San Antonio

After our relaxing stays in Galveston and in Palmetto state park, we drove only about an hour to get to San Antonio. We had heard great things about the city and were not disappointed. The Riverwalk - a pedestrian-friendly area along the river that is one storey lower than the street - is full of amazing sights and is a really relaxing way to get around on foot. Even at street level, we found San Antonio to be great for walking.

The day we arrived we spent a little time on the Riverwalk exploring, and ate our packed lunch at the Arneson River theatre. We explored the nearby La Villita, a car-free neighbourhood full of lively shops and cafes. We enjoyed window shopping (and some ice cream!) before heading back to the river. A short walk took us to The Alamo where we learned a great deal about the history of the area and about the fierce independence and fighting spirit of Texas. The Alamo is the most sacred place we have visited so far in America - in the church everyone spoke in whispers and we were forbidden from taking photos. The courtyard was beautiful, and there was a living history exhibit as well as a nice archaeological exhibit on site.

After visiting The Alamo we headed to the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum, which was about as different from the Alamo as possible. The Alamo is a free, historic, special place. The Buckhorn is more commercial, sometimes bizarre, and also special in its own way. The museum begins in the saloon and the adjoining second floor rooms where there is a huge collection of animal trophies and related information. After the trophies we visited some strange illusions as well as a sideshow exhibit. The last part of the museum was dedicated to the history of the Texas Rangers and included a neat recreation of an old west town. Such a strange combination of things...but definitely fun!

We camped that night and the following night at the nearby KOA. It was our first experience with a KOA, and it was definitely different than the state and private parks we had been frequenting. The hospitality was fabulous, but the ambiance left something to be desired as it was more built up than we were used to. Our tent camping neighbours were a family on spring break from California, and there were few other tenters the first night. The girls had a nice swim before bed.

The following day we went back into town after a quiet morning when the girls played ‘Apples to Apples’ with some other kids they met at the KOA playground. We went into town after lunch, and first drove to the Japanese Tea Garden. I know...it doesn’t sound like a Texas thing, but is a beautiful garden built and maintend inside an old limestone quarry. It was beautiful! After enjoying the garden we drove downtown and visited the San Fernando Cathedral before heading back the the river for a boat tour. The tour gave us a nice overview of the area and local history. We tried afterwards to visit a local sculpture garden, but it was closed for a private function. We walked to Mi Tierra Care y Panaderia in the historic Market for some dinner. The restaurant was busy and clearly attracts lots of tourists, but the food was really good and the atmosphere was magical (in an overwhelmingly colourful way).

We all loved San Antonio. Great for walking, lots to look at, important history, friendly people...we aren’t visiting that many cities but this is one I’m glad we didn’t miss.

Lovely decor at Mi Tierra Cafe