We took a little trip to San Antonio during Mardi Gras break. Seth and I went there for our 10th wedding anniversary, and I always said I wanted to go back and take the kids. Besides, I really wanted to eat some really good Mexican food. True story. So San Antonio it was. I almost canceled the trip at the last minute though. Seth had an emergency at work the weekend before we left, and I knew he would just end up working the whole time we were there. I was one day outside the window of free cancellation for our hotel accommodations so that's the only reason I didn't cancel the trip. At the time, we had no idea that just two weeks later, we would begin social distancing and a stay-at-home order at least through April 30. Knowing what I know now, I'm so very grateful I wasn't able to cancel our reservations at the hotel. We went, we walked, we ate Mexican food, we walked some more and we had a perfectly lovely time!
Our first day there was spent walking along the Riverwalk, browsing Market Square Plaza and touring the Alamo.
Our very first picture was with the iconic umbrellas at Casa Rio.
We walked the entire length of the Riverwalk. Yes, their hands are in their pockets because an unseasonably cold front blew in that week. We pretty much had the entire Riverwalk to ourselves.
And, no, Mason is NOT that much taller than I am. It's just a bad angle.
The girls especially enjoyed visiting the little shops in La Villita.
And, yes, I KNOW. There are so many things wrong with this! Just remember it was pre-COVID 19. I kept saying, "Do NOT put your mouth on that." And they didn't. But, next time . . . we'll just keep on walking. Needless to say, they were fascinated by all of the craftsmanship.
The kids enjoyed playing on the big green space.
And then we spent some time exploring the park. We found this sculpture, and well, you know what happened next.
And, let me just tell you, these churros didn't disappoint. Oh my goodness SO GOOD! You also got to choose your dipping sauces so we had chocolate, peanut butter, cream cheese and I don't remember what else. But, honestly, these were just so dang good that they didn't need any sauce. It was the perfect way to end our little getaway.
We actually had three trips planned for this summer. I found out today that my Chicago trip has been canceled. I am so sad about that. Our other two trips, one of which is our 20th anniversary trip, are scheduled for July and August so I am hoping we'll still be able to make those, but I'm not sure at this point. Having said that, I am so very thankful we took this little trip to San Antonio.
Our first day there was spent walking along the Riverwalk, browsing Market Square Plaza and touring the Alamo.
Our very first picture was with the iconic umbrellas at Casa Rio.
We then walked several blocks to Market Square Plaza, the largest Mexican market outside of Mexico.
We started making our way back to the River Walk so we could take a boat tour. And nobody was hungry. Until they're hungry. So we grabbed a snack. Churros are a fried dough pastry that actually originated in Spain. They are a bit crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. What's even better than that is the cinnamon sugar sprinkled on them when they come out of the hot oil. This was their first time having churros. And, from one of them in particular, we wouldn't hear the end of it for the next three days. Just keep that in mind.
And there they are on the boat tour. After all of the walking we'd done that day, it was so nice to sit down and ride.
After we got off the boat, we decided to go ahead to the Alamo. They are currently doing a lot of refurbishing and restorative work on the inside, but we did tour the building and grounds.
After we left the Alamo, we went to eat supper. Mexican, of course.
The next day it was cold and windy. So we decided that would be an "inside" day. We went to the movie theater and had it to ourselves. We got coffee, hot chocolate and cake pops. We did a little shopping. We brought Ticket to Ride with us so we went back to the hotel and played games together until going back out for supper. It was just a very slow, relaxing day.
The third day was our last there, and we wanted to make the most of it. Our first stop was at the Japanese Tea Garden. Keep in mind it was the end of February. I would love to visit at the peak blooming season. It was still quite beautiful, and the kids enjoyed running around the grounds.
We decided to go back to the Riverwalk, but we stopped at the Pearl Brewery on our way there. We found the neatest little bookstore. It reminded me that I'd love to own a bookstore one day.
Once we got to the Riverwalk, we headed over to Hemisfair Park. We rode to the observation deck at the top of the Tower of the Americas.
We had lots of conversations about where to eat. I don't know why. It was always rather simple to me. Mexican. The kids really wanted to eat outside under one of the colorful umbrellas so we ate at Casa Rio.
So ever since the churros at the Mexican market, Hannah Kate asked every day for churros. That was pretty much all she talked about. Earlier in the day I found a little churros bakery so we stopped there after we left the Riverwalk. This girl was so excited.
