W is for Wonderful--Wunderbar!!!

We just got home this weekend from a short trip to San Antonio. I'd never been there before this, so it was awesome for me. My mom grew up there, many years ago, and always loved it. So I always knew it was a special place. Going there, just really reinforced that.

We met up with Tom, a former alumni of Berlin American High School and we had a great time, like old friends. I am an idiot, I brought a pair of slide on heels for the dressy part--we walked 2 miles or so the first night, those heels did not cut it. My feet did not hurt until late in the evening. Then it was too late. :) The next day, I wore lesser heels and did fine, but the blisters killed me. I went to Ft Sam Houston and bought a pair of good walking shoes--so by day three, I was fine.

We stayed in St. Anthony's Wyndam Hotel, it was beautiful. I wish I could figure out how to post pics. The hotel is 97 years old, and such a beautiful example of it's time. It's also haunted. I did not know this until our stay. Laugh if you will, but there was something in our room that made me insane. It was distinctly male. It knocked my water bottle off the table onto the floor. It fretted all night long. I could not sleep for being woken constantly. At about 4 AM I woke up and was laying there, pissed off at it. It was dead quiet in our room. All of the sudden the bottle jumped off the night stand and over about 4 feet.

Anyway, I got on line to see if I could find anything about the hotel--that's when I discovered reports of a male ghost--among many others. Natalie made me a really good suggestion, that it was very put off with my little boy. I think that was it.

We had several strange things happen. Nothing huge or dramatic.

Anyway, we walked the Riverwalk three days in a row and took lots of gorgeous pictures. We went on three different tours. The first two were wonderful and our tour guides filled our heads with so much information about their beautiful city. Day three, our last tour--we got the tour guide from hell who just really needs to go back to work at 7-11. No big deal for us, we were just there to get some better pictures.

I got to see the Alamo. Amidst all of the beautiful and historic buildings, the Alamo was1 honestly not my greatest desire to see. I did not do the Texas History thing in school. What I know of it, I've learned while being a tourist over the years. So going there, I was very struck by how profound it was to be there. My mother's family is from Texas, I have a great grand mother who was at the battle/mascare of Goliad. It sunk in, standing at the Alamo, that I was standing where so many were killed not so long ago. I read a profound quote by Daniel Cloud of Kentucky:

"If we succeed, the country is ours. It is immense in extent, and fertile in its soil and will amply reward all our toil. If we fail, death in the cause of liberty and humanity is not cause for shuddering. Our rifles by our side, and choice guns they are, we know what awaits us, and are prepared to meet it." That last line rang clear, standing there looking at the Alamo.

Anyway, it was a wonderful little jaunt to get away. It was a TDY--but we made sure it was a fun trip in the thick of it! It was great fun and I came home feeling very spoiled!

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