San Antonio - Church, the Alamo, and the Riverwalk (Day 7)

My day in San Antonio was wonderful - one of the best yet. San Antonio is only 79 miles away from Austin, so for starters the drive was wonderfully short. When I arrived in San Antonio it was too early to check into the hotel, so I simply parked my car and took advantage of the opportunity to check out the area.

The first place I stopped was the San Fernando Cathedral, a major San Antonio Landmark. It was founded in 1731, and the original church building was expanded in 1838. It's very beautiful inside, Pope John Paul II visited there, and masses from the Cathedral are often televised. My visit to San Antonio happened to be on a Sunday, and I needed to get to mass, so I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone - a little praying, a little sightseeing. It worked out well, although those of you who know me and know that I'm not big on the whole touchy-feely thing might get a kick out of learning that this is one of those churches where everyone holds hands during the Our Father and does a lot of other silly hand waving nonsense. Good thing I've perfected the "Tom McEvoy keep your arms folded across your chest during Mass" technique - it worked out well for me. Thanks Dad!

After Church I got to spend some time on the San Antonio Riverwalk (also known as the Paseo Del Rio, which is Spanish for, um, river walk). It is an absolutely beautiful 2 1/2 mile stretch of river with shops and restaurants built along a path that runs on either side. It's kind of a mini version of how I would imagine Venice to be. The riverwalk is accessed via stairs that lead up to the streets above, and many of these staircases have pretty fountains below or near them. There are plenty of places to eat, mostly Tex-Mex and steak, but also Italian and seafood places - even an Irish pub. I took note of some places that I thought I might want to try for dinner, and did a little souvenir shopping as well (oh yeah, Mary - to answer your question from last week, I'm collecting magnets from every place I visit!)

I exited the Riverwalk in the vicinity of the Alamo, the place around which San Antonio tourism is really centered. The tour of the Alamo itself is very brief; you just sort of walk in and walk through - the picture right shows the original mission building. Photos are not allowed inside, which I think is pretty cool, since it's a shrine to fallen heroes and photo taking would be disrespectful. There are signs outside telling men to remove their hats and asking people not to speak inside, which adds to the feeling of reverence. I found out something interesting about the battle that I didn't know before. Apparently Crockett and Travis, seeing how dire the situation was, actually gave all the men an opportunity to leave, but of the 200 men at the Alamo only one actually left; the rest chose to stay and fight, believing that saving the Alamo was the key to winning the war. I thought that was worth knowing. Afterward I walked over to see the more modern memorial which stands outside (thanks Andy - if I hadn't been looking for it I might have missed it). The memorial (pictured left) is really nice; the names of all the men killed are engraved on the side. Definitely worth seeing. Despite the fact that it was about 150 degrees outside, I really enjoyed my visit to the Alamo.

The rest of my day was great. The hotel I am staying at is really beautiful, right up the stairs from the river. I worked off some of the good food I had in Austin at the fitness center, then headed back to the riverwalk for some more fatty food at a really good place called, aptly, "The Republic of Texas." San Antonio in the evening is just as pretty, if not prettier, than San Antonio during the day. I am really loving every minute of this trip; my only complaint is that it's going by way too quickly. I can't believe it's already been a week!!