So after church Christmas morning we had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe on the River Walk.Buddy Holly memorabilia.Waylon Jennings.Willie Nelson.Roy Orbison.So the restaurant was playing Rock and Roll Christmas videos, the whole time, of course being Christmas Day. This one really got me- Twisted Sister singing O Come All Ye Faithful, head-banger style.
The Christmas tree in the lobby of our hotel, the Emily Morgan.More hotel decorations.A tree in a downtown alley.Being Christmas, there were many Christmas trees in hotels and restaurants all through the downtown.The River Walk.
This is Building 100, known as the “Taj Mahal” which houses administrative offices. The tower is of Art Deco style, and the wo story office building is an example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture.Missing man monument, inscription reads “We who came home must never forget those who could not.”Historic chapel.
The Tower of the Americas was built in 1968 for the Hemisfair World’s Fair, which celebrated San Antonio’s 250th anniversary. This is the tallest observation tower in Texas, and was the tallest in the U.S. from 1968 until it was surpassed by the Stratosphere Tower, Las Vegas in 1996.
At 750 feet, it is the tallest structure in Texas (excluding radio antennas) south of Houston.
The Tower features a revolving restaurant, an indoor and outdoor observation deck, a cafe, a gift shop and a 4D theatre show titled “Skies Over Texas.”The obligatory wings photo op.Beautiful sky, even though it was much colder than normal here.Downtown San Antonio from the tower, looking north-northwest. I have this same picture from when I was here in the 1980s. There are a few new buildings – it is interesting to compare!Looking northeast from the tower, with the tower’s shadow!
The Alamo today. This was the site of the famous battle in the Texas war for independence from Mexico February 23-March 6, 1836. The defenders of the Alamo were greatly outnumbered – less than 300 against as many as 2000. The outcome of the battle was a decisive victory for the Mexicans, with every single combatant inside the Alamo being killed by General Santa Anna’s army. The rest of the Texas Revolution, and even into the Mexican-American war a decade later, used the battle cry “Remember the Alamo!” For Texans today, the Alamo is a revered shrine.Plaque on the front door.Inside the Alamo.Six national flags that have flown over Texas. L-R: Spain, France, United States, Republic of Texas, Mexico, Confederacy.The separation in the walls by a thin line of stone was the top of the open walls in the Alamo in 1836.This is a model of what the Alamo looked like at the time of the battle in 1836. The cannons for the Texans were rolled up the dirt ramp that is at the top of this picture.This well dates back to the 1700s, and was still used in 1836 at the time of the battle.Cenotaph honoring the heroes of the Alamo.Tow of the more famous heroes stand out: William Barrett Travis and David Crockett.Two other of the most famous heroes: James Butler Bonham and James Bowie.Arched wall of the Long Barrack.This 16-pound cannon dates back to 1817, and was used by the Alamo defenders in the 1836 battle.Emily West Morgan sculpture. The Texas legend of Emily West is that she kept General Santa Anna distracted by her dalliance with him in his tent, enabling Sam Houston’s Texian army to surprise his camp at San Jacinto in the battle that won independence for Texas about a month after the Alamo.Plants in the Alamo courtyard.Side view of the Alamo from the 9th floor of the Emily Morgan Hotel.The Alamo at night, with Christmas luminarias set out.
