Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Alamo Mission ~ The Shrine of Texas Liberty

Did you know that the chapel of The Alamo Mission has been designated a shrine by the state of Texas? Today, we visited The Alamo. Many of the walls surrounding the Alamo Gardens still stand all these years after the Battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836. Yes, in addition to coincidentally visiting San Antonio the week of Fiesta, we are also here for the 175th Anniversary of the Battle.


The chapel of The Alamo Mission






The Long Barracks building contains history and artifacts.













The flags of six countries have flown over Texas; can you name them?

These enormous, brightly colored fish live in a ditch or culvert next to The Alamo Museum. They were freaky lookin'.














Inside the walls are the Alamo Gardens. I wish I could have adequately captured the enormous live oak trees on the grounds. One in particular is so huge that some its branches have become embedded in the ground and others must be supported to keep them from collapsing...magnificent. Here is one that would fit in the lens of my camera. Just look at those branches!

There are lots of other plants too but I especially loved the cacti.



Look closely, click to enlarge if you want, and you will see the yellowjacket climbing out of the yellow bloom.

Before we head on over to the Riverwalk for a late lunch, here are the six nations which have flown their flags over Texas. Did you get them all right?

Spain (1519-1685; 1690-1821)
France (1685-1690)
Mexico (1821-1836)
Republic of Texas (1836-1845)
Confederate States of America (1861-1865)
United States of America (1845-1861; 1865- )

It was again a several miles short walk to the Riverwalk from The Alamo. We strolled a while before selecting a restaurant.


Rich is standing next to a foot bridge over the water; I love that so much of this is open, just a cable but no walls. The river itself is only three to five feet deep in  most places.











Just one of many beautiful fountains that also serve to aerate the river.













Can you see me standing there on the Canarias Bridge? I think this is the bridge that our guide said was in the movie Miss Congeniality. On the river you see one of the barges, just like the one we took yesterday.










All of the many stairways along Riverwalk are stone and uniquely designed.












I wish I could report that the food was delicious, but it wasn't so I won't name the restaurant where we had lunch. There were so many restaurants to choose from, but this time we did not make a lucky choice. The atmosphere was fabulous though because we had a table right on the river.


Lovin' Life ~~ Getting Used to Walking Several Miles Every Day
Bev

3 comments:

  1. Those enormous, brightly colored fish are Koi. They are a carp and have been cultivated in Japan as an ornamental fish since the late 15th, early 16th century.

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  2. Thanks Quilly. That's exactly what Rich thought but I didn't know that Koi got that large...I should know by now that he always knows what he's talking about!!!

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  3. Quilly is quick on the draw for comments to your blog! =) I too was going to say koi. They are impressive looking fish. I remember seeing some at a zoo somewhere some time ago. We could buy food and feed them. Oh, it was in Nashville.

    I believe that buzzing creature on the flower is a honey bee and not a yellow jacket. Yellow jackets are not fuzzy, more like a wasp.

    Love the pics of the riverwalk again. What a unique area. =)

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