We arrived in San Antonio the most historic city in Texas. San Antonio’s old Spanish flavour, multicultural heritage and is site of the famous Alamo Mission. “Remember the Alamo!” was the battle cry that inspired Texans during their war for independence against Mexico (1835-1836).
Arriving at the Alamo, we watched the movie “Introducing The Alamo,” produced by the History Channel that chronicles the 1836 battle. It was yet another American history lesson for us. We have learnt so much interesting American history on these travels. What is fascinating is that each state tells their version of history, focusing mainly only on history that affected them specifically. Therefore, to get the complete American history we did need to travel across the USA.
The Alamo San Antonio Texas
The secularized mission of the Alamo was the site of the thirteen days bloody siege against the Mexican dictator Santa Anna that ended the lives of 189 Americans. The heroic stand by the Alamo defenders was not in vain for the battle at Alamo gave General Sam Houston time to organize his troops and 46 days after the fall of the Alamo he inspired his troops with his cry, “Remember the Alamo!” and launched a furious attack on Santa Anna’s troops in the battle of San Jacinto. After 18 minutes of fighting, the Texans emerged victorious and the Texas Republic was born.
We toured the museum, viewing artefacts, weapons and uniforms. There is a historical exhibit that depicts the nearly 300 years of Alamo history. It describes the evolution of the Alamo from a Spanish mission to a current day Shrine. Behind the Alamo shrine we walked into a delightful garden, lush and green with local plants, a place now of peace and comfort.
A few blocks from the Alamo is the San Fernando Cathedral the oldest parish in Texas. In the sanctuary, is a marble coffin said to hold the remains of the Texas heroes from the Alamo battle such as James Bowie and Davey Crockett Texan legendary figures. We continue to explore San Antonio and learn about Texan legends.
San Fernando Cathedral San Antonio
Coffin of Alamo Defenders
We arrived at the Spanish Governor’s Palace to be greeted by a welcoming aroma of a wood burning fireplace. It was chilly outside and the warmth and glow of the fireplace was inviting. The building was the original seat of government in the early 1700s. Commandants of Presidio de Bexar and many Spanish governors lived and ruled in the building some adding additional rooms over the years. The beautiful hand carved doors, low beam ceilings, and mosaic tiled patio are typical of Colonial Spain. We sat in the courtyard just enjoying the beauty and quietness of the surroundings and Tom deciding he could live here, but soon it was time to move on.
Spanish Governer's Palace Courtyard
The River Walk runs through the heart of the business district. The river walk was developed as a project to tame the flood prone San Antonio River after a particularly devastating flood in1921 that killed 50 people and caused millions of dollars of damage. The architect Robert Hugman plan was not only to control flooding but also to beautify the city.
River Walk in San Antonio
The section of the river walk that is below street level is the prettiest place in the city. It meanders for 2.5 miles through the downtown area and is lined with hotels, restaurants and speciality shops. Picturesque stone pedestrian bridges arch across the waters. The vegetation is lush, and ducks swim amongst the barges that tour the river.
We arrived as they were preparing for the festive Holiday Lights Barge Parade. We decided to have something to eat and stay the evening to watch the parade.
A City Retreat
We entered the “authentic Brazilian steakhouse,” the Fogo de Chão. We had no idea of what we were in for and soon found ourselves being introduced t the culture of churrasco the Gaucho way of preparing meat. Different cuts and types of meat are expertly roasted over pits of open fire for delicious barbecues, the servers walk around the restaurant with different options of meats; beef, pork, lamb or chicken, and you choose your meat and eat as much and as often as you like. We felt so spoilt it was such a treat to have such a special meal.
Fogo De Chao (Picture from their site)
After supper, we headed to find a spot amongst the 150,000 spectators lining the route of the parade. We were fortunate to not only meet some really friendly Texans but also be close enough to enjoy the parade. The music was loud and joyous, the colourful barges decorated with lights, bands and happy folk, it was a festive atmosphere and we loved the spectacle. We left before the parade had finished making our way through the crowds, crossing bridges and enjoying the parade from different viewpoints as we made our way to the bus stop. It had been a wonderful day.
Holiday Light Barge Parade
San Antonio Holiday Light Festives
The San Antonio Missions are a chain of missions established by the Spanish along the San Antonio River in 1770s. Collectively they are the largest concentration of Catholic missions in North America. They were built by Spain in order to claim the land. However, the Spanish people back in Spain declined the offer to colonize the claimed land, so the Spanish Government encouraged Coahuiltecan Indians to join them with offers of Spanish citizenship and land with the hope of colonizing the land with converted Indian citizens of Spain.
San Juan Mission
We arrived at the San Juan Capistrona Mission early in the morning. We entered the little church and immediately felt a sense of peace. It is a small intimate church, we were alone it was so quiet we were tempted to wait until mass which was scheduled to be held later that morning. We wandered through the remains of the mission and imagined the days when it was full of life, Indians living there with the Franciscan missionaries with promises of becoming a Spanish citizen and learning the ways of the “new world.”
A Peaceful Chapel San Juan
The mission of San José is known as the “Queen of the Missions” It is beautiful having been restored and rebuilt. We had an excellent guided tour, which explained the history, the community life and unique church architecture. Life on the mission for the Indians was difficult despite being taught new skills, religion and languages, (Spanish and Latin) only 30% of them survived the ravages of the infectious diseases, which the Spanish brought with them from Europe.
San Jose Mission
Rise Window in San Juan Chapel
We left to tour the Hill Country of Texas and we loved the area. Sparse and wild with cows in the fields, farms along the way and quaint towns. In fact, the following morning the crows of a rooster woke us up. Life in the country suits us.
Making hay while the sun shines must have been the motto of the artists that created these wonderful hay people in the field. We just happened to find them when we took a wrong turn. We were amazed at the size of them; they are great. Everything is bigger in Texas.
Janet and Tom
Resting in San Antonio under the Trees
22 Days to Christmas
