2018 March 12 Monday in Liberty Hill Texas
A chilly 39° to start the day at 6:00 today. We both got up and around this morning so that we could meet up with Arik, Jenny, and kids for a trip to San Antonio Texas. That is about a 2½ hour drive. Our first stop was Mission Conception (con-sep-she-own). As I understood the tour guide, the church building was begin in the mid 1700s. It was built from sandstone blocks queries on site by the native peoples. The indigedness people were nomadic. However the Spanish brought them into villages by teaching them agriculture and giving them protection from their enemies. Dedicated in 1755, the mission was more than a church building. It was a self sustaining village and fortress. The building appears very much as it did over two centuries ago. It stands proudly as the oldest unrestored stone church in America. And is still a functioning Catholic Church. Granddaughter Sofia took several photos of me standing in doorways that were shorter and narrower than her over six foot and three hundred pound grandfather.
There are five missions in the area. We choose to visit one other, the most famous if them, the Alamo. If the two, Conception was the more impressive. Perhaps that was because is was still doing that for which it was constructed. Whereas the Alamo is differently a commercial Enterprise.
Although the Mission San Antonio de Valero (Alamo) was the first of the San Antonio missions (built 1718 and destroyed by a hurricane in 1724) by the time of the Mexican fight for Independence from Spain in the 1800s, it had already been abandoned as a mission. And by the time of the Texas war for Independence from Mexico, it’s roofless walls were insufficient defense for the 187 Texan defenders against the 5,000 Mexican soldiers.
Once we had toured the Alamo we head lunch at Shilo’s, the oldest German restaurant in San Antonio. And from there we took a river cruise along the famous River Walk. With my legs the way they are, that’s the only way I’ll every see.
Leaving San Antonio, we took a more scenic route back to Austin. Partly that was to avoid the massive crowds and traffic surrounding the South by Southwest Festival. We went through the lovely heart of the the Hill Country. We went through Blanco, where we stopped at Bean and Biscuit for a snack. We continued on through Dripping Springs, Bee Cave, and Lakeway. We arrived back at Arik and Jenny’s about twelve hours after we left and arrived home around eight o’clock.
Here is a link to photos of the trip.
RVing Fulltime with Tom and Ella 