For those of you that have never been there, the Riverwalk is basically an area in downtown San Antonio where they diverted the San Antonio River. It basically forms a U, branching off of the main river and joining up with it again downstream. The Riverwalk is lined with places to eat, shop and to just sight see. It's a really neat place to just relax and enjoy some good food.
Of course the Riverwalk isn't the only attraction in San Antonio. There is also The Alamo. Those of you not familiar with Texas history have certainly at least heard the phrase, "Remember the Alamo".
A VERY large Cactus inside the Alamo.
For those of you that are interested, here is a little history on the Alamo... San Antonio and the Alamo played a critical role in the Texas Revolution. In December 1835, Ben Milam led Texian and Tejano volunteers against Mexican troops quartered in the city. After five days of house-to-house fighting, they forced General Marín Perfecto de Cós and his soldiers to surrender. The victorious volunteers then occupied the Alamo — already fortified prior to the battle by Cós' men — and strengthened its defenses.
On February 23, 1836, the arrival of General Antonio López de Santa Anna's army outside San Antonio nearly caught them by surprise. Undaunted, the Texians and Tejanos prepared to defend the Alamo together. The defenders held out for 13 days against Santa Anna's army. William B. Travis, the commander of the Alamo sent forth couriers carrying pleas for help to communities in Texas. On the eighth day of the siege, a band of 32 volunteers from Gonzales arrived, bringing the number of defenders to nearly two hundred. Legend holds that with the possibility of additional help fading, Colonel Travis drew a line on the ground and asked any man willing to stay and fight to step over — all except one did. As the defenders saw it, the Alamo was the key to the defense of Texas, and they were ready to give their lives rather than surrender their position to General Santa Anna. Among the Alamo's garrison were Jim Bowie, renowned knife fighter, and David Crockett, famed frontiersman and former congressman from Tennessee.
The final assault came before daybreak on the morning of March 6, 1836, as columns of Mexican soldiers emerged from the predawn darkness and headed for the Alamo's walls. Cannon and small arms fire from inside the Alamo beat back several attacks. Regrouping, the Mexicans scaled the walls and rushed into the compound. Once inside, they turned a captured cannon on the Long Barrack and church, blasting open the barricaded doors. The desperate struggle continued until the defenders were overwhelmed. By sunrise, the battle had ended and Santa Anna entered the Alamo compound to survey the scene of his victory.
The Alamo....
A stop for a snack on the Riverwalk to cool off...it was over 100 degrees as we were walking around touring the Alamo.
Dinner at Las Carinas, a historic hotel on the Riverwalk. It was a very nice atmosphere, but the food was highly disappointing...
Awwwh....the happy couple!
Day 2. We headed outside of the city for a run on the Hike-Bike Trail which connected the historic Spanish Missions. We took time to sight see at one of the missions as we cooled off after our run. It was still really hot in San Antonio, but the humidity was much milder, so the run wasn't too bad.
Lunch at Budro's on the Riverwalk after cleaning up. Now this is food I would HIGHLY recommend if you are ever in the area. We had Guacamole for 2 and it was awesome!
A look at Jay's new running hat. Lungs and legs, looks a lot like my hubby come to think of it!
One of the River boats used for tours on the river, the Miss Laura :-) Four Laura Bush though, not Laura Johns....
A view of the riverwalk from our table at lunch, there was a breeze today so it was not too bad for a summer day in Texas.
A more remote part of the riverwalk. Jay and I discovered this when we were walking around on Saturday afternoon and returned there for a run on Sunday morning. It didn't go quite as far as we thought, but it still made for a good run.
OK...one of my favorite parts of the whole trip...a candy covered apple. They basically take a healthy apple, roll it in caramel, nuts, toffee and chocolate...yum!!!
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