the structure):


For those visitors not familiar with the Battle Of The Alamo, the RiverCenter Mall has an IMAX Theater that offers 45 minutes screening for roughly $8, a short movie explaining the big Ws: What, Why, When, and Who.

Here's the monument erected on the left side of the Alamo to remember the soldiers who have fought this battle, brave till the end.



Our next stop of the day is right next door to the Alamo and the RiverFront Mall, actually right beside a big building that used to be Dillard's and now is in the process of closing down.



The Cathedral is beautiful on the outside as it is on the inside. The colorful stained glass windows are both in English and German, as this Cathedral has been mainly built the the generous help of German worshippers.

We spent some time inside the church admiring the fine architecture and talking with the guy up above, until it was time to go to our next stop on the list, the Riverwalk, or as the Spanish calls it, "El Paseo Del Rio".

RiverWalk is everywhere in downtown San Antonio, I love looking at water in the middle of a big American city, especially when it is as hot and muggy as it was here today. San Antonio certainly did the trick for me.

The next picture has been taken inside the shopping mall, so yes, the shopping mall has been basically built around the river!

This is where the river "visually ends", with a small bridge where tourists can take their picture.

I must admit the whole stretch inside the shopping mall is very nice, with several bridges, and a small river boat that visitors can hop on (after you purchase the ticket that is), to enjoy more of this beautiful attraction.

RiverWalk goes on and on, for instance, this is another bridge some minutes away from where the other picture has been taken.

RiverWalk is even better at night, when visitors have the chance to enjoy one of the many beautiful restaurants facing the riverfront.

We decided to give "Acenar" a try. It's a Mexican Restaurant right on Houston Street that looking at the menu and their dish presentation, obviously has a modern American influence.

We got a "Balcony" table, that certainly enhanced the overall experience.

I had a classic beef fajitas, and Hap had for the first time in his life "Cabrito En Chile Ancho", that basically translates for you as "Baby Goat"! He said it was good...!

Going back to our mid afternoon tour, we decided to give the San Antonio Missions Trail a try, although we knew that being already after 5PM, they would have all been closed.

There are five Missions in San Antonio, with the first and most important one being San Jose:

Here's the entrance to the Mission:

And here is a shot of the San Jose Mission from the back, as it was impossible to stop at the front with the car without the risk of being run over by oncoming traffic.

Considering this was a shot I took from "The Bug", I think I did a pretty good job for an amateur!

The second mission we decided to go visit was "Mission Concepcion" (the Conception).

As soon as I looked at it, it was almost like getting on a plane and being catapulted back home in Sardinia, I loved it!

This was such a neat place, it would be perfect for a wedding!

I can picture the groom and the bride with the photographer taking pictures of the two of them under the "Portico" next to the Church.

I'm only sorry we couldn't explore the inside, as I really wanted to see if the beauty and the simplicity of the outside were also matched on the inside.

I'm looking forward to do that tomorrow, as our journey through the States will also take us 80 miles Northeast of San Antonio to the Live Music Capital of the World, Austin, Tx.

It should be quite an easy ride, and we also have a hotel over there, which will certainly make it easier for us (less to think about while enjoying our sightseeing tours).

One thing I'm also glad I've been able to do lately during this trip is to watch the Olympic Games in Beijing. It almost feel like they knew we were going to be on a Road Trip and they decided to schedule the events to accomodate our schedule (yeah right! LOL).

Well, I'm seriously enjoying watching the Olympics, and rooting for Team USA (when they're not competing against Italy that is...!).

Good night Little "Crocketts",

Nico