Cross-Country Road Trip! Day 17-18, Mile 3321: San Antonio Glows.

We got to San Antonio on the penultimate day of Fiesta, a yearly, nearly two-week long celebration of all things San Antonian. Think of a combination Mardi Gras and a historical pageant with a little less public drunkenness than the first and a little more than the second.

A lot of the streets downtown were blocked off to cars, so we decided to walk the 25 minutes from our hotel to the Alamo.

It was still before noon, so the temperature was fine for walking, and the crowds were just beginning to form.

The outlying sections of the River Walk were still cool and uncrowded.

These ducks were completely unimpressed by the festivities.

San Antonio has a very pleasant downtown with dozens of interesting shops and restaurants. 

And some cool street art.

We checked out the Buckhorn, the "oldest saloon in Texas," established in 1881. Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders supposedly drank there when they were stationed in San Antonio.

The Hall of Horns boasts 1,200 horns from a wide array of dead animals. The collection began when the owner offered a free drink for every set of antlers brought in.

The Alamo itself is pretty dinky. It looks like you could easily overrun it with a Nerf gun, let alone dozens of cannons and 6,000 troops.

And the exhibits, of course, completely whitewash the history of the place.

For example, read the first sentence of the second paragraph. You'll find nothing indicting that the "tyrannical laws" Travis and other Texicans objected to were the Mexican government's decision to outlaw slavery. Tyrannical, indeed.

On the other hand, the grounds are beautiful and serene, especially this courtyard built around a huge, ancient oak.

Toward lunchtime we found ourselves in the most heavily-touristed part of the River Walk. All the many restaurants were jammed. We had to settle for mediocre Mexican food. And we were pretty happy to get it.

We resolved to do better for dinner, so we reserved a table at Bliss. The restaurant didn't offer cocktails, so we arrived early and went to Hands Down, a small bar nearby. The drinks were delightful, but the noise was not, so we sat outside, where we met a young couple, newly married, and had a wonderful conversation, intelligent and heartfelt.

Feeling better about the future of the species, we returned to Bliss, which delivered just what the name promised.

We sat outside in a lovely patio under the half moon. The temperature was perfect.

Oysters two ways: raw and crispy oyster sliders on fluffy buttery biscuits with Hollandaise sauce, wilted spinach, and chunks of candied bacon.

We also split a tasty roasted duck breast and went back to our hotel happy.

The next morning, I wanted to walk before the day got anywhere near the predicted high of 95. I meandered along the river toward a little coffee shop for my morning espresso. The streets were almost empty except for city crews dismantling the road closures and cleaning up after last night's festivities.

I walked through some of the older neighborhoods, admiring the big, old houses, many decorated for Fiesta.

I particularly liked this luchador-themed house.

Later that afternoon, we had a very early dinner with two friends from Boise: Sonia and Freddy. Sonia grew up in San Antonio and is in the process of moving back to reconnect with family. 

It was fun to see two familiar faces.

O and I agreed that San Antonio is our favorite place in Texas so far. It's bigger and a lot more diverse than Austin, with a depth of history the capitol can't match. And as much as we liked the energy in Austin, we liked the vibe here better. Maybe it's the proximity to Mexico.

P.