San Antonio, Texas

 January 9-15, 2014

San Antonio-Alamo KOA

San Antonio did not disappoint.....what a beautiful tourist destination. The Alamo, the Hemisfair Park, La Valitta, River Walk...amazing.  I've already emailed Sandra, Regina, Mark and Michael that this is the place to visit and to stay at the Westin on the River Walk; there you are waking in the morning; taking a morning walk to take in the sights and returning to your hotel for a morning breakfast on the River!!  However, I'm only recommending this place for its location...I have no knowledge of its amenities!

 

This KOA is not in the greatest area (however, if you are here for a Spurs game or for the Rodeo in February, you have the right place!!) but we are in a gated area and five minutes from all that's happening, so, it's where we need to be.   Ken was happy to find there was a beautiful and long bike path that went through and beyond the park and managed to get out every day for a wonderful bike ride.





We arrived on Thursday; woke Friday to some rainy, dreary weather. So, we took off for Camping World....yay, the place where all full-time rv'ers go to spend a lot of money...and that we did!! 

Now to San Antonio....we finally had our best tourist weather; sunny and in the low 70's.  We were determined to truly take advantage of this.  We jumped on the "hop-on, hop-off" bus which is a great way to get a first glimpse of any city. 

Hemisfair Park:  Built in 1968 (the year I graduated from high school) for the Worlds Fair.  After walking through the beautiful grounds with water features throughout, we headed to the Tower of the Americas, a 750 foot observation tower and restaurant/lounge.  It took approximately 18 months to construct the tower.  The tophouse of the building was constructed at ground level and hoisted to the top of the poured concrete shaft. As the tophouse was being hoisted into place,  some of the cables used to hoist it snapped, leaving it resting on and precariously tilted on the Tower’s shaft. Eventually, oil field pipes were used in lieu of cables to complete the job.

There are 952 steps up the tower, but of course, we chose to take the elevator to the top where we enjoyed panoramic views of San Antonio.

Remember I mentioned the "Six Flags Over Texas" in the last blog. Well, I did some checking. Those six flags are:  Spain, Mexico, France, Republic of Texas, Confederate States of America and United States of America.  And, of course, the seventh flag (not official except in Laredo) Republic of the Rio Grande.

 

 

 

Next stop...Market Square, a/k/a El Mercado, a three-block outdoor plaza lined with restaurants, shops and produce stands. Dozens of shops sell everything from hand-embroidered dresses to leather belts. Market Square's working artists, musicians, dancers and major cultural events give it a lively cultural atmosphere.  There are 32 shops at El Mercado, and 80 specialty shops in the Farmers Market Plaza.  We enjoyed a great Mexican lunch at the outside café at La Margarita and, yes, enjoyed that margarita too!!

Tower Life Building
 

Fountains at Hemisfair Park 



Okay, whose nose is bigger?
 

The Bexar County Courthouse is the largest and oldest continuously operated historic courthouse in Texas.

 

Mural located outside El Mercado
 



Sunday, not as nice weather-wise, we joined all the other visitors at the Alamo. 

Construction on the Alamo began in 1724. This building, now called The Shrine, which is dedicated to the memory of the men who fell in the defense of the Alamo; and the Long Barrack still remain.  The Long Barrack is now used as a museum and was rebuilt from the remains of the original.  The Daughters of the Republic of Texas have been responsible for the care and maintenance of the Alamo "as a sacred memorial to the heroes who immolated themselves upon that hallowed ground."  They have added the sales museum gift shop, a former San Antonio fire station that now serves as a meeting hall, the stone walls and arches that surround the Alamo, and the DRT Library.

We continue to remember the Alamo as a heroic struggle against overwhelming odds -- a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. The Alamo remains hallowed ground and the shrine of Texas liberty.

Next stop:  The River Walk.  The San Antonio River Walk (also known as Paseo del Río) is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath the streets of  San Antonio.  We hopped on one of the Rio sightseeing boats and relived some of the history of the reasoning behind and the construction of the River Walk. 

Since we started getting rained on, we decided to save further exploration of the River Walk for another day.  We were once again blessed with some nice sightseeing weather (what???  Is our luck changing??)

This time we walked around the horseshoe of the River Walk, climbing the steps up to the roadways when there was a sight we wanted to see.

First stop was San Fernando Cathedral which was founded in 1731 and is the oldest, continuously functioning religious community in the State of Texas.  After the Battle of the Alamo, all deceased soldiers were put in a pile and burned.  Some of these ashes are held in a marble coffin in the left vestibule of the Cathedral and are in honor of the heroes of the Alamo, including Davy Crockett, William B. Travis and Jim Bowie. 

Next stop La Villita Historic Arts Village.  Located on the south bank of the San Antonio River, La Villita was one of San Antonio’s first neighborhoods. It was originally a settlement of primitive huts for the Spanish soldiers stationed at the Mission San Antonio de Valero (the Alamo). Later it became the site of General Santa Ana's cannon line in the Battle of the Alamo.  Late in the 19th century, European immigrants from Germany and France moved into the area and became San Antonio’s business leaders, bankers, educators, and craftsmen.  The first part of the 20th century saw LaVallita's decline into a slum area.  As ground broke on the San Antonio River Walk development, it was preserved as a colorful part of  San Antonio’s history and today is a thriving art community.

Ken was having so much fun shopping, he neglected to take any pictures here. (hehehe).

After such a long day, we decided to forego the Rivercenter Mall (after all, how much shopping can one man take in one day).

We visited the River Walk one last time for a wonderful diner at the Saltgrass Steak House.  It was so calm sitting under the stars and full moon over the river and watching the world go by.

 We've truly enjoyed it here and I look forward to returning some day.

The Alamo Cenotaph marks the area where the heroes of the Alamo
were piled and burned.

A mural make of mosaic tiles located near the River Walk

One of my favorite buildings,
The Emily Morgan Hotel

Our dessert, which we did not finish!!

We got news today that our first great-granddaughter, as yet unnamed, arrived today, January 15, 2014, at 1:01 p.m., weighing in at 7 lbs. 3 oz.  We are truly, once again, blessed.  Congratulations, Cassidy! Can't wait to meet the little miss! (Those are definitely Addie's lips!)














We leave San Antonio tomorrow for two weeks of R and R at our Thousand Trails membership park at Medina Lake (however, there are rumors that the Lake has dried up!)