Day 2, Bilbrey Tour to San Antonio

Activity Date: Saturday, November 24, 2018

Our second day of the tour began at 7:00 with breakfast at the Drury. Those folks put out a good spread, complete with biscuits, gravy, waffles, eggs, sausage, and other items. Our escorts then herded us onto the bus at 8:30. Our first stop of a long day was the SAS General Store and Shoe Factory. Now, when we first saw this on our itinerary, we were a bit taken aback. But there were quite a few old geezers on our tour, and they really snatched up the shoes at this place. And I have to admit, I enjoyed our stop there. Going into the general store is like taking a step back in time. You can get a fountain Coke for a dime and a bag of popcorn for a nickel. I got 2 scoops of Blue Bell for $1.50. Donna got a bucket of candy for $3.00. We didn't buy any shoes, but I enjoyed browsing through all the things, and we spent quite a bit of time visiting with folks traveling with us. It's nice to slow down and smell the roses, so to speak. We never seem to do that on our solo trips.

SAS General Store in San Antonio

You can browse these and other old cars just outside the store.

Ice cream parlor

There are more than just shoes here. Note the old gas pumps on right.

But there are plenty of shoes everywhere

When was the last time you saw one of these?

Our next stop was the Institute of Texan Cultures. This is a really interesting place. As you wander through the exhibits, you see just how rich and varied Texas is, with cultures from all over the world contributing to this great mix. We started by viewing a short video in the Dome Theater. As the film plays, panels above show photos of all the people making up the culture of Texas. It's a great start to a tour through the exhibits that illustrate how we have gotten to where we are.

Dome Theater. Those seated are seeing the same pictures above them on opposite panels.

I don't know how many panels there are. Each protrusion you see above is a panel. Sometimes only one is lit, while at other times perhaps a dozen are alive.

There are sections and exhibits representing all the peoples that make up Texas. This is Donna posing in front of a display in the Chinese section. 

This is a good picture to show how exhibits are organized by group.

Sharecropper cabin

Lipan Apache exhibit

After our visit to the Institute of Texan Cultures, we made the short walk over to the Tower of the Americas. The Tower is celebrating its 50th anniversary, having been constructed for the 1968 World's Fair (HemisFair '68). The Tower is 750 feet tall, and provides outstanding views of the San Antonio area. We went to the top of the Tower, where we enjoyed lunch while making 2 full rotations. I'm not sure, but I believe there are 2 elevators to the top, and they are on the outside of the Tower, so you get a great view of the area as you go up and down.

One of the benefits of traveling with a tour company is that they take care of all arrangements. For example, to visit HemisFair Plaza, including the Tower and Institute of Texan Culture, we would have had to pay for parking as well as entrance fees. But with Bilbrey, all of this was done for us, and lunch was part of the package as well.

Tower of the Americas, as viewed from the entrance to Institute of Texan Cultures.

I don't really like this picture, but it shows the view we enjoyed from our table near the top of Tower of Americas. Those are some of our fellow travelers, by the way.

View of downtown San Antonio from the Tower.

The Alamodome from the Tower

After lunch, we boarded our bus once again. Part of the group went to the River Mall, but Donna and I elected to return to the hotel. This allowed us to spend the afternoon roaming the area around the Drury. I really wanted to visit the nearby San Fernando Cathedral. The cathedral is an active church, and it is adorned with beautiful statues and other items of interest. But what drew me to the location is its connection to the Alamo.

People from the world over who visit San Antonio usually make it a point to visit the Alamo. I can't tell you how many times I've visited that sacred Texas shrine over the years, but I had never visited San Fernando Cathedral, and that is a real shame. Not many people -- including Texans -- are aware that the ashes of the Alamo heroes rest in a tomb just inside the entrance of this church. I must admit that I was a bit overcome as I stood before the tomb, and I think Donna was likewise affected. I don't think you can be a true Texan without feeling something as you stand in the presence of that tomb.

I snapped this picture of San Fernando Cathedral from a terrace at the Drury Plaza Hotel.

Tomb containing ashes of Alamo heroes.

R.I.P.

Interior of cathedral

Organ loft

The story of how the remains came to be entombed at San Fernando Cathedral is an interesting one, and there are questions as to whether the remains are actually those of the Alamo defenders. It would take quite a bit of space to present the details, so if you are interested, I'll leave you to research the question on your own. But the cathedral is tied to the Alamo, and its role in the battle and the recovery of the ashes by Juan Seguin and his men is a wonderful story.

After our tour of San Fernando, we returned to the hotel and explored it. The hotel has both an indoor pool as well as a rooftop pool. We visited the terrace and enjoyed views looking west. It's a very interesting hotel, as hotels go.

Donna and I were still full from lunch, so we skipped supper. We then joined our group for a night-time boat tour of the river. The boat picked us up at the back of the hotel and we made the loop of the river. Since we had some extra time, the boat captain took us up the river as well.

It was a Saturday night, and the river was alive. Along the popular stretches of the river, the walkways were congested. Lines for boat tours stretched endlessly along the river. I was glad Bilbrey had arranged our private tour. I took numerous photos, but few turned out well.

This picture is a bit blurred and not too good, but it does show the crowds lining the bank of the river.

Another poor picture, but I wanted to show how the trees are decorated with hanging lights.

The Tower of the Americas jutting above the downtown skyline. That is our boat "captain" on left. He was very good, and provided a wealth of information about the area.

What a beautiful building!

Typical restaurant along the river, with lights dangling in the cypress trees lining the river

This was a long day for us. I was glad to get back to the room and relax. We really saw a lot on this day.