San Antonio (Day 2): Remember the Alamo?

Day 2 in San Antonio started at the Market Square where we were supposed to have breakfast. Extremely huge crowds in the more popular restaurants and running out of time, we end up strolling along the market square with growling tummies.

The Market Square is said to be a mexican market place. Personally, I find it too touristy and nothing in it actually reminds me of a market. It's more like a souvenir shopping place like Benh Thanh Market in HCM, Vietnam. Otherwise, it's quite a colourful place.




The crowd and street entertainers at Market Square.


Pinata. You know? The thing which you whack it with a stick and stuffs come out :p

Still hungry, we went to the River Walk area in San Antonio where all the other attractions are. Took a quick walk to check 2 tourist destinations off our checklist (San Fernando Cathedral & Spanish Governor's Palace) before hitting a local deli for brunch. Why is there a spanish governor and who's San Jose? Well, don't ask me as I have no idea at all. One of the downside of travelling in US is that they take it for granted that everyone knows about the history of US and didn't make it a point to explain.


How they can call a small place like this a palace is really beyond me.


A detailed shot of the facade of San Fernando Cathedral. Wonder if that sculpture is him...

The brunch on the other hand is quite a delight. It's a german deli (Schilo's) that managed to keep their prices relatively low in the River Walk area.


Steaming, creamy and fattening cup of hot chocolate.


German staple, rye bread and a couple of wurst. Those are two different wurst but I totally forgot their names.

After brunch is the highlight of the day. It's supposedly a famous war story from which a famous phrase is born. "Remember the Alamo". Why they want to remember it and what it's all about you can find out for yourself. This Alamo is like the most important site to visit in San Antonio and is some sort of shrine for the Americans. To me, it looks like A-formosa.

A conversation with my dad after my trip however revealed why the Alamo was quite famous. My dad learned of the Alamo from comics and cowboy movies when he was young.

No photography is allowed within the chapel of Alamo. Don't worry, you are not missing a thing with the lack of photos. Why? Because there's practically nothing there but some old flags to indicate where those sacrificed warriors hail from. On top of that, there's like only a couple hundred of soldiers who fought in that battle. It's like a huge anti-climax considering the long wait to get inside and all the fanfare about this battle.


A corridor leading up to the Alamo


Look at the freaking line to go into the Alamo shrine.


Outside the Alamo is this big Oak tree which is supposedly the first transplated Oak.


A bit too late to post this pic, but it's a nice looking xmas tree in front of the Alamo.

What I really love about San Antonio is actually the River Walk. It's simply a pretty and romantic place. Imagine sitting by the riverside enjoying a hot cuppa and watching people passing by. Taking in the view of the numerous arch bridges criss crossing the river. It reminds me of the pictures my dad took during his trip to Suzhou. Even though it's not as steeped in culture and history as Suzhou, the river and bridges are much cleaner and lend a certain charm to that area.


Ain't this a beautiful place? Nothing like Sungai Kinta :)


Lining the sides of the river are restaurants, pubs and hotels. Tours were conducted along the river on these river barges.

On our way back to the car park we saw this KL tower replica. It's known as the tower of americas. Look really similar right?