TUESDAY 6TH MAY 2025

Our Amtrak train attendant woke us about half an hour before our San Antonio arrival. Bill and I had slept together on the bottom bunk of our bedroom compartment. Although snug, it’s roomy enough for two, but, as usual when having an early call on your mind, it had been hard to sleep soundly.

There’s some manoeuvring required for two people to wash and dress in the confined space of the compartment when the bed is down. Soon enough though, we were ready and waiting for our stop.

5am in Texas welcomed us with warmth and a touch of humidity. We milled around in semi darkness waiting for our suitcases. I went into the waiting room and it was deserted. No instructions what to do or where to be.

Finally, a trolley arrived further down the platform. I headed for our suitcases and was berated by a station attendant for having crossed some unseen line. Another passenger berated her for being rude to me and then it was on. Two African Americans “civilly” going each other in the long drawling accent of the South. You’ll be amazed to hear I kept out of it and said nothing, even when the attendant served me last. Then, I stood with my arms folded and wouldn’t touch my bags until she pushed them towards me as far as she was prepared to do so. Actions speak louder than words? Who knows who won that standoff? My defender had already left by then.

Bill was a distance away speaking with a young Australian girl who was travelling independently and waiting to board. She’d taken an early morning three-hour bus ride and had arrived to find the station deserted. Unable to check in her huge suitcase, she still had it with her. There is room to lift it into a luggage rack on the lower level of the train, but it’s awkward. Anyway, when I returned with ours, we wished her well, said our goodbyes, and left her to it.

We couldn’t find a taxi. We joined a queue thinking they were waiting for one. Turned out to be the queue for boarding the train. LOL.

I’d managed to download the app for a rideshare service called Lyft, so now I put it into service. Easy-peasy. Within minutes we were on our way to our hotel.

We arrived way too early to book in to our room unless we wanted to pay another large amount of money, so we left our suitcases at the hotel and headed out.

Our hotel was the Canopy by Hilton Riverwalk, and it is directly on that attraction. Something like 15 miles of the San Antonio river winds its way in and around the city of the same name, and at this point it is lined with walkways either side, and restaurants and shops all along them. Walking a portion this early in the morning was magical. The only people around were hospitality workers, street cleaners and those charged with cleaning the canalways before most tourists came out to play. Even a squirrel looked surprised to see us.

To be honest I can’t remember exactly how we attacked the trolley bus offering, but I fancy we did one entire loop before hopping off at The Alamo.

We didn’t intend to tick this off the bucket list first up, but that is what happened. We investigated everything on offer bar going into the museum collection which was an additional price. We even managed to watch a film or two, by which time we were up to speed on the whys and wherefores of the seige that had taken place here and the role of Tejanos and Texians including James Bowie and Davy Crocket in defending the Alamo. As well we learned all about how prominent the Mexican society had been, and how professional and effective its army under General Santa Anna, followed by the various iterations of Texas as a country independent of Spain, Mexico and the United States. We would come across this several times more in the following days, leaving us with the impression that Texans are a fiercely independent people, very proud of their unique history. Somewhere in all that, I forgot to take any photographs.

There are many fine statues throughout USA and the one that caught my eye today was of Emily Morgan, said to be the inspiration for the song The Yellow Rose of Texas. I’m including a photo of the explanatory placard in the hope it will be clear enough to read. I think you’ll have to double-click to open that photograph fully.

We must have returned to the hotel after this as there are no further touristy photos on my camera. Here we were delighted with another spacious and well laid out room. There was even a sliding door separating the bed area from the entry and bathroom. A comfortable home for our next three nights. I can’t find my photo at the moment. This one from Tripadvisor gives you the idea.

We found dinner in a nearby riverside restaurant.  I ordered a stuffed pepper souffle. Rather than the capsicum I was expecting, it turned out to be the long version of that vegetable encased in the fluffy souffle mixture. It was interesting 🤔 but I wouldn’t spend the time making it myself.

I believe it was here that my signature cocktail of the day habit began, even if the menu had a spelling mistake. On this occasion even Bill tried one. In most places a glass of wine cost as much, so why not branch out and go on an alcoholic journey of discovery? Besides, I’m looking a little frazzled and fluffy in the photo. I was probably ready for a stiff drink.

And so, one last scenic (Short. Very short) stroll before bed…