I Am a Motorcoach . . .

. . . serving up some holiday cheer, San Antonio style. Christmas in San Antonio, the tour was called, and it was a colorful introduction to this season of merriment. Back in Missouri temperatures were in the teens (single digits with wind chill factored in). But our Southwestern travels took us to where sunny days were in the sixties and evenings were comfortably fiftyish. That’s a good range when the main attraction for many of my passengers was strolling along the city’s famous River Walk.

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

From sword-like fauna, to modern adobe streetscapes, to the ubiquitous “Lone Star” motif, and even western-wear, I fit right in way down south.

Certain decorative Christmas traditions prevail no matter where you go in this great country. There were plenty of those to be found in San Antonio, like this, in the historic King Williams district.

And what would Christmas be without a bit of snowfall? The red sculpture is titled La Antorcha de la Amistad, and was a gift from Mexico to the city of San Antonio. According to the Mexican sculptor, Sebastian, the blending of torch-like forms in upward movement symbolizes complexity of friendship and shared culture between the US and Mexico. (OK, so it’s not snow, but actually just sunshine showing how dirty my mirror is . . . Christmas is partly about imagination, right?)

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

MISSION NEWS: San Antonio de Valero Mission – now famously known as the Alamo – is one of five Spanish frontier missions established in Texas by Spanish missionaries between 1690 and 1720. Due to the non-missional part of its history, The Alamo is an essential part of any San Antonio tour.

We also fit in a visit to Mission San Jose and Mission Concepcion (an active perish church that happens to be the oldest unrestored church in the US).

The other two of the five missions are Mission San Juan Capistrano, and Mission Espada. Together these five missions have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From what I gathered, this is a pretty big deal. Other examples of World Heritage Sites are the Taj Mahal, Great Himalayan National Park, the Great Wall of China, Serengeti National Park, and the Statue of Liberty, to name just a few.

ELF NEWS: The International Center of San Antonio has an enviable position along the River Walk where it intersects St. Mary’s Street. It was there I observed a couple of elves at work, delivering presents along with the top third of a large pre-onrnamented Christmas tree. The discovery I made could be disillusioning to little ones: a big red sleigh is not a Christmas necessity. At this location, Christmas arrived in a box truck!

RIVER WALK NEWS: The first thing to note about the 17-mile-long San Antonio River Walk is that it follows the banks of a natural river. The man-made part – consisting of buildings, walkways, bridges, and landscaping – got its start in the first half of the 20th Century, in an effort to create jobs in the wake of the Great Depression.

Unique features abound, like a section of fence-bound lover’s locks, where countless couples have pledged their love by attaching a lock to the fence and tossing the key in the river. And, of course, all of the unique features along the River Walk can be enjoyed from a seat on one of the very popular boat tours. My passengers enjoyed a fine meal with their boat tour.

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

El Mercado  (Farmers Market Square) is the largest Mexican market outside of Mexico. The fun and festive environment presents a Christmas challenge for Christmas season decorators, whose efforts may get lost amid the every-day, year-round color and ornamentation throughout the mall.

Quote Of The Day samples

“A holiday is not a holiday without plenty of freedom and fun.” – Louisa May Alcott

“Blessed is the season that engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” – Hamilton Wright Mabie