The Best Mexican Food EVER

Wednesday afternoon, we ate lunch on the river. It was SO good! I've never had such good Mexican food! Yummy!

Sadly, I forgot the name of our restaurant, :( but this is it:

There were strolling mariachis all along that side of the river. So, we thought we maybe wanted them to sing and play for us... it would be so romantic. But, they CHARGE you $12 per song! We thought they worked off tips. Oh well, we could hear them sing to other people. :)

The ducks and pigeons stayed close by. If you got up from your table, the pigeons would move right in on your food. Yuck! But they left us alone... I was protective of my food! :)

Japanese Tea Gardens

Wednesday morning, we hopped the river taxi and took it as far as we could go...

Then we hopped a bus, had one transfer and arrived at the Japanese Tea Gardens. They were beautiful. They're called "sunken gardens" because it was an old rock quarry, so everything is in a huge basin. It was a free attraction :D, and didn't take long to walk through.

Ooh la, la!

Cruising the San Antonio River

The river has a taxi service called the "Rio Taxi." It is very expensive per ride (like almost $10). But for $15 per person, you can hop on and off for 24 hours! So, while still expensive, it is so fun and relaxing, plus you can get to a lot of different places without walking! So Tuesday evening we bought tickets and rode most of the day Wednesday, too. :)

Some of the sites:

At each underpass, a local "artist" was given the privilege of decorating it. So each one was totally different. Some were really beautiful, some were weird and some were...

One section of the river has just been renovated in the past few years, and it I think 8 or 9 feet higher, so they have locks for the rio taxi to pass through:

Fun, fun!

The Witte Museum

Tuesday afternoon we tried to get to the Witte Museum. We finally caught a bus and they directed us to another bus, which took us there. :) It was free after 2 p.m. :) Altogether I was disappointed in it. If we had paid $8 a piece I think I would've been mad... or maybe I would have appreciated it more!

These are the highlights:

This was my favorite part: All these trains designed and worn by royal women throughout history.

After the museum we had a terrific supper at Sonic!!

Remember the Alamo

The Alamo was amazing. We were able to spend more time here on Tuesday, and read everything. First of all, the structure we call "the Alamo" was the church of the entire fort. It was only a small part of the original "Alamo." Now it is a shrine inside. There are a few displays, and a lot of flower wreaths. You are not allowed to take pictures inside, and gentlemen are asked to remove their hats.

This is the view from the street.

This is from inside, but a different section than the above picture. This was the short barrack, an original structure... I think. It was huge and full of displays... guns and knives, pictures. Did you know there were survivors of the Alamo? Women and children who were there with their families were not killed. Amazingly, they were in a room in the church and when the soldiers found them, they did not kill them. After it was all over, Santa Anna gave them each a few dollars and a blanket and told them to leave.

Unbelievable Oak tree!

These are some diagrams of the original compound. The small structure top right is the church.

An actual cannon used in the Battle of the Alamo

The next day we went to see an IMAX about the Alamo. Then we came back once again. The story was unbelievable. They were fighting for the freedom of Texas and it seemed so vain. But it kept Santa Anna's army away from Sam Houston and his army long enough to build that army. They defeated Santa Anna just a short time later!

Spanish Governor's Palace

Before you get lured into the luxurious idea of a palace, let me explain. This is from the 1700s. There was no such thing as luxury. I'm sure it was very nice for its time, like it doesn't have dirt floors. :)

The outside:

The living room:

This was an addition from the 1930s. It is a children's bedroom. The bed is very ornate, and I think it's kinda creepy. :)

The terrace: (with a handsome man)

I probably should get this picture out when I feel like complaining about cooking. The kitchen:

Stairs to the loft:

The loft where herbs were hung to dry and grain was stored:

Together:

San Fernando Cathedral

On Tuesday morning, we bought day passes for the trolley and bus. We hopped on right in front of our hotel, and rode to San Fernando Cathedral.
Just inside were the remains of a few Alamo heroes.

Inside the beautiful building:

The outside:

It was a beautiful sight to see. It just made me so sad to see the people come in, pay money, light a candle, and pray to Mary. To them, it's just a ritual for the most part, something they have to do. I think San Antonio needs church planters!