Travelers World RV Resort in San Antonio Texas is a perfect home base for touristy stuff. That works since that was our plan. It’s also perfect because there’s an authentic Mexican restaurant across the street.
It’s impossible to come to San Antonio without visiting the Alamo. That was our plan for day one. We got downtown, paid $14 to park the car and walked several blocks to the Alamo. The Alamo is smaller in size than we expected – but larger in emotional impact. At least for me.
Much of the Alamo has been restored and it’s free and open to the public. That’s awesome. We arrived early enough to beat the school buses. As the morning wore on the kids poured in along with tour buses.
When you walk the Alamo grounds it feels sacred. The unbelievable price that was paid to achieve the separation of Texas from the Mexican Republic is palatable. The grounds hold a museum with lots of important artifacts. I wished we had sprung for the audio tour. There’s so much I wanted to know. As we walked through I tried to read as many of the placards as I could.
In the museum a small “cat’s eye” ring caught my eye. I had to know the story. Alamo commander William B Travis tied this ring around the neck of 15-month old Angelina Dickinson. He did so knowing she would likely be spared in the massacre. The Alamo fell the morning of March 6, 1836. Estimates are that 150-250 defenders were killed, including Travis. More than 20 survived, mainly women and children. Angelina Dickinson survived.
I found myself overwhelmed with the enormity of what happened at the Alamo. I’m also overwhelmed with how little I know about our country’s history. Hands down Other Half trumps me in history as well as geography. If you ever need a trivia team member, he’s your guy.