Monday, February 19…continued – After our visit to the El Mercado in San Antonio, we then walked up to the 18th-century San Fernando Cathedral. It is the first church built in San Antonio, the oldest standing church in Texas, and one of the oldest cathedrals in the U.S. San Fernando Cathedral was founded by a group of 15 families who came from the Canary Islands at the invitation of King Phillip V of Spain and is the oldest, continuously functioning religious community in the State of Texas. This beautiful Catholic Cathedral has many gorgeous stain glass windows and beautiful religious statues. In a small room near the entrance is the tomb of the Alamo defenders. A small sarcophagus contains the bones of Davey Crockett, Jim Bowie, Sam Travis and others killed at the Alamo.
Stations of the Cross were gorgeous.
Marsha and her love for ceilings.
The Alamo was our next stop. If you've never been to San Antonio, you might be surprised to find the Alamo located right downtown. The town actually grew up around this famous mission. It is also surprising to find the Alamo is fairly small. As the website so accurately puts it….
Their call for aid and refusal to surrender in the face of overwhelming odds stirred America and the world. Their sacrifice helped give birth to Texas.
Look at the window and you can see how thick the walls are.
There are several small tents with people dressed in period attire explaining different aspects of life and events from the time period.
A dentist explains the tools of his trade, and the doctor’s. Look at that hacksaw. WOW.
This gentleman explained how they loaded their guns. What a task.
The visit and self-guided tour is free to the public and is a well-done presentation. We watched a movie from “The History Channel” about the battle…excellent. There is a nice museum in the long barracks located within the walls of the fort.
A hospital room.
Baptismal font.
Outside the Long Barrack.
This live Oak is amazing. Do the math. It is 146 years old.
After spending the next hour looking for where we parked the truck, we loaded up and headed back to the RV park. There for a minute we thought we might have to spend the night in the Alamo. Parking certainly isn't a problem in the area with numerous lots, decks, and metered street parking. We added to our exercise for the day by walking quite a few blocks out of our way but luckily found our parking spot.
Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow. Our truck and 5th wheel need a good bath after our stay in the dusty desert around Big Bend. We'll see if the predicted thunderstorms hit the area or if more outdoor touring takes place.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!
