The Alamo:
This is the picture we always see of the Alamo. However, this was the church within a walled Mission. The Alamo Mission was originally known as Misión San Antonio de Valero. Founded in the 18th century as a Roman Catholic mission and fortress compound, it was the site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836. It is much more commercial than it was when Larry and I were here in 2003 or 2004.
This was barracks built as part of one wall around the Mission.
McNay Art Museum: The McNay Art Museum, founded in 1954 in San Antonio, is the first modern art museum in the U.S. State of Texas. The museum was created by Marion Koogler McNay's original bequest of most of her fortune, her important art collection and her 24-room Spanish Colonial Revival-style mansion that was built in 1927. The house sits on 23 acres and is landscaped with fountains, broad lawns and a Japanese-inspired garden and fishpond. McNay was born in Ohio but grew up in El Dorado, Kansas. She inherited a substantial oil fortune upon the death of her father from oil that was discovered on their Kansas farm. Upon her death, the house was bequeathed to the City of San Antonio to house the museum. The art was nice but I was fascinated by the house - it was beyond beautiful.
Main entrance of the home - not the art museum.
This tile mural is on one wall of the interior courtyard.
I loved this staircase that was in the courtyard. It was beautiful!!!!!
And now for some art.... This is one of the "Waterlilies" by Monet. I have now seen 3 of them - all different. However, the other 2 were very similar while this one was different. The blooms looked like they were 3-dimensional but weren't.
I'm not usually into modern stuff but I liked this picture by Cezanne.
Renoir did this little number in 1882.....
And then there was this McDonalds that I found a few blocks from the Alamo.
It is the ONLY McDonald's in downtown San Antonio. At 10 a.m., it was packed with a long waiting line to order. Dining is on 2 floors and people were waiting to get a table. I sure would like to have this franchise....
La Villita was an Native American settlement and then a collection of primitive brush huts, called jacales, for the Spanish soldiers (and their Indian wives and children) stationed nearby at the Mission San Antonio de Valero (an active mission from about 1718 to 1793, now better known as the Alamo). After a flood in 1819 washed away most of the huts, more substantial adobe houses replaced them. Located on the south bank of the San Antonio River, La Villita was one of San Antonio's first neighborhoods. Today La Villita is an arts community in the original building with shops and restaurants.
One of the shops in La Villita.
The Little Church of La Villita was the first Protestant church in San Antonio established by a Methodist minister from Ohio. The inside was beautiful - small and simple with a beautiful large stained glass window.
Tomorrow is my last day in San Antonio since I head for Corpus Christi on Monday. Time to get out the winter clothes again since the temp for the next few days will be in the upper 50's unless they miss it like they did today. Still hasn't rained.....
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