Who knew that this city was so beautiful? We arrived in time to attend mass at the historic 1738 San Fernando Cathedral in downtown San Antonio. The Cathedral was named after King Ferdinand an the city after St. Anthony of Padua. The downtown has changed a lot from the original settlement as we viewed many historical paintings and models. The city is also known for the ALAMO. Everything in this town is "alamo" related.
We tried to find something more down to earth and less cultural for our lunch downtown. We settled on Fuddruckers. It seemed "cool" and convenient - so we stepped in. It did not turn out to be very cheap, but everyone had the best burger in a very long time. All were stuffed and we had an hour to walk around before mass started.
The day was hot and muggy and we seemed to tow all four boys around like heat stricken puppies. Especially when they got to mass! Mass was packed. The parish had a youth retreat and finished with the 2pm mass we attended. Not a lot of places to sit, but lively music compensated. The cathedral was restored 7 years ago and done very well. Simple, yet much to be proud of. Following mass we toured around the church, the gift shop and museum. The boys were not well behaved and John, who has been struggling with doing #2's on the potty, made a mess again...
Leaving the Cathedral, we back tracked towards the Alamo. The crowds and lineups dissappated significantly since our lunch and mass. We walked inside and were informed of the "shrine" this was. No food, hats or photos allowed. From what we read, it is now more of a "patriotic" shrine than a religious shrine. It was formerly a Catholic monastery and mission, but was taken away for political use. Plenty to see about Bowie, Crocket, Travis and Houston the Alamo Heroes (who's remains are in the entry way of the Cathedral), but it truly honors many others!
We tried to cut the day short and head back along a brief bit of the Riverwalk. It is a lowered canal running through the historic district of San Antonio. Boat give tours along the river/canal and many beautiful shops and restaurants line the banks. It can be a very romantic setting and plenty of places to stop for a meal of a lifetime! We walked out way back and enjoyed every minute of it.
As we departed in the van towards the hotel a strong wind and storm picked up. Fortunately we were not stuck in it this time and our hotel was far enough out to not be disturbed. Everyone was hungry and we could not really agree on a meal. The kids went out to swim in the hotel pool and I searched online. We settled on a Mexican restaurant. We had lots of fuss that people did not want the food, but when it came and all tasted what was before them...it was excellent! Great memories of San Antonio.
We stayed up later to make hotel arrangements for the next few stops. A major deviation was agreed upon to include the Carlsbad Caverns into our route. We let go of going to El Paso and Albuquerque. Instead we are going to spend the night in a humble motel in Carlsbad and then see the caverns and other sights of New Mexico before heading up to LAS VEGAS (New Mexico). I know we are cutting out some historical stuff in Santa Fe, but we really need to keep our trip moving along, since the kids are starting to wish they were home. This will shorten our trip substantially and add an element (of the caves) to their list of adventures.
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