Fenlason - Pineda: San Antonio, Texas

Approach to the hotel.

First birthday gift . . . a wooden yoga giraffe.

Second gift . . . a JETSON'S t-shirt!

Got Giraffe . . . in pocket . . . Got bottle . . . I'm gonna use it . . . Intention . . .

Next morning (Day 2.) Fancy lobby at the Éilan Hotel and Spa.

From the main balcony.

Beautiful rose, reminding me of Gramp.

Rural scene while waiting for a breakfast table.

Drunken giraffe having birthday mimosas.

Healthy pancakes and fruit.

The Alamo Cenotaph, also known as the Spirit of Sacrifice, commemorates the Battle of the Alamo of the Texas Revolution, which was fought at the adjacent Alamo Mission. The monument was erected in celebration of the centenary of the battle, and bears the names of those known to have fought there on the Texas side.

The marker on the cenotaph reads:

"Erected in memory of the heroes who sacrificed their lives at the Alamo, March 6, 1836, in the defense of Texas. They chose never to surrender nor retreat; these brave hearts, with flag still proudly waving, perished in the flames of immortality that their high sacrifice might lead to the founding of this Texas."

Much more interesting . . . In 1982, Ozzy Osbourne, while wearing his future wife's dress because she had hidden his clothes, drunkenly urinated on the Alamo Cenotaph, which is across the street from the actual building. A police officer arrested him, and Osbourne was subsequently banned from performing in San Antonio for a decade.

Bird's nest near the Riverwalk.

Very cool sidewalk art made of re-purposed farming tools.

Ducks hanging out at the Riverwalk.

View of The Tower Life Building from the Riverwalk. The building is a landmark and historic building in Downtown San Antonio.

Construction of the tower began in 1927, rises 403 feet and has 30 floors. The building, which opened in 1929, was originally named the Smith-Young Tower and is the central component of a partially completed development called the Bowen Island Skyscrapers. The eight sided, neo-gothic brick and terracotta tower (complete with gargoyles) was designed by noted local architectural firm Ayres & Ayres (Atlee Ayres and Robert M. Ayres). The building also housed San Antonio's first Sears, Roebuck and Company store in its lowest 6 levels.

Some cool stairs which happen to be attached to a senior living community building named Granada Homes. Which HAPPENS to be the old Plaza Hotel

Published in a magazine distributed by the Hotel in its heyday:

"The river can be made the outstanding beauty spot of the world, not excluding Venice. The now unsightly back entrances to stores can be, and we predict will be, more attractive than front entrances. We see it as a gathering spot for the happy populace of the playground city. We see on its waters, boats of the gondola type, manned by picturesque Mexican oarsmen. We see little shops on its banks where typical Mexican products are sold and riverside cafes where fiery Mexican food is served. We see strolling musicians playing and singing ...."

The Hotel was built in two phases. The first phase was the Lobby, Roof Garden, and related facilities, which opened January 26, 1927.

The 2nd phase began the same year and was completed in 1928. This phase added all the apartments beyond the freight elevators looking west and the second floor Crystal Ballroom.

Most of the ducks were in male and female pairs.

Some were chasing boats, like GANG DUCKS.

And they weren't alone.

Cathedral of San Fernando (Catedral de San Fernando) also called the Cathedral of Our Lady of Candelaria and Guadalupe (Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria y Guadalupe) is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church located in downtown San Antonio, Texas, USA, facing the city's Main Plaza. It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of San Antonio and the seat of its archbishop. Its dome serves as the city of San Antonio's cultural and geographical center. The cathedral is also known as the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria y Guadalupe and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is notable as one of the oldest cathedrals in the United States.

The original church of San Fernando was built between 1738 and 1750. The walls of that church today form the sanctuary of the cathedral, which gives rise to its claim as the oldest cathedral in the State of Texas. The church was named for Ferdinand III of Castile, who ruled in the 13th century. The baptismal font, believed to be a gift from Charles III, who became King of Spain from 1759, is the oldest piece of liturgical furnishing in the cathedral.

On September 13, 1987, Pope John Paul II visited the cathedral during the only papal visit to Texas. A marker commemorates the event.

The 24-foot by 16-foot gilded retablo in the sanctuary that features the theme of "Jesus Christ, Word and Sacrament." A retablo is a large wooden altar screen that serves as a backdrop for the tabernacle or statues and paintings of Christ and the Saints. Retablos were traditionally used as the central artwork in Spanish Colonial churches in the Americas.

This retablo was handcrafted by 10 artists from Mexico City and is one of the main features of the Cathedral.

A tomb in the San Fernando Cathedral contains the remains of the Alamo heroes, based on 1889 report of Juan N. Seguin from his deathbed. Many historians doubt this claim, including the Texas State Historical Association, who states “they are almost certainly not.” ... less

Locks like those at the top of the mountain in Seoul, reminiscent of those at the Pont des Arts in Paris. See my Seoul post at: http://fenlason.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-summit.html

Rafa walking underneath one of the bridges over the Riverwalk and the San Antonio River.

And Tim underneath an arch nearby.

The San Antonio River is a major waterway that originates in central Texas in a cluster of springs in midtown San Antonio, about 4 miles north of downtown, and follows a roughly southeastern path through the state.

It eventually feeds into the Guadalupe River about 10 miles from San Antonio Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. The river is 240 miles long and crosses five counties: Bexar, Goliad, Karnes, Refugio, and Wilson.