The Alamo & San Antonio
Wow I’ve left this one over a week to upload! I’m actually finishing this off back home in the UK, where things have gotten a bit hectic in prepping for Europe and seeing friends and family.
Normally I’d start with something about how we got up early and headed to some place and blah blah blah. But no, plain and simple, today we headed into San Antonio…
Now, before I came to the USA I was my typical self about the place as a whole. I won’t beat around the bush, I didn’t like, nor appreciate the stereotypical brashness of the US that we typically see in the U.K./Europe. I couldn’t fathom the patriotism, the sense of pride in country etc, especially given recent history and the world I’ve grown up in.
But, by this point I’ve finally been here a few weeks and as you can hopefully tell, my views have changed, I feel, significantly. The people here are for the most part incredibly welcoming and incredibly proud of their state and nation. None more so (in my admittedly limited experience) than Texans. The polar storm that had changed our initial plans of Santa Fe, Palo Duro (and horseback riding) and Fort Worth, had turned out to be a blessing in disguise for changing my views. We’d seen the southern plains of Arizona and now we were at the Alamo…
This was something that I was taught at school during GCSE history and a module on the American West… but it was always so abstract. How could a 15/16 year old boy from Essex really, truly, understand A: the sheer scale of the country and B: the true stakes and impact of what happened here.
Maybe it’s the previous two weeks travelling the vast expanse of this tiny corner of the “old west”. But the former has started to make sense in my mind a little more. This truly is a vast country. As for the latter, actually visiting the Alamo has brought a far better understanding as to the Texas rebellion and to the forging of the Texas identity as a whole. I recommend reading up on it or better yet, visiting for yourself, as I couldn’t do it much justice. As I find time and again, expanding your worldview and opening your eyes a little further is what travel is all about and so for that reason alone I feel it needs a mention.
After a poignant many hours at the Alamo, we headed into the San Antonio River Walk. Built by the WPA as part of one of the incentives to get Americans back to work in the wake of the Great Depression. The Riverwalk project was built as a flood alleviation measure combined with a public works improvement to beautify and make use of the San Antonio river properly. It feels like dropping into an entirely different world to the city streets above. Whilst admittedly a bit “Disney” if that explains it enough, is definitely a beautiful place to spend some time and grab some lunch. Whilst trying to avoid too much touristy stuff.
After more tacos and some rather strong cocktails, we then took a walk around the restored old town at La Villita and the artisan stores. Ellen and I then headed further round the Riverwalk and engorged ourselves on far too much dairy in the form of a giant ice cream and milkshake respectively. We thankfully had a bit of a way to walk these off before we made it to the Museum of Western Art. 
We only had about an hour and a half before closing so we had to be quick, as I’m sure i may have mentioned we have been shocked at the lack of information about the original inhabitants of these lands. However, there was an interesting exhibit on at the museum concerning “stories”. This featured a good selection of paintings and sculptures surrounding the native Americans and got you thinking. A favourite being the Blackfoot storyteller sculpture in the center of the exhibition room.
Further round the museum we found more amazing artefacts that just seem rather alien to us in Europe. The designs on horse Tack, the vibrantly coloured carriages and cabinets full of revolvers. This was certainly unique in many ways and we’re glad we managed to fit it in.
Leaving the Museum of Western Art, we headed back to the van to drive back to the campsite via multiple superstores. We had to try and get an extra bag for all the souvenirs and presents we had bought! We got back after dark as a result, but it did mean we saw a skunk crossing the road near camp. One more animal to tick off the list before we headed home!
