San Antonio: The Alamo, Sea World, and The Riverwalk

The Monday after Christmas, we packed up and headed west to San Antonio.  We got off to a very late start and it took us about 4 hours thanks to traffic, but we arrived in very good spirits- Baby B was a complete dream and Pip watched 2 movies. 

Our first stop (after getting checked in to our hotel) was the San Antonio Riverwalk.  We were told that at night it's super crowded since everyone is there to see the lights, to be careful of the walking paths, and you get a fine if you fall in the water.  This did not rest well with me since I would have B in an infant wrap strapped to my chest, but I managed to not fall in the water despite the throngs of people strolling about the narrow 3-foot walking path.  It was kinda cold so it felt all Christmas-y winter.  The lights were beautiful!  We stopped for BBQ where Bob ordered 1/2 a slab of beef ribs and 1/2 slab of baby backs. Several passer-bys commented on Bob's massive meal of meat.  My favorite:  "Whoa, those look like Brontosaurus ribs!"  I wish I had taken a picture of them.  It was truly a sight to see.  We were going to take the river barge tour, but it was getting colder and the kids were getting crankier.  We opted to go home and sleep instead.

On Tuesday, we went to Sea World.  Piper was majorly confused and thought she was going to Disney World and that she could touch all the fish.  After explaining to her for the 100th time that we were going to Sea World and that we weren't sure she could touch the fish, she seemed to be excited about the trip.  We got there right at opening time, so we were able to get most everything done before the crowds arrived.  Pip got to feed the dolphins and take pictures with the Sesame Street characters (not Elmo though, he cost an extra 20 bucks and everyone else was free).  We caught 2 shows:  Clyde and Seymour the Sea Lions and Shamu's Christmas Miracle.  Both were fun and festive! 

On Wednesday, we woke up early and visited The Alamo.  I love history and yet, I knew very little about The Alamo.  We walked the grounds and learned a little more about Texas's history.  I was a bit shocked when we drove past The Alamo.  I was expecting it to be in the desert with dust and cacti, but there it was smack dab in the middle of downtown San Antonio.  It was a little crazy.  Both Bob and I were like, "nah, that's not it, it's a replica".  Sure enough, it was the real deal and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas are darn proud of their Alamo- to them it's a sacred spot.  It did feel a bit surreal being there and I felt bad about taking smiling pics in front of a place where many men fought bravely and died. 

After we visited The Alamo we went back to The Riverwalk and took the boat cruise.  We learned about the city and the architecture of San Antonio.  It was really cool.  We would've lingered longer, but we needed to head back home to pick up Boo from the puppy hotel.  We promised ourselves that we would go back and see the sights we missed. 

Raise your hand if you thought The Alamo was in the desert?  Seriously, it's in the middle of downtown where there's not a cactus in sight!

 

This oak tree was transplanted to this courtyard.  It was massive.



Texas Christmas Tree!  



"Shamu's Christmas Miracle" Show

Pip and Rosita

Pip and Zoe

Pip and Suuuuuuuuper Grover

Pip and Cookie

Feeding the dolphins

Sea World

The Riverwalk

I was very afraid of falling into the water. 

This is a well-known shot of The Riverwalk



On the way home, (both kids were angels) Pip kept saying how she was ready to go back to Texas. She was pretty happy when we finally got home...I wasn't- I had gobs of laundry and cleaning waiting for me.

Why is it that you need a vacation to recover from your vacation?