San Antonio Strollin'

"Now I'll sing it to you

Just so we both can do

That ol' San Antonio stroll..."

I won't be singing to you, but I will write about our weekend trek to San Antonio. And I'll share a photo, or two, or three.

On Thursday night, we got the idea to take a road trip. Spontaneity can be fun -- especially when all of the details fall neatly into place.


We booked our room at the Embassy Suites Riverwalk and set our tentative agenda for fun and adventure in the Alamo City. Mr. Smith and I decided that we should spring Millie from school early on Friday. She had two tests in the morning, but her afternoon workload was very light -- perfect for skipping school. When we went to her school to get her, the office staff didn't even question why we were taking her out of school early. That was easy! 


The other two Smithlings were free from school, dance, and work obligations on both Friday and Saturday. (Well, one of the Smithlings had to miss a ballet class and rehearsal on Saturday morning... Oh, well!) Thankfully, Mr. S. only had a few things to cross off his Friday morning work to-do list. We packed, loaded up the family car, and hit the road.

¡Ay, caramba!

This was my first trek to this historic and culturally-rich city. Little did we know that our mini vacation was on the opening weekend of "Fiesta." The sights, sounds, and smells made for sensory overload. It was hard to take it all in. 

The Riverwalk was busy, too, but far less crowded than the area where the Fiesta events were taking place. Strolling along the meandering walkways was much more relaxing than being pushed and shoved in a large crowd.

 Dinner and song at "Republic of Texas" 

Millie booted me from my usual behind-the-camera location, so I am in at least ONE photograph from this outing.


On Saturday morning, we walked about four blocks from our hotel to the Alamo. There was a ceremony taking place to commemorate the 176th anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto. This was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution where the battle cry, "Remember the Alamo!" was used by Sam Houston and his troops as they defeated General Santa Ana.

Bagpipes at the Alamo? Apparently there were three Scots killed by the Mexican troops at the The Battle of the Alamo, so the pipes are being played in their honor at this memorial ceremony.

This is Miss Millie's filtered view of the Alamo.

Here's my shot at capturing the Alamo -- in a digital kind of way.

I love the smiling (and not-so-smiley) faces in the picture. I'm not positive, but the guy in the Mexican officer's uniform might have been sucking on lemons. It looks that way, any way. Or maybe he's asleep on his feet. Aside from sour expressions, the funniest thing is the sign for the Crockett Motel in the upper right corner of this pic. From this vantage point, it almost appears as if the Alamo is the Crockett Motel. I am sure the King of the Wild Frontier would be soooo pleased to know that a no-tell motel bears his name.

Our seventh grade student has been studying Texas history this year, so the trip to see San Antonio landmarks was timely. Not only did she know all about the historic battle that took place here, she also knew details about FDR and his WPA-built projects. The Riverwalk was constructed from 1939-1941 as a WPA project. So there's your mini history lesson for the day. ;-) 


Don't fret, there will not be a pop quiz.

Oh, yum! These are truly delicious shortbread crackers. Legend has it that Crockett, Bowie, and Travis had these gems stocked in the Alamo pantry at all times.

Riverwalkers

 Yes, I made my husband stop the car alongside a two-lane highway just so I could get this photo.

We took the scenic route back home, driving through Fredricksburg. We will definitely need to make a trip back there at a later date. There are shops, wineries, German eateries, cute B&Bs, and some interesting looking museums to explore.

This road trip certainly proved to be quite productive, as my eldest daughter even found her knight in shining armor in Fredricksburg. So this must be what a long, tall Texan looks like, sans the ten-gallon hat.