Day 31 - San Antonio: Gruene and the Tower of Americas

The humidity is transforming my hair. I am developing a nice afro. Bill likes it.
I always think it's cold because it's cloudy and then I end up sweating in my jacket.

You need a second half of the day to visit Gruene, because in the dance hall, bands start their gig around 6pm. Unfortunately we had to leave the town by 3pm. We figure that we can come back from Austin.
Gruene Hall was built in 1878 and it's the longest operating dance hall in Texas.
Various famous artists have been playing on this stage, like Chris Isaak, the Dixie Chicks, BB king and many more.

Gruene Dance Hall

Gruene town has many shops and historical. It was fun to walk around and check out everything.

At 4 pm we went to meet our friends at the Tower of the Americas back in San Antonio. We wanted to secure a good table before happy hour (4:30 to 7:30). We didn't have to pay for the elevator because we were going to spend money at the lounge.

The view was stunning, the plates were big, the cocktails were good and the price was low (4 to 7$)

Day 30 - San Antonio: San Jose Mission

Day 29 - San Antonio: Western Heritage Parade and Cattle Drive and the Pearl Brewery

We got up earlier than usual to get out to downtown San Antonio before the parade started. We got on the bus with a group of folks from the RV campground and we were instantly buddies. So we hung out together for most of the day.
This is the most friendly campground we have seen so far and the safest. By talking about RV life with more experienced travelers we acquire knowledge about the road ahead, places to visit, camps to stay.
We head to Houston street to get a front row viewing of the parade.
First group, it's the Texas Longhorns. It's going to be good!

Animal Right  Protesters

After the parade, we visited the Buckhorn saloon, which held historical events, where Teddy Roosevelt recruited the Rough Riders and Pancho Villa planned the Mexican Revolution.
The building includes a museum where many animals specimens are displayed. The story goes that the owners would accept animal antlers and snake skins in payments for drinks when patrons did not have money.
I got stuck at the door and stared at all those animals heads. The vegan part of me could not look beyond that sight to enjoy the rest and the history...sorry.

We all went to lunch at the famous Esquire Tavern, which was built in 1933 to celebrate the end of prohibition. It has the longest wood bar top in Texas. The ceiling is covered in squared medallions. The lights are low. The food and the drinks were delicious and the price was reasonable. One family gave up their table so we could sit together with our friends.

While our friends were going back to the campground, we decided to go and visit the old Pearl Brewery.
This is an area of 22 acres that belonged to the Pearl Brewery, which was operational from 1883 to 2001. Instead of  knocking down the historical buildings and build condos, some very clever investors opted to develop the area, keep the old and modernize it with beautiful furnishings, creating space for several business, keeping the memory of the brewery alive.

The old boiler is still standing in the hall of the Emma hotel. There are old tanks that have been cut to create private booths in the Super restaurant. The propane tanks have been cut to create planters for herbs outside the Culinary Institute of America.

Day 28 - San Antonio: Casa Navarro, La Villita, Yaguana gardens, Hemisfair park

Today we used Google Trips. This app gives a list of things to do in a city of your choice. So we followed the Downtown Highlights day planner. The first stop is the Alamo, which we visited yesterday. The second stop is Casa Navarro, which is located a couple blocks away from San Fernando Cathedral off of Dolorosa st. It's an adobe house situated next to construction sites. It's hard to imagine how it was when Jose Antonio Navarro used to live here with his family. The house displays are designed for school field trips, but the movies are well made. We learned that Jose Navarro was one of the two native Texans to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836, and later the Constitution of the Republic of Texas. He was for two terms a senator for Texas when it became a state.
We forgot to take any pictures. I think we are getting a bit warn out by sight seeing.

That's why we abandoned the day planner. So we went to check out la Villita, which was one of the first neighborhoods in San Antonio. Here there are many shops with handmade goods crafted by local artists.
In the main plaza, there were a bunch of kids rehearsing for tomorrow's fair. They were amazing and super cute.

We left the Villita and walked towards the Yaguana gardens.

sculpture in the playground of Yaguana gardens

Courthouse Bexar County

Walking toward the Tower of the Americas, there were a few original homes that had been restored inside and out. We had a tour of one of them by a girl that we met in the Villita. 

Tower of the Americas, second tallest free-standing building

We walked around Hemisfair park. There were several modern water fountains and landscapes, with great views of the enormous Henry Gonzales Convention Center building.

We decided to go back to the Riverwalk. This area of San Antonio is really the party area of the city. The walkways along the San Antonio river, the bridges, the sculptures, the elegant hotels and restaurants, the pubs, the music, the river boats make this the most pleasant walk.

Arneson River Theater

Sculpture in front of the Briscoe Western Art Museum

We took the river boat tour. Totally worth it. Our driver was very knowledgeable and told us all kinds of stories about the Riverwalk and its history and its businesses.

I love to get in fancy hotels, check out the furniture and sit on couches like I belong there.

Later at 9PM we went to the square in front of San Fernando to watch the light show. I had never seen one before. It was all about Texas through the years.