Despite the weather being colder and damper than usual for December, our group of 10 really enjoyed San Antonio.  The holiday lights and sights and sounds of the spectacular River Walk truly dazzled us. 

Our first full day, we used the hop-on-off trolley to get an overview of the city then made various stops along the route.  We visited the Alamo and Mission San Jose, "Queen of Missions", where we were treated to mariachi music at the end of the noon Mass.  Most of us went on to Market Square / El Mercado.  There we visited numerous shops and were entertained by traditional dancers.  And of course we had to stop for the "best margaritas in town"! 

The next day we saw the IMAX movie depicting the story of the Alamo.  Some of us went on to San Fernando Cathedral, others to the King William historic district, the Main Plaza, Hemisfair Park and La Villita, a restoration of the first residential settlement. 

We took a daytrip to Hill Country where we visited Fredericksburg, a former German settlement, and the LBJ ranch which reflects the unpretentious family life our former president experienced both before and during his term of office.  We had an unscheduled stop in Luckenbach.  Made famous by Waylon and Willie and the boys, this "town" is little more than a bar & gift shop and has a population of 3.  We did pause to listen to one of the locals playing guitar and singing-you guessed it-in the bar!

We sampled diverse cuisine during our stay-including Tex-Mex and Texas BBQ-and the local beers.  And did I mention margaritas?

On our final night we enjoyed one of the highlights of the trip, a boat ride down the San Antonio River along 2.5 miles of scenic River Walk.  We were surrounded by tens of thousands of colored lights in the trees, decorated barges of carolers, and the festive lights at Rivercenter Mall.  It was a lovely way to spend our last evening in town.