Advertisement
Published: July 28th 2019
Although we travel a couple of times per year, trips to destinations in our own country have been more limited in the last several years. We had both wanted to visit the great State of Texas but somehow, we had always put off a visit there. And, while I had never been to the “Lone Star” state, as a young child my husband had been through the ‘panhandle’ with his parents when they took long driving trips every summer.
Texas is famous for many things and places: being part of the ‘Wild West’; the famous Battle of the Alamo where the Texans fought for independence from Mexico; being the home of the notorious outlaws Bonnie & Clyde as well as the famous Texas Rangers who finally ended the pair’s robbery and murdering spree; vast oil fields; the Trail of Spanish Missions; home of Longhorn cattle and armadillos; and, the Texas Hill Country bursting with wildflowers, especially Bluebonnets! However, Texas, and Dallas in particular, may be remembered by most as the place where the assassination of President John F. Kennedy took place in 1963.
Even with a busy 2019 travel calendar, I was surprised when my husband gave me a
trip to Texas as a Christmas present! It wasn’t long before we had planned our 6-night itinerary with only a few details left to arrange.
Leaving home on a Sunday, we had an excellent flight on American Airlines and noticed later that the FC Dallas pro soccer team had also been on board. Flight time was just over 3 hours as our flight route was somewhat diverted due to weather in Texas, a factor which would play a major role at the end of our trip. The Dallas-Ft. Worth airport is enormous, but so well thought out that we had collected our baggage and were riding the bus to the outlying rental car building in just half an hour. There we picked up our economical VW Jetta for the week.
Our somewhat ambitious itinerary called for beginning the 4-hour drive south on I-35 to San Antonio immediately upon leaving the airport. The plan was to spend 3 nights in San Antonio, then head back north to spend a day/night each in Fredericksburg, Waco, and Dallas. The drive south on I-35 was nerve wracking but we looked forward to having a relaxing evening at our San Antonio hotel.
For our stay we had chosen the Hotel Valencia River Walk in the city’s charming old downtown area as it was close to nearly all the sites we hoped to see. Our Bed & Breakfast package included a very comfortable room, full American breakfast each day, and valet parking -- a valuable asset in this part of town -- and late checkout. For many years now we have taken a trip to celebrate our wedding anniversary and we considered this Texas trip to be our anniversary trip. To help us celebrate, the Valencia gifted us with a bottle of champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries. Nice touch!
The Valencia Hotel’s pleasing décor pays tribute to the Spanish Colonial era of the region. Its in-house restaurant is the excellent Argentinian-inspired Dorrego’s. We had breakfast there each morning and had a light supper along with a Margarita or good Texas beer on its terrace each evening as a way to wind down after sightseeing. We always enjoyed our time there with the soft, warm breezes rising from the River Walk and seeing the twinkling lights of the city skyline.
Being interested in architecture, I enjoyed seeing San Antonio’s interesting mix of styles
because it made for so much visual interest in this area. The old downtown seems to be undergoing some rejuvenation, and restoration but also has new building projects; one is an interesting looking hotel being built close to the River Walk which appears to have each floor jutting out on a different angle.
In fact, so much of the way this part of San Antonio looks today is due to it being host to "HemisFair ‘68", an international exposition drawing 30 country participants coinciding with the 250
th anniversary of the city’s founding, San Antonio launched a massive building project: an extension of the River Walk with its winding riverside pathways to connect with a new Fair Grounds; the Tower of the Americas, a mini-monorail constructed to connect the country pavilions; and the riverside Convention Center Theatre (now the Lila Cockrill Theatre) with its massive 130-foot wide, 30-foot tall tile mosaic, titled “Confluence,” by noted Mexican artist and architect, Juan O'Gorman. Also, especially notable is the 21-story Hilton Palacio del Rio Hotel, probably the first of its kind using almost entirely modular construction, it was completed in record time – 202 days. Each room module was constructed off site and
came complete with furnishings, lighting, all decorations, plumbing fixtures, and “even ash trays” before being hoisted and fixed into place. From this standpoint, the Hilton is an architectural treasure.
In addition, you can imagine the amount of new infrastructure which was needed, and unfortunately lots of vintage buildings were leveled to make way for these. Looking up at the early 20
th- century buildings near our hotel, I admired the detailed architectural elements which are no longer found in commercial buildings – some featured eye-catching Colonial Spanish motifs, interesting window and pediment styles, and one especially fine building even had gargoyles.
Although eager to explore the Riverwalk, we opted to put that off just a bit to visit the beautiful and historical San Fernando Cathedral (also variously called the Cathedral of our Lady of Candelaria and Guadalupe) located on Main Plaza. I was surprised to learn that both San Antonio as well as the Cathedral had roots springing from the Canary Islands. At the time, Mexico remained under Spanish rule with the predominant religion being Catholicism. Encouraged by the invitation of the King of Spain, Philip V, the Canary Islanders settled here and established this cathedral in 1731.
The Cathedral has other important historical connections though. In 1836, at the beginning of the siege of the Alamo, it was from this church’s tower that Mexican General Antonio Lopéz de Santa Anna hung a flag warning the Texan rebels that he would give “no quarter” and we know from historical accounts that he did, in fact, show no mercy. Ironically, the remains of Alamo heroes, Davy Crockett, David Bowie, and William Travis are interred in a small marble coffin in the entrance to the cathedral with a memorial plaque accompanying it which bears their likenesses. We spend a considerable amount of time admiring the sun-filled cathedral interior, its splendid altar, stained glass windows, statuary and more.
We had hoped to see the nearby Spanish Governor’s Palace, an 18
th century Spanish adobe, but it was closed on Mondays. We continued on towards San Antonio’s Market Square, or El Mercado. The pedestrian lane was decorated in anticipation of “Fiesta San Antonio” which is held every year in memory of the battles of the Alamo, and also San Jacinto. Fiesta San Antonio is the city’s major festival drawing tens of thousands of people each year. Historic Market Square, described by some
as being the heart of the city’s Mexican culture, is the largest Mexican market area outside of Mexico – several Mexican restaurants, and many shops selling Mexican-made products such as clothes, jewelry, sombreros, guitars, glazed terra cotta pots and figures, Día del los Muertos figurines and ceramics, t-shirt, and artwork of all kinds filled the shops here.
Our main reason for visiting Market Square was to have lunch at the legendary “Mi Tierra Café & Bakery” which has now been in business for nearly 80 years. Filled with balloons and flags for Fiesta, we immediately like the charming atmosphere of the restaurant and apparently so does the rest of the world!
We got in line to take a ticket and waited to be called to our table which really wasn’t long considering the number of people waiting! In the meantime, we wandered into the Café’s eclectic “Mariache Bar,” placing an order for drinks but also having a look around at the early Texas interior and at what seemed to be a shrine to Emiliano Zapata, the leader of Mexican revolutionary fame and proponent of the agrarianism movement. Beyond the bar was a beautiful room with a dramatic staircase
which looked as if it was part of a Spanish Colonial mansion.
Once seated, our waiter, Mr. Manuel Castro, quickly came to take our order. Mr. Castro, a gracious man, is a celebrity in his own right having worked at the restaurant for over 40 years. I ordered a bowl of Caldo del Mercado Tortilla Soup which was full of delicious shredded chicken, lovely broth, tortilla strips, avocado, cheese and thinly sliced vegetables. Rick also ordered a soup, Caldo Casero. A bowl of fresh taco chips, salsas and flour tortillas came with our meal. What a treat! We were much too full to even think about ordering a dessert from the fantastic bakery here in the café, so couldn't sample any of the dozens of offerings. Our waiter at Mi Tierra, Manuel Castro, was a gracious man and is a celebrity in his own right having worked here well over 40 years.
Needless to say that Mr. & Mrs. Pedro Cortez who opened their “Mi Tierra Café” in 1941 created a thriving business which is still family owned and operated today. The highly successful Café now includes a bakery and the restaurant which originally had only 3 tables
now fills an entire street block and seats 500 people! The very lengthy and interesting wall mural in one of the restaurant’s seating areas is appropriately titled, “The American Dream” – the Cortez’s certainly found their dream in America.
After lunch here we ambled back to the River Walk where we took a "Go Rio" afternoon electric boat cruise navigating a winding loop of the San Antonio River, much of it beneath a leafy canopy of trees which shaded us from the heat of the day. The narrated cruise was informative, scenic and so pleasant. There is so much to see and admire in this beautiful area of San Antonio. The Hard Rock Café was luckily just nearby so after the cruise we stopped in for a cold drink and surveyed the musical memorabilia on display which included items from Janis Joplin, Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly to name a few. I went to the “Rock Shop” to add a couple of Hard Rock's city pins to my growing collection.
Our last full day in San Antonio was largely devoted to seeing more of historic San Antonio. From Hotel Valencia we walked about 3 blocks to the famous
National Historic Landmark, “The Alamo.” Admission here is free, but we were glad we paid for the audio guides.
Just standing in proximity to the recognizable façade of the Alamo seemed to call for solemnity because although it is now a living museum, it is also hallowed ground for Texans and Americans in general. The Alamo began its life as a Spanish Mission and church, Mission San Antonio de Valero. The church is also the entry to a large enclosed compound and there are several buildings and areas to explore. The Alamo, which means cottonwood, is most remembered for the historic 1836 battle between Mexican General Santa Anna’s army, and the heroic, but vastly outnumbered Texans who fought for independence from Mexico. Though the battle was lost, the war was won --subsequently the Republic of Texas was born, and in 1846 Texas became the 28
th state admitted to the Union. Still today the battle cry, “Remember the Alamo,” is synonymous with Texas pride and tenacity, and the Texan rebels' admonishment, “Come and Take It,” (referring to the Gonzalez Cannon which the Mexican army tried to capture) evoke the stirring history of the Texas Revolution.
We spent a good
2 hours or so here wandering through the church, museum and grounds. There was an excellent, narrated slide show running continuously in a pavilion area to the rear of the grounds which explained the history of The Alamo and told of the men who fought and died here. It’s a very moving story and it’s difficult now to imagine the bloodshed and slaughter of courageous men taking place here. Not all of The Alamo remains as it was then, but this once unremarkable mission has evolved into a remarkable landmark; if we ever visit again we would pay for a guided tour. A very nice commemorative guidebook printed in full color and loaded with important facts and photos came home with us as a souvenir.
After a tasty lunch at the Iron Cactus Mexican Restaurant and Margarita Bar on the River Walk terrace, we retrieved our rental car for a drive out to see 2 more of the 5 Spanish missions on the
El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail, or simply the Mission Trail. We concentrated our visits on the restored 1720 Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo and the 1731 Mission
San Juan Capistrano. Amazingly, both missions have churches with active parishes.
The missions are connected to each other by a hike and bike path; the missions were built about 3 or so miles apart. They were intended to provide quarters, a place to farm, to work and for protection of some native tribes’ people from other hostile tribes. But most importantly they were built to spread Spanish influence northward and to spread the Catholic faith.
Spurred on by Spain’s desire not only to extend its empire northward, but to establish its own Spanish colonial culture by spreading the Catholic faith among natives in Texas, Franciscan Friars were funded by the Spanish Crown to establish church missions in what is now San Antonio. Recognizing the need for a water, timber and arable land, the Franciscans built a chain of missions, dams and aqueducts (acequias) along alternating sides of the San Antonio river. There is a U.S. National Park Visitor Center near the entrance where you can visit a small museum, see a 23-minute film entitled, “Gente de Razon” or “People of Reason,” or join a free guided tour of the mission led by a National Park Ranger.
Entering
the Mission San José through a gate in the stone walls enclosing the compound, I was amazed at the size of the complex – perhaps this is why Mission San José has been called “Queen of the Missions.” I was taken by the church from first glance with its elaborately sculptured façade and carved wooden doors. A nearby plaque indicates how the exterior of the church had once appeared and it was beyond anything I would have imagined -- smooth plaster over the rough rock walls and entirely painted in colorful and intricate detail. Though only faded fragments are left, you can still get some idea of what it might have looked like.
We entered the church through a side door where firstly we saw a small side altar devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe, then going into the sanctuary was a beautiful sight -- the altar painted a heavenly shade of blue, beautiful crucifix, gold-leaf covering carved ornamentation, and statuary-filled niches. It was quite unexpected to see this kind of detail inside and therefore the church should not to be judged solely by its somewhat rough exterior.
The baroque “La Ventana de Rosa” on a long side
wall is a beautiful piece of the church’s sculptural detail, but oddly contains no stained glass. Walking around the perimeter of the mission walls revealed plain stone living quarters the doors of which were covered by rough wooden arbors. A few stone arches built into the protective stone walls led to fields beyond the enclosure.
We could have easily spent more time here but we still wanted to see Mission San Juan de Capistrano (not to be confused with the California mission of the same name) which was several miles further on. Mission San Juan is smaller with ruins of low stone walls, and the white-washed church topped by three bells which stands to one side. The church here is diminutive in comparison to Mission San José y San Miguel and definitely more primitive with its narrow nave, short pews, rough wooden ceiling beams, and small lighted altar with statuary. Although quite plain, it does have 4 small, oval shaped paintings attached to the altar but these were almost overlooked. Two buildings, perhaps once homes, were tagged as private property and another old stone building had mostly collapsed and we didn’t have much interest in examining it closer. We
probably spent only a half hour or so here, but I’m glad we saw this mission. It is interesting to note that the church continues to serve a small parish.
Visiting San Antonio was a great introduction to Texas, but our time here was rapidly drawing to a close. We enjoyed the remainder of time to the fullest: another evening spent on the Hotel Valencia’s welcoming terrace where we feasted on Baja Tacos along with a cold Alamo beer or two; great morning coffee served with our excellent French Toast baguettes and berries for our last breakfast in the lovely Dorrego’s Restaurant; and a long last look at the River Walk.
Before we had even left the city environs, we talked about how much we’d like to return to San Antonio, but we were also excited about what lay ahead on the next part of our trip -- the Texas Hill Country and the little town of Fredericksburg, one of Texas’s early German settlements.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.121s; Tpl: 0.017s; cc: 10; qc: 25; dbt: 0.0627s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Sarah Wilkie
non-member comment
Tempted by Texas!
We've never really considered Texas when planning road trips in the US but it seems we should, as San Antonio sounds a wonderful place to visit! I especially like the look of the missions, and the Alamo would be fascinating to visit. It seems unlikely though that it used to take a day to ride 3 miles on horseback when you can walk it in an hour or less! Did you maybe mean to write 30 miles?