San Antonio Excursion

For those of you who have never been to San Antonio, you should add it to the list of vacation spots you plan to visit. Before I first saw it and the Hill Country, my mental vision of "Texas" consisted of Amarillo, Dallas, and the Texas Panhandle, which is not a pretty sight. San Antonio and the Hill Country, although not alike, dispell all of those other images!

The center of San Antonio is divided by the San Antonio River, thus the origin of the famed "Riverwalk" in the middle of the downtown area. The Alamo is nearby, and it's so much smaller than one would ever imagine from hearing about the big siege there. It's actually just one of four old Spanish missions along the river. That area is covered with shops, hotels, and restaurants, and nearby are all kinds of museums and galleries. We find it delightful just to walk around there any old time, and it is always fun to eat on the Riverwalk.

Not too far away from there, past the line of missions, is an old historic neighborhood called the King William District, with beautiful, huge homes built primarily in the Victorian period, although some arts and crafts bungalows are also seen. The houses usually have long, lovely porches for sitting and talking to passers-by, sipping something cool, and looking at the lush vegetation and blooming flowers everywhere. Delightful!

A park neighbor told us of a restaurant called Guenther House, located at the foot of the Pioneer Flour company and mill. The Guenthers were the original owner of Pioneer Flour, and the home is now a wonderful restaurant and gift shop, featuring yummy dishes using Pioneer Flour. My Eggs Benedict were absolutely some of the best I have ever had, and I understand that 1HW's sandwich was also quite good. The Victorian home was fascinating to see, with some gorgeous stained glass in the sunroom/restaurant windows where we sat. What a fun place to eat!

After a wonderful brunch, a visit to the Southwest School of Art and Craft in the old Navarre Convent, seeing the San Antonio American Glass Show, and an obligatory trip to Costco, we wandered back up the road to Kerrville, having had another wonderful day! Hope yours was a good one, too! Just more reasons to add San Antonio to your list!