San Antonio

  San Antonio, Texas, United States
Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Downtown San Antonio is an architectural paradise. The streets and buildings are absolutely pristine. Much is in traditional Spanish style with pale, plastered buildings walls and pretty little balconies.

Beautiful San Antonio

But it is not so much the view as you look around and up at the edifices of the buildings, but the view as you look down, to the "riverwalk" that takes your breath away. The riverwalk is just what the word suggests: a walkway, along the river that cuts through the centre of town. Only it is much more than that. It is a serene oasis where you can get away from the burning heat of the Texan sun and wander in the shade of palms and other trees, stopping perhaps for a glass of wine or a meal at one of the many restaurants whose tables line the great sections of the riverwalk.

The Rio Grande at San Antonio

If you are tired of wandering, you can board one of the little flat boats that take tourists on a short cruise around the waters, explaining what some of the surrounding highrise is used for. Much of it is hotels, San Antonio attracting some 20 million tourists a year these days. In the evening, coloured fairy lights add an extra touch of magic to the atmosphere as dozens of people mill along the riverwalk, scouting out the perfect dinner spot. After you have eaten, there are plenty of entertainment options, with little jazz venues, sports bars and a very interesting place called "Howl at the Moon". It is a very special kind of piano bar, where two pianists "compete" at two pianos, playing and singing request songs and vying to be the audience favourite. It was incredible to watch and we simply couldn't fathom how they knew the music and lyrics to all of these different songs.

The riverwalk

Meanwhile, if clapping along and submitting requests is not entertainment enough, you can give some thought to what phrase you would like displayed on the giant mirrors behind the pianists. On the left, the phrase of the night, costs just one dollar to begin with and goes up by a dollar every time someone changes it - you pass a note and the cash to one of the waitresses and she heads over to write it up for you with a big, bright marker. On the right, a similar mirror, but for "high-rollers", so more cash, but the phrase stays up longer. To give you an impression of the audience and its sense of human, here is what was posted on the phrase of the night side while we were there (and what it cost people):


Wat's dat? Geaux Tigers [$1] (US company whose name I don't recall, but something like Computer Print Corps) rocks! [$2] Life's tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid! [$3] Life's short, but it's shorter when you're a midget! [$4]

Meanwhile, back out in city, what lures many of the tourists here in the first place is a true Texan historic site, right in the heart of downtown: the Alamo. The battle of the Alamo is another strange and complicated event from the American past. At the time, San Antonio was part of Mexico and the city and surroundings had recently seen a big bout of immigration from America as people were attracted to the affordable land. They pledged to integrate and align their allegiances with Mexico and all was well at first. Then, for whatever reason, shortly after the dictator General Santa Ana took charge in Mexico, the new Texans decided that they didn't want to be ruled over any more. The whole thing is all a bit hazy, to be honest, as to why what happened and when. Anyway, the point is that these immigrant Texans found themselves in battle with the Mexican general and his army. The Alamo, an old Spanish Mission post that was being used by the Texans as a fort, was the site of a major clash.

The Alamo church

Outside the Alamo Long Barracks

The Mexican army bombarded the Alamo for several days, then attacked in full one morning at dawn. By the time the sun rose over the city, the two hundred or so defending Texans lay dead and the city was back in Mexican hands. However, the Texans' "heroic" stand at the Alamo was used thereafter as a rally cry by other Texans all across the state - REMEBER THE ALAMO!!! And this proved to be all the motivation that was needed to really bring the Texans together in their struggle against the Mexicans. Pretty soon, the Texans took their revenge and killed many hundreds of Mexican soldiers, securing the independence of the state of Texas which subsequently existed as a Republic for quite some time before joining the USA. We could now, just about, put another small piece of the American puzzle in place. A complex history, particularly considering that all of this took place over the last 200 years.


Visiting the Alamo today, you can wander around the shrine or church that was used during the battle to store ammunition and the "long barracks", where a large portion of the Texan defenders actually lost their lives in hand-to-hand combat when the Mexicans attacked. It is, whatever its troubled history, a very scenic spot and well worth exploring. And, even though all of San Antonio's downtown area is incredibly walkable, the Alamo was particularly close to our hotel. We were staying - thanks to a fabulously good deal that we tracked down on Sanantonio.com - at the historic Menger Hotel. We could see the Alamo from our room - it was just across the road.

"Historic" Menger Hotel

Menger Hotel's pool

And the hotel itself would have been fabulous even if the location hadn't been very exciting. The history oozed from the floors and ceilings and clung to the walls. The old photographs in the hall showed how the hotel had looked in different stages of its past as it expanded from the original 2-storey edifice that was first constructed by the owner of the brewery on the site, to offer his patrons a convenient place to stay. Now, its four sides enclose a gorgeous central courtyard with a delicious pool. Just what you need to escape the Texan heat after an afternoon of wandering around the city.