New Braunfels: The claim to fame of this town, on the highway between Austin and San Antonio, is the Schlitterbahn Water Park. Being holiday season, the park was absolutely packed, so we opted instead for a relaxing swim in the spring-fed Comal River. The cool waters are a beautiful blue and were full of locals, floating along in inner tubes with spare tubes carrying coolers of beer and stereos boasting 80’s rock and hair metal. Aussies would love this.
Driving in the US: New Braunfels was the site of my first attempt at driving on the right hand side - poor Craig, I think I took 10 years off his life! I must say though, the right hand side of the road was not the problem, it is sitting on the left hand side of the car to drive that I struggled with. But, I've got it down pat now.
Alamo: The Alamo holds a significant place in the history of Texas and the Texas Revolution, but to be honest, I don't completely understand! If you are interested, The Alamo website has some history. The site was originally a Spanish mission before it later became the location of the legendary battle. We had a bit of a look around, but some shave ice from a street vendor was the only thing keeping me going in the heat at that point.
San Antonio River Walk: The San Antonio River, the walkways on both sides, one level below the street, and the cute arched bridges across are a main attraction for the city, along with the Alamo. In the areas where many restaurants line the river, the walkways can become very crowded and uncomfortably hot, even at night. But you don't need to walk far to find a peaceful spot to sit and appreciate the fine public space. It is certainly a nicer stroll through the city than street level.
Alamo: The Alamo holds a significant place in the history of Texas and the Texas Revolution, but to be honest, I don't completely understand! If you are interested, The Alamo website has some history. The site was originally a Spanish mission before it later became the location of the legendary battle. We had a bit of a look around, but some shave ice from a street vendor was the only thing keeping me going in the heat at that point.
San Antonio River Walk: The San Antonio River, the walkways on both sides, one level below the street, and the cute arched bridges across are a main attraction for the city, along with the Alamo. In the areas where many restaurants line the river, the walkways can become very crowded and uncomfortably hot, even at night. But you don't need to walk far to find a peaceful spot to sit and appreciate the fine public space. It is certainly a nicer stroll through the city than street level.
Guadalupe River State Park: Only about an hour from San Antonio, this river made for a lovely day trip. Being the middle of summer the river was a bit low, so therefore not flowing as fast and a little grubby, but it was very relaxing none the less. I had bought a blow up plastic lilo for only $3 and was truly in my element lounging in the river, though still just achieving freckles instead of a tan. We stopped in Boerne for lunch, one of those cute little arty towns in the Hill Country to wander around.
Horse riding on a Dude Ranch: I just like the term Dude Ranch, I think it sounds humorous, but it just means a guest ranch. My ride at Silver Spur near Bandera was actually pretty disappointing. At some of the ranches, they will group you with other riders of a similar ability, however here I was with eight others who had basically never ridden before, including children. Add to this some dry, scrubby terrain and guides that just ride and don’t really talk or tell you about the ranch or Texas, and you have yourself a pretty boring ride. I am glad to have done it though, as I would have always been disappointed if I hadn't, the horses were good and we did get to trot a few times. I look forward to doing some more riding in Argentina later in my travels.
Hill Country drive: There are some really cute towns around the Hill Country area to the west of Austin and San Antonio, many with German heritage. I wanted to stop in a small town for a Texas BBQ lunch, which was difficult for vego Craig as even the peas had bacon mixed through! The countryside around the town of Medina was quite nice, and about as hilly as it got. I figure the rest of Texas must be pretty darn flat if they call this the Hill Country. Kerville had a lovely river which was nice to walk along and could have been a good swimming spot, and Fredericksburg looked like it had a very charming main street but I was so tired and unable to wake up to look around! We had originally planned to stay a night around here, but decided to continue on back to Austin in favour of more time there. Pedernales Falls is the other attraction in the area which we were interested in, but had been affected by the drought so that was off the list.
Next stop: Grand Circle road trip, UT/AZ/CO.
