Friday, May 05, 2006
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
This year's Cinco de Mayo was a happy celebration in San Antonio. We woke up late and ate a quick continental breakfast at the hotel. Then it was time to explore San Antonio.
We headed downtown for the "not quite a trolley" bus tour, aptly named because the trolley was down for maintenence and they were using a bus instead that day. We got a general tour of the city and learned some of the city's history from our driver.
The first stop was at Concepcion Mission, one of the four main missions that the Spaniards set up in Texas. Then we went to El Mercado, a group of fifty shops specializing in Mexican clothing and arts & crafts. I wound up with a pink cowboy hat as we bought souvenirs. We ate a quick lunch at one of the Mexian restaurants and then headed outside to listen to the Mexican music and the Cinco de Mayo booths that were set up outside. There was this very talented duo on wind flutes and guitar. I put some money in the guitar case that they had set in front of them as they played. We looked at our watches and found that we had to quickly make it across the street to meet our bus.
Whew! We made it back just in time. We passed by La Villita, an historic arts village. It looked interesting, but we were pressed for time. Maybe we can spend more time next trip. The bus dropped us off at the last stop, The Alamo. I think that every school kid in Texas must have been out of school and on a tour of The Alamo that day. It was a very impressive place. We first visited the Shrine. It had some Davy Crockett artifacts and also a memorial plaque to the fallen in the Battle of The Alamo. I was surprised at how many different countries had been represented. In the Shrine, there was a guest book to sign. When it was my turn, I found out that the pen used to sign the hallowed guest book was out of ink. I took out my own pen and dated it Cinco de Mayo, 2006 and signed Marvin and me in. I left my pen there, my contribution to the Great State of Texas. We walked around the grounds and saw the barracks and living quarters, and saw a movie about the Battle of Alamo. Then we left and started on our way to Corpus Christi.
San Antonio is a great town full of history. I hope to visit there again when I have more time to spend.
We headed downtown for the "not quite a trolley" bus tour, aptly named because the trolley was down for maintenence and they were using a bus instead that day. We got a general tour of the city and learned some of the city's history from our driver.
The first stop was at Concepcion Mission, one of the four main missions that the Spaniards set up in Texas. Then we went to El Mercado, a group of fifty shops specializing in Mexican clothing and arts & crafts. I wound up with a pink cowboy hat as we bought souvenirs. We ate a quick lunch at one of the Mexian restaurants and then headed outside to listen to the Mexican music and the Cinco de Mayo booths that were set up outside. There was this very talented duo on wind flutes and guitar. I put some money in the guitar case that they had set in front of them as they played. We looked at our watches and found that we had to quickly make it across the street to meet our bus.
Whew! We made it back just in time. We passed by La Villita, an historic arts village. It looked interesting, but we were pressed for time. Maybe we can spend more time next trip. The bus dropped us off at the last stop, The Alamo. I think that every school kid in Texas must have been out of school and on a tour of The Alamo that day. It was a very impressive place. We first visited the Shrine. It had some Davy Crockett artifacts and also a memorial plaque to the fallen in the Battle of The Alamo. I was surprised at how many different countries had been represented. In the Shrine, there was a guest book to sign. When it was my turn, I found out that the pen used to sign the hallowed guest book was out of ink. I took out my own pen and dated it Cinco de Mayo, 2006 and signed Marvin and me in. I left my pen there, my contribution to the Great State of Texas. We walked around the grounds and saw the barracks and living quarters, and saw a movie about the Battle of Alamo. Then we left and started on our way to Corpus Christi.
San Antonio is a great town full of history. I hope to visit there again when I have more time to spend.
