San Antonio!

A Trip to the 50th State in Our 50th Year!
Episode 2 - San Antonio

We arrived in San Antonio late afternoon and checked into our hotel. The quandary is  - there are so many things to do!

We wanted to stay near Riverfront, but knew we couldn't stay ON Riverfront. So we used Marriott Points to stay 3 blocks south.

We were treated to this view every evening! The Tower Life Building was dressed in holiday colors.

The Tower of the Americas was just east of us!

It was a short walk to the Cathedral San Fernando! This is the heart of Old San Antonio!

Sharing the plaza is the Brexar County Courthouse

And, of course, Riverwalk!

Turns out our hotel is across a big parking lot from a place called "River of Ice Cream!" An omen, I'm thinking!"

We did eat there, pizza followed by gelato. Both, unfortunately, very forgettable

Riverwalk during the day!

Back up on street level, just south of the Alamo, is this sculpture titled "Torch of Friendship"

We ate dinner at a steak house looking for a great "Chicken Fried Steak" but alas, this one also was forgettable

A humbling yet uplifting experience however was when we asked for our check, the server told us it had been paid by a man sitting next to us - presumably he saw my Navy hat.

Of course, how can you visit San Antonio and NOT visit the Alamo (Originally it was Mission San Antonio - St Anthony)

With  the football fans in town, the line into the church was incredible, so we passed

Behind the mission was a "living history" exhibit

Bob struck up an extended conversation with a man nearly as tall as he!

They demonstrated close order drill with muskets

They also demonstrated volley fire, reloading three times!

We learned the Cathedral had a noon mass, so we went early to look it over and take photos and still have time for some pre-mass prayer

The Cathedral has been altered quite a bit over the years but it remains a relatively small structure, able to seat maybe 200?

The new modern altar does not distract from the old main altar back piece . . .

. . . covered in pure Spanish gold!

Side altars also are beautiful

And of course, Our Lady of Guadeloupe is prominent!

The Pieta was beautiful but has some wear. It was very difficult to photograph because of the bright sunshine just behind

This image was carved to remember Juan Diego, the simple Indian peasant who was blessed with a visit from the Blessed Virgin. When the Bishop demanded evidence, she told him to wrap roses in his cloak and carry them to the bishop. When he unwrapped the cloak, the image of the Blessed Virgin was miraculously imprinted on his cloak (still visible and on display in Mexico City)

The Stations of the Cross are wonderful little sculptures!

Happy to see this wonderful statue of Saint Pope John Paul II

Ever wondered what happened to the valiant fallen heroes of the Alamo?

Santa Anna refused them a Christian burial and had their remains burned. Later the faithful brought their bones to the Cathedral where they lie today

Immediately south of the Cathedral is the plaza of Santa Cruz - the Holy Cross

The diocese building has a small gift shop, a restaurant and a very nice museum

Bob needed to rest "his dogs"

On the south side of the main plaza is the courthouse

We found this wonderful craftsman painting the intricate filigree work by hand - free hand!

It's a short drive to the Shrine of St Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower

The shrine is entered by the side door, near the gift shop

There is a full size reproduction of St Therese's incorrupt body as displayed in Liseaux

She is one of a handful of saints through the centuries who, when disinterred, were found to have not decayed or become corrupted by the grave

The lights were off in the basilica, which made photography challenging

This center piece depicts Jesus, on Mary's lap, bestowing grace in the form of flowers on St Therese

A series of stained glass windows depict the "dark night of the soul" which troubled many saint, Therese included

The main stained glass over the main entrance tells of her remarkable story, which we have by her own hand, at the insistence of her superior, who happened to be her sister

Mission San Jose - The Alamo was one of a series of trading posts and forts, built around a church. These missions formed an integral part of the life of those in central Texas (as well as Southern California)

Most of these missions remain Roman Catholic churches run by the Franciscan order

We get used to seeing the dull gray exteriors, but it was not that way in the distant past. This panel survives to help understand the beautiful exteriors

Much of the infrastructure no longer exists and all that is left are arches and doorways

This diorama helps us understand what the missions looked like and how they operated

The church interior is beautiful!

The creche is particularly appropriate in that it was originated by St. Francis to help people appreciate the poverty of the Holy Family

St Anthony

St Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle!

As we were leaving, a photography crew appeared

A bride was having her portrait made, presumably before her wedding, perhaps at Mission San Jose?

Next was Mission San Juan, also run by Franciscan priests

This residence is used by the Franciscan priests. Although it look 200 years old, it was actually built in 1968!

This diagram shows how the "Mission Trail" connected Texas

Our final stop was Mission Conception, name in honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin

The simple elegance of the interior is remarkable

The main altar

A side chapel

The Blessed Mother

And of course, St Francis (you can tell by the stigmata marks on his hands)

In the "front yard" is this grotto (cave) to remind us of the appearance by the Blessed Virgin to St Bernadette at Lourdes

Our Mission Trail journey over, we wandered about and discovered an area between our hotel and the Riverwalk called La Villita.  This area is delightful collection of shops and art galleries

We had chosen The Liberty Bar for dinner

It is about 3/4 mile south of Riverwalk and occupies a former convent - they get some yardage form that on the menu

It's pretty and very nice. We were there early and pretty much had the dining room to ourselves.

Our food was delicious

Next morning we hoofed it up to St Joseph's for mass.  This church has been here a long, long time and when the developers of River Center cam e along, everyone sold out - except for St Joe's!  So here is this solid mega-complex of shops, movie theaters, bars, restaurants that completely surround on three sides, this little old church! And it is filled at daily mass!

The German craftsmen who built this church worked wonders!

The right hand pane is St Bartholomew (a.k.a. Nathaniel) and is my my confirmation saint! He was martyred by being flayed alive and hence is always depicted holding a flaying knife

The Pieta here s beautiful and has the addition of the Little Flower

Forgive me if I've worn you out with all this church stuff! But this is San Antonio and the city and its culture is tied heavily to the church. Well, we decided to take a carriage ride! Some, were pretty fru-fru

The one that caught our eye was this more traditional rig. Plus I want my driver wearing a cowboy hat, by gum!

Our driver owns his horse and he told us the story of how he acquires Mary Jane. He demonstrated her understanding of commands in both Spanish and Engish!

She's a big horse, so pulling a wagon on relatively flat streets was easy work for her

During the ride, Bob talked about his horse when he was a teenager, so after the ride, Bob asked if he had a carrot or something he could give Mary Jane.  As he looked for his bag of treats, she recognized the sound of the treat bag and looked around eagerly.  Bob fed her three treat (looked like giant dog biscuits!) and Mary Jane lapped them up out of his palm, leaving a generous amount of slobber in return! (But, she'd been working, so she deserved a little slobber!)

An excellent visit! We always love San Antonio!

Tomorrow - Go West Young Man!