The Alamo

by Pa Rock

Tonight I am finishing up my seventh trip to San Antonio in the past three years. I spent several hours exploring the Alamo and its beautiful grounds during my first visit here in 2005 but hadn't had the opportunity to get back there during the intervening years. This evening I was again able to visit San Antonio's most revered tourist attraction.

The Alamo is almost hidden among the tall urban landscape of this city. The mission itself is quite small, and the remainder of the fort encompasses two or three acres that have been manicured and landscaped into a living work of art. There is no charge for admission, but donation jars are scattered about. A large souvenir shop in the main outbuilding also generates income for the historic landmark. A person could tour the mission, the other buildings, and the grounds fairly easily in half-an-hour, but a full appreciation, particularly of the grounds, will take more time.

Downtown San Antonio is a walker's paradise. The Alamo is just a couple of blocks from the Riverwalk, and El Mercado, the ethnic marketplace is a scant twenty minutes or so from the Alamo. It's a great place to relax and walk around.

El Mercado

by Pa Rock

I spent this evening shopping and dining with five attractive ladies who had a fondness for strawberry daiquiris and trying to embarrass me! We began our evening at El Mercado, San Antonio's famous old ethnic market, took a side trip through a nice Mexican restaurant, and then I followed the three most committed shoppers of the group to the Riverfront Mall.

My life in Phoenix tends to be fairly monastic, so it was nice getting out and having some fun. It was also a good networking experience because everyone in our group works at different Air Force bases, so we were able to swap stories and anecdotes about our work sites. I always come away from these trainings having learned as much from my classmates as I did from the instructors, and this trip will be no exception.