March 30, San Antonio Tour

Very foggy this morning, but 20C. Hoping we didn't make a mistake booking the tour for today.

We were picked up at the campground for the all-day tour.

The first item on the tour was a Riverboat ride on the San Antonio River on the Riverwalk.

We had a beautiful, narrated boat ride. The weather was perfect - sunny & warm.







Next, we visited the Japanese sunken gardens which sported a huge stone pagoda

And beautiful gardens






Then it was back to the city for 2 hours on our own for touring and lunch.
We visited the Buckhorn Saloon & Museum www.buckhornmuseum.com which houses an amazing display of wildlife from around the world.

The displays were very realistic, displayed in their own natural setting!

This is what a Javelina looks like - I didn't get a good pic of the live ones at Big Bend.







We enjoyed walking on the Riverwalk & people-watching on a beautiful day.

At 2:00, we returned to the tour bus and were off to visit two missions, San Jose and Mission Concepcion, which are being restored.
This is San Jose Mission.
Founded in 1720 by Fray Antonio Margil de Jesús, Mission San José became the largest Texas Mission. After early setbacks, 300 inhabitants were sustained by the vast fields and herds of livestock. A visitor in 1777 referred to the structure as the "Queen of the Missions." The church's carvings are among its most notable features and the famous "Rose Window" is considered one of the finest pieces of Spanish Colonial ornamentation in the country. Other features are the convento area and the stairway to the belfry and choir loft - each of the 25 risers was hand-hewn from a single live-oak log and constructed without nails or pegs. Also featured is a granary with flying buttresses, a gristmill, restored defensive walls and quarters.

Mission Conception. This handsome stone church was dedicated in 1755, and appears very much as it did over two centuries ago. It stands proudly as the oldest unrestored stone church in America. In its heyday, colorful geometric designs covered its surface, but the patterns have long since faded or been worn away. However, original frescos are still visible in several of the rooms.


The final stop was at the Farmer's market, which was full of Mexican crafts.
All in all, it was an excellent but tiring day.