3/5-3/8: Texas

You might be wondering how Oklahoma was our 50th state, but the dates for Texas are *after* Oklahoma. ;) This is because we drove through Texas and spent the night on our way to Louisiana but saw nothing except the sides of the freeway. That didn't seem like a fair way to count Texas, so we returned home to California from Oklahoma via Texas.

On our drive we stopped at Bucci's because many people had recommended we stop. It was HUGE with so many different kinds of food and knickknacks and other items. We wandered around for quite awhile before picking out some food items for lunch. :) BBQ was high on our list for food; we also tried some pastries that were filled with meat. Thanks for the recommendation to everyone who told us we needed to stop!

After much consideration we decided to spend our few days in San Antonio. Our focus was on seeing the Missions and the Alamo because they are well known sites and because they are National Parks (which of course means we should go see them!). Before we went to see the missions, we did a small splurge and took a boat tour of the River Walk. Finding where to board the boat was a little bit stressful, but the ride itself was both relaxing and informative. The tour guide shared about the history of a variety of buildings as well as the creation of the River Walk. I'd recommend the tour if you are ever in San Antonio. :)

Then we headed to the farthest out mission of the 5 missions. It was my favorite of all of them! The atmosphere was so peaceful. I could feel God's presence there.

The next mission was full of rowdy teenagers, so the peaceful vibe wasn't quite there. ;) It was pretty though!

At the 3rd mission we began to realize just how different each mission was and embraced the unique beauty of each one. It was also here that we were able to explore a visitor's center and watch a video about the missions, as well as stamp our passports with the National Parks stamps!

By the 4th mission it was approaching closing time, and we were exhausted. We decided to call it a night and see the Alamo in the morning.

Overall we were not actually impressed by the Alamo. The atmosphere felt more commercialized (because it was...), and since it had been used as a military base the peaceful, God-filled atmosphere that I love was missing. We felt rushed and agitated. So I wouldn't say that we loved the Alamo, but now we can say we've been there. And it was very much worth it because we got to see the other four missions which were gorgeous.