Today we headed to downtown San Antonio. After about an hour of figuring out
where to park a 40 ft beast we took the city bus (we parked forever away) to historic Market Square. This is the the center of Mexican Culture. I had read about a famous Tex-Mex restaurant in my book "1,000 Place to See Before You Die in the United States and Canada" called Mi Tierra. So I was very much looking forward to going there for lunch. It didn't disappoint and we all enjoyed the atmosphere an
d our great food. We then walked to the River Walk. It was so beautiful. I really enjoyed it. From the street you would n
ever know that such an amazing river city lay below you. I reminded me of what Italy would be like. Waterways lined with restaurants, shops and hotels. Water taxis taking you up and down the river. One water taxi we saw served dinner as you floated and enjoyed the atmosphere. As we walked I along the river lined with trees I saw so much wildlife mixed in with the pedestrians. There were the baby chicks, the one red-eyed duck, the new born humming bird, and the duck in the waterfall that looked as if it was paid to pose for a picture. If it wasn't so hot and sticky in San Antonio I would move there just so that I could enjoy that walk on a daily basis.
We took the River Walk to the Alamo. We had the kids make a pamphlet with questions about the Alamo before we left the motorhome. When they arrived they were anxious to find the answers to the questions they had written. Here is the basic Alamo history for those of you who do not "remember the Alamo".The Alamo was built in the 18th century as a Mission by the Spanish Empire called "Mission San Antonio de Valero." It was used for 75 years to educate Native Americans and convert them to Christianity. It was abandoned and then used as a fortress for many military actions in the 19th century. The most famous of these was the 1836 Battle of the Alamo. Texas was in a 10 year struggle for independence from Mexico. The Texian and Tejano volunteers had won a few battles in the area against the Mexican troops. This did not make General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna very happy and he decided to to show the Texans he was the boss. So he led over 6,000 Mexican troops from Mexico City to the Alamo.
Inside the walls were a mere 160 men (there were also woman and children seeking safety behind the thick stone walls). One of those men was "the King of the Wild Frontier," Davey Crockett. Santa Anna and his troops attacked for 13 days but the defenders held there ground. One of the reasons they were able to hold the Mexican soldiers back from storming the walls was because the difference in weapons. The Mexicans had muskets which did not shot as far as the Texan's rifles. So they could shot the Mexican soldiers before they reached the wall. The defenders also had cannons which the Mexican soldiers didn't have. During the 13 days William B Travis, commander of the Alamo (also one of the youngest men at 26 years old) wrote many letters in search of backup from US troops and local volunteers. However, only one town, Gonzalas, on the eighth day sent 32 to help bring the total defenders up to 200.
Travis is remembered for drawling a line in the sand and saying, "those prepared to give their lives for freedoms cause, come over to me." Only one man did not cross the line. On the 13th night all got quiet and the defenders let down their guard. That's when Santa Anna's men scaled the wall and one of the first men to die was William Travis. By morning all the men were killed (except one slave, Travis's slave, the mexicans didn't believe in slaves so they released him). The Woman and children were allowed to live. The reason the Alamo is so respected today was these defender's willingness to die for their beliefs and their country.
Anyway, the Alamo was a
great history lesson for the boys and us as well. After the Alamo the boys went in a mirror maze. They had a blast bumping into the walls and trying to beat the maze record. Which both Tanner and Sterling did. Tanner's record 0f 26 seconds slaughtered the previous record and Sterling's record of 57 seconds with 3D glasses on also killed the 3D record. They went in the maze so many times they could practically do it with their eyes closed.
After the maze we headed back to the RV, had to find gas (which was very expensive $4.26 cents per gallon) and then drove to New Braunfels. We are staying the night at Walmart... again!
