My sister Stacey and brother-in-law Mitch, living in Colorado in '06, visited us in February and we made an overnight trip to San Antonio to see some of the sites there and visit with our cousin Jason. Our first day in San Antone, we visited the Alamo and explored the Riverwalk, both in the heart of downtown San Antonio. I always assumed the Alamo was in a more rural setting, so the location was a bit surprising. It was also smaller than I imagined, which I've often heard from other visitors. The Riverwalk is a much-hyped tourist destination in the heart of San Antonio with markets, shops, and restaurants along the banks of the San Antonio River. The river is about 15 to 20 feet below street level and may be described best as a canal that has been extended to create a loop and a couple of spurs (one of which goes over and into a mall).

In the morning, we visited the Spanish Market on the south side of downtown then visited a couple of the Spanish Missions on the Mission Trail: Mission Concepcion and Mission San Jose.