Today we arrived at the San Antonio river walk and spent the better part of a day exploring it. We traveled to the Alamo, where I explained to my children about the sacrifices made by the brave people who occupied that famous fort so many years ago. We looked at the chips in the stone walls where bullets grazed, and nearly lost my son in the gift shop when Kristie and I both thought we knew where he was and then he was picked up by the Alamo Ranger. A few tears later, he was fine and safe in our arms. This happens once in a while when you have four of them.
We went to a fantastic Mexican restaurant on the river walk, Casa Del Rio, founded in 1945, which is a river walk staple. We started with chips and salsa, a salsa that slowly grew hotter and hotter as we ate it, and then probably the best chili con queso I have ever eaten. I ordered something called “Green Chicken Enchiladas”, two chicken enchiladas smothered in a wonderful tomatillo sauce. It was a little sour on the edges of my tongue and wonderfully spicy. If you are going to the river walk any time soon, you will find this restaurant right at the crux of the main river walk area just north of the convention center. I highly recommend it.
After leaving the downtown area, we traveled back to the hotel briefly where my mother and youngest daughter stayed (they were tired of walking) and the rest of us spent the afternoon shopping in the Ingram Park Mall close to Sea World. We had a great time doing all the usual shopping in the mall, buying things we don’t really need, until dinner when we visited a little kiosk in the food court called Kabob House where I met a delightful Iraqi man and his wife who serve up probably some of the best Mediterranean food I have ever had the privilege of enjoying. I ordered chicken and steak kabob with curry rice. I watched as this was grilled along with a half of a roma tomato. The meat was perfectly seasoned, the chicken a lovely yellow with turmeric and other spices, and the steak was delightfully tender. My son had a wonderful chicken dish that came with noodles and rice. Of course we had baklava as well. If you are ever in this mall, you MUST eat this food. It is wonderful and the healthiest thing to eat in the food court.
Afterward, I drove my wife to the local Garden Ridge which is just down the road from the hotel while the older kids took my children swimming. I did some internet searching and found a local gaming and comic book store that soon found me darkening its door. I went in to find several games running and a huge selection of graphic novels. I purchased book one of The Walking Dead (I’ve read them before, but didn’t have my own copy) and was then invited by some locals to play a round of a game called Dust: Warfare, an alternate history game that is set during World War 2. According to the rulebook, the German army capture a UFO and this allowed them to incorporate alien tech into their war machine, and then the Americans grabbed this tech later on. Think World War 2 with mechs and laser guns. It’s played with miniatures and a colorful board with cool cards that contain all information about units. It was right up my alley, and I met some great guys who were eager to teach me how to play.
All in all it was a great trip, and we head back tomorrow bright and early. I’m down for another 9 hour trip if it will get me home to sleep in my own bed. We all know how that is. I was able to churn out 2000 words even though I was on vacation, and I consider this a success. I went to San Antonio, Sea World, the river walk, and the Alamo, and by thunder, I wrote anyway.
Related articles
- Went to Sea World and Wrote Anyway: Travelog Day 1 (writingishardwork.com)
- Went to Sea World and Wrote Anyway: Travelog Day 2 (writingishardwork.com)
- Because You Are a Writer… (writingishardwork.com)
Writing Is Hard Work 