To be in a City swarming with tourists during a Holiday was not my cup of tea, was not Spirit’s either probably thinking why so many two legged creatures suddenly were around, specially the ones flashing their little cameras. We went on to San Antonio for the afternoon, the plan being to see the Alamo and River Walk by daylight and also by night time which would make for some nice pictures. My friend Donna came with us, this was her maiden voyage on her new cycle, she was a good sport following us at moderate speeds even when we had to make some U turns! I am not that good with directions in this Urban Jungle, more accustom to trails vaguely going in one direction, and thanks for the signs posted "The Alamo" we made it!

The lines to get into the Courtyard were non existent, the one to get into the Shrine was a different story… long! It turns out that no photography is allowed. Maybe to keep the lines moving? Have not yet found out, but they lost my vote on this one. This is the entrance of the famous Alamo… we walked the courtyard a bit and as you can tell, the weather was nice, in the 70’s, bright and sunny.

The best reading I have found regarding the siege and the final assault on the Alamo in 1836, the most celebrated military engagement in Texas history, has been on "The Handbook of Texas", at the same time, as experiencing it yesterday, it seems to be the most visited historical monument. Its history was very interesting to read, including the fact that women and children were granted safe passage.

The most surprising element I think, which I have also heard from others, is the fact that the Alamo is right in the center of town. Its main street outside the above gate actually was also part of it, obviously at some time replaced, now a busy artery. I like to go back in my mind as to how things were originally laid out, but it is hard to imagine the Alamo standing on its own, desert surrounding it for as far as one can see, when a whole City had been build around it. Odd.

The old and the new above… David Crocket and James Bowie had a clear view of that sky now shadowed by some high rise making the Alamo look so small and somehow out of place. But, that is progress, all is well as long as it is preserved as is. The next direction was to take a stroll by the River Walk while going back to the rig to make sure that Spirit was doing well… give him a treat and I think he was entertained by every one stopping by to see him. How many dogs do you know that would just lay or sit in a sidecar totally relaxed while being the center of attraction?

You can read its History on the River Walk’s official web site. It is basically a loop, with many Restaurants, a couple Hotels and those little tour boats which for $2 will take you on a 30 minute ride. Of course it was crowded, destination for many throughout the Holidays. We were done early. It was time to again go check on Spirit and take him for a stroll on the little bit of green grass that I had seen. There was another four hours for sunset and more time for darkness and the lights to come on.

We should have planned to arrive later in the afternoon! Neither of us was going to wait that long and we decided to head back, this time without getting lost and truly enjoying the ride avoiding any freeway. I am however determined to see the lights!… and take some pictures. So Spirit and I will go back tonight, probably leave here around 4 PM, we will have the nice sunset colors and eventually total darkness brightened only by thousands of lights on the water, by the water, and the Alamo including a giant Christmas Tree  near by.

And, in other bits and pieces, we played with a horse race track starting gate last night! Spirit was ready to race but the horse never showed up. We also cooked and this topping was really nice on top of some fish we had. Sliced thin red peppers, diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro, diced mango, some lemon juice and olive oil. No garlic, no onions, this allowed us to taste the fish and enjoy the topping without much very strong flavors. Just thought I would pass it along…

Hopefully we will have some pictures of the lights next time. Thinking also about a ride to Austin which is only about one hour from here… trying to find out what there is to see… all this before we put on a few more miles toward Atlanta.

What kind of Treats are you giving your Dog? Do you know what’s in it? You will know what is in ours… all natural ingredients. Baked right before shipping.

Don’t forget the "Spirited Doggie Treats" and "Art Cards"…. Dogs cannot live of Love and food alone… they need treats, they like treats… we know! Put Spirit to work!

We are always under deep appreciation toward the readers that have send in a contribution helping this website’s expenditures. For those who have not, continue enjoying the site, pictures, recipes, and if you feel it’s worth $1 a month, the contribution button is above, snail mail is below…

Ara Gureghian   853 Vanderbilt Beach Rd #245   Naples, Fl 34108

You be well…. Ara & Spirit, and a HAPPY NEW YEAR.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 31st, 2007 at 5:41 am and is filed under travel, spirituality, pit bull, sidecar, motorcycle, cooking, photography, riding, homeless. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.