Alamo Sightseeing Tour, San Antonio, TX - Mon., June 8

Monday Bob and I played tourists. At 8:20 am we hopped on a shuttle bus to start our Grand Tour of San Antonio.

The shuttle took us into downtown where our tour started with The Alamo (Mission San Antonio de Valero). Our guide gave us time to see the church and walk around the museum.

Our tour guide in front of The Alamo

Opening time at The Alamo (9 am) -
people waiting to get into the church

Bob in front of the Long Barrack - movie and museum inside

Gorgeous flowers

Bob and I had never taken time to view the museum in the Long Barrack, so we did it today. We thought we still had five minutes to get back on the bus, but as we were outside listening to a ranger give a history talk, we saw the bus driver motioning for us to come to the bus.

We hustled over and got on the bus, sheepishly I might add because we were the last two and everyone was waiting on us. The whole bus was completely full (31 people), except for one seat. I took the seat. When Bob got on the bus, a child sitting in one of the seats had to move to sit on their parent's lap.

Our next stop was Mission San Jose. This is our favorite mission in San Antonio. Our driver giave us a 1/2 hour tour, then gave us another 1/2 hour to look around on our own.

Bob in front of our sightseeing coach

Visitor Center display of the five missions in San Antonio

Mission San Jose

Interior of church at Mission San Jose

A scalloped door

Next we headed to Mission Concepcion where our guide talked to us about the artwork inside the walls of this mission.

Hand-painted art on inside walls

Interior stairs - Mission Concepcion

From Mission Concepcion, our tour route took us to Market Square, an area with Mexican shops, restaurants and a bakery. We had 1/2 hour to look around and shop (and get a treat at the bakery - we were hungry).

Next stop, Buckhorn Saloon and Museum and Texas Ranger Museum. Our first order of business was lunch so we got our admission sticker for the museum then walked a block to Toscana Ristorante, an Italian restaurant. It was okay, but we wouldn't go back.

We head been to the museums before, but we walked through again. I am fascinated by the big game heads, fish, and other displays in the Buckhorn.

Famous big game hunter

Cobra and mongoose

The following two stags locked horns in battle and died locked together. Things like this happen in nature.

Bob at the Buckhorn Museum

Stuffed ring-tailed cats

A Texas landscape at the Buckhorn

Bob in the Buckhorn Saloon

Selfie through a mirror

When we finished at the museums, our bus picked us up for a short ride to the Japanese Tea Garden at Brackenridge Park. The garden was built in an old rock quarry and is quite lovely. It took us about 15 minutes to walk through the garden.

Japanese Tea Garden

Suspended turtle

Looking back at the pagoda

Interior of the pagoda

From the tea garden, we went back into downtown for the 35-minute narrated river tour. In the three years we've been in San Antonio, we had never done the riverboats! I'm happy to report it's a good value. Seeing the River Walk from the river is a treat.

The five bells below represent the five missions in San Antonio.

San Antonio's River Walk

Lots of bridges

Mariachi band serenading diners.

San Antonio's Convention Center

We returned back to the RV park around 5:00 pm. Both of us were happy we finally did the tour.

S is for San Antonio

San Antonio, New Braunfels, Guerne, Texas:

We were up early to travel an hour into San Antonio to do the Caminada de Fiesta volkswalk (10K non-competitive walk) around Ft. Sam Houston. Upon our arrival at Ft. Sam Houston, we checked in at the U.S. Army Medical Museum where we started the walk, literally. The first part of the walk was through the museum. We didn’t take time to read all the displays because we were on a mission to do the 6.2 miles in two hours. The most interesting thing we DID spend time on was a hospital train car used to get medical facilities closer to the battlefield. Our walk took us through the train car.

The rest of the walk went past the Gift Chapel, through the Ft. Sam Houston Museum, past barracks, officers’ residences, family housing and through a park on base. The day was gorgeous, clear, and about 75 degrees.

U.S. Army Base Ft. Sam Houston

Housing on base

Me stretching

View from walk--golf course.

Walk route markers into park.

We think this is a hospital on base.

 After our six-mile walk on the base, we headed downtown to see The Alamo and Riverwalk. It’s Fiesta time in San Antonio, not to mention Saturday, so throngs of people were downtown. Bob bought Chinese lunch to go which we ate in the car so we wouldn’t be tempted by the expensive restaurants along Riverwalk. We walked through The Alamo and its grounds.

Part of downtown San Antonio, Texas.

Line to get in the "Shrine" at The Alamo.

The Alamo (podium out front part of Fiesta)

On the grounds of the Alamo

Bob and "unknowns" outside Alamo Museum.

From the Alamo, we walked to and through a mall to get to Riverwalk. 

Dancing senoritas were on one of the fiesta stages as we walked by. 

We were amazed by all the restaurants lining the Riverwalk. Lots of riverboat tours went by. So much activity! We walked approximately two miles while downtown. 

The Mall

Riverboat tour

Restaurants and shops line the river.

Lots of different bridges.

Beautiful tile murals.

My handsome honey!

Awww...too cute.

Cool building in downtown.

Total walking today: 8-9 miles.

We had chores to do so we headed north on I-35 to Camping World in New Braunfels. Bob bought a new skylight for the 5er, butyl tape and some sealant.

Walmart was next on the list, but we got sidetracked looking at old town New Braunfels. While there, we found Naegeli’s Bakery, the oldest bakery in Texas. We drove past. Bob said, “Let me know if we’re missing anything.” I couldn’t help myself and said, “We missed the bakery.” Around the block we went and joined the line of people waiting to buy streusel, bread, cookies, cream puffs, eclairs, lebkuchen…is your mouth watering yet? Ours were. Bob settled on peach strudel and a cream-filled doughnut. I opted for a butterfly roll covered in chopped walnuts and a cinnamon roll without frosting. Glad we didn’t miss that!

We made it to Walmart and completed our shopping. On the way back we “had” to go past the bakery again (darn it!). Second round for me was a chocolate-topped cream puff and an apple strudel. Bob ordered an éclair and a muffin. (You'll be hearing about some hikes and bike rides to make up for all that!)

For shits and giggles, we drove past Schlitterbahn water park (the best water park in Texas according to locals--couldn't see much of it from the car) and continued out to the town of Gruene (pronounced "green"). 

Gruene, Texas is on the banks of the Guadalupe River. A pleasant, historic town where the big attractions are the Saturday Market, old town, art galleries, restaurants and swimming/tubing in the Guadalupe River on a warm day. The town was packed, traffic backed up in all directions. A police officer was directing traffic at the main intersection.

After Gruene, we drove to Hwy 306 to try a new route back to the 5er. We cut time off our trip home using Hwy 306 to Blanco.

Bob got up on top of the 5er with the new skylight and found the outer skylight was securely sealed to the inner skylight, so we could not re-use the inner skylight. Tomorrow we return to Camping World for the inner skylight.

The rest of the afternoon we relaxed and read our books. Bob finished “Angel’s Weep” by Wilbur Smith.

I read a big chunk of “Catching Fire,” the second book of “The Hunger Games” trilogy.