San Antonio - A place for Canadians?

Funny thing happened on the way to Corpus Christi, we ended up in San Antonio.  We were talking about things to do in Corpus Christi vs. San Antonio and the fact that March break over runs Corpus Christi with college kids and general rowdiness.  We had planned a month in one and two weeks in the other so really just the timing has changed. 

We pulled into The Admiralty RV Resort on Friday Feb. 28 to spend the month.  This park is in the city so the sites are a little tighter than we like, but that's the price you pay for the convenience of being close to everything. It is an older park, but it is well kept with nice washrooms ,pool, and fitness center. 

We spent our first Saturday downtown at the "Riverwalk" which is a vibrant and fun place to visit on a nice warm, sunny day.  It is a sunken river in the middle of the city with shops and restaurants lining both sides.  We enjoyed this area very much and will return through-out the month, I'm sure.

You can ride around the canal on boats when you get tired of walking.

A rose among the thorns.

We sat in an open window for lunch and to watch the Mardis Gras floats on the river go by.

Had to try Alamo Beer a mile from The Alamo.

 

One of the Mardis Gras floats on the river.  Yes we caught some beads, even without flashing.

When we pulled into The Admiralty we noticed another trailer from Ontario straight across the road from us, eventually I asked where they are from;

Me- 'So where in Ontario are you from"?
Them- "Oshawa"
Me- "No way!, I'm from Oshawa too"
Them- "Ritson area"
Me- "No Way!, I'm from Ritson area too!"
Them- "You weren't the house that burned down were you?"
Me- "Yeah, we were!"

Turns out we have lived less than a mile apart in Oshawa and now we meet in Texas.

San Antonio has a new bike path that follows the San Antonio River and connects the old Missions The Alamo, Mission Concepcion, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan and Mission Espada.
It is 8 miles long and is a very nice ride.  Detra and I rode between San Jose and San Juan on a nice sunny day.  Riding a total of 10 km which is a good ride for Detra, considering her heart attack and by-pass last April.  When we signed the guest registry at the visitor center the guest above was from Whitby, ON. and at the next mission we met people from St. Catherines, ON.

Two days later we did the run from Mission Concepcion to The Alamo in downtown San Antonio.  It was a round trip of about 14km.

Mission San Jose

Original well

These missions are still being used for services.

Water flow is managed all along the trail.

Closer to downtown.

 

The bike path along the San Antonio.  Just finished last fall, $70 million spent on this and it is a huge plus for residents and visitors alike.  Grass is greener normally, but there has been a long drought in this area.

 

Mission San Juan

 



 

The anniversary of The Alamo takes place Feb. 23 to March 6 and there are re-enactors portraying the people who died in battle back in 1836.  200 against 4000 is never going to go well, but they held on waiting for help for 13 days before being overrun.

 

Memorials at The Alamo

Huge oak inside The Alamo

Mexican soldier

 

 

Unfortunately it was raining on Saturday and the re-enactment of the battle was cancelled which was very disappointing, but we did talk to and listen to tales told by the various people in costume which was informative and fun. 

 

One more restaurant to check off the DDD list Dough Pizzeria Napoletana.  It is a pizza place that makes their own dough, soda and cheese among many other things it serves.  The food is done in true Italian style and was delicious including a fantastic rice pudding and coming from me, a guy who doesn't like rice pudding, that is high praise.

 

The wood burning oven our dinner was cooked in.

 

 

We are enjoying our time here in San Antonio very much.  This city has a lot to offer with plenty of attractions and parks to keep you busy not to mention all the amenities a large city has to offer like the malls, shops and restaurants.  We hope to fit it all in with the time we have left.

 

Winter Texan,

Scott