Tuesday, March 31, 2009

San Antonio, Texas











We wrapped up our visit in San Diego Monday, March 23, and on the 24th we were in Goodyear, Arizona (just outside Phoenix) for four nights. Initially we were just going to be passing through, but it turned out that friends of ours (Janness & Nate) were also traveling through the same time, and RV friends (Jack & Marge) who we met on the road in Mission, Texas had moved to the area, so we decided to stay a few days so we could visit with everyone. We’re glad we did, it was really great to see old and new friends, and catch up with what’s been happening in everyone’s lives.

March 26th found us on the road again, to Deming, New Mexico for one night, Balmorhea, Texas the next night, and San Antonio on the 28th. We planned ahead to stay four nights in San Antonio as we had not been here before, and wanted to do a little touring before going to Livingston for the following three weeks. We set aside Monday the 30th to tour downtown San Antonio, which included The Alamo, The San Antonio River Walk, and the Spanish Governor’s Palace.

The Alamo is right in the middle of downtown San Antonio, a humble structure from the past, a mission originally, surrounded by towering high rises, business people caught up in the work-a-day world, and tourists wandering through the grounds and buildings. No photographs are allowed inside the buildings, but we were able to get a few nice shots of the outside. Dan had just recently finished reading the book “Texas” by James Michener, so much of the historical information was fresh in his mind.

When we were done at the Alamo, we walked over to the San Antonio River Walk, (also known as Paseo del Río), a tree-lined network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River beneath downtown (one level down from the automobile street). The majority of businesses along the Walk are bars, hotels, and restaurants, and is a huge tourist attraction. You can walk along both sides of the river, or take a guided tour in a water taxi. Dan and I chose to walk and enjoy the beautiful scenery at a leisurely pace. After eating lunch at the Rio Rio Cantina, we headed out to the Spanish Governor’s Palace a few blocks away.

Originally built in 1722 to protect the mission (Alamo) and its surrounding colony, the Spanish Governor's Palace became the seat of the Tejas government and capital building of the Tejas (Texas) region in 1772 for the Spanish Province. The Governor's Palace is the only remaining example in Texas of an aristocratic early Spanish house. This was the residence of the presidio captain who represented the King of Spain (Ferdinand) in the Governor's absence. We also made a brief visit to the San Fernando Cathedral which was just a couple blocks from the Palace.

The pictures above are: The Alamo (front doors into Church section); a section of the River Walk; me sitting in the courtyard of the Governor’s Palace; San Fernando Cathedral.

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