Taking a break

@major bill:

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I do hope to learn a thing or two about the Alamo. Two one hour long classes, a hour introduction at the Alamo and a three hour guided tour. Isn't the Alamo only one room? I am pretty sure a three hour guided tour of a room will be long enough.
We are covering the Alamo this week in my class! Find out what really happened with Crockett!
As for the tour, I'm assuming they will point out places in the plaza that's no longer there. And probably about the unique bell-shape facade over the top that wasn't there during the battle itself. In any case have a good time!
 
I do hope to learn a thing or two about the Alamo. Two one hour long classes, a hour introduction at the Alamo and a three hour guided tour. Isn't the Alamo only one room? I am pretty sure a three hour guided tour of a room will be long enough.

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What's left now is the Chapel (i.e., the old mission church) and the lower part of the Long Barracks adjacent. In 1836 it was a much larger complex.

Hardin's Texian Illiad is probably the best one-volume history of the Texas Revolution. For guides to the physical design and appearance of the Alamo, I suggest Mark Lemon's Illustrated Alamo, 1836, and Nelson and Pais' The Alamo: An Illustrated History.

Walter Lord's A Time to Stand is over 50 years old now, but still a classic of clear storytelling.
 
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Does this include lunch?

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We usually take a bus on our field trip and get lunch on the bus or at the site or at a restaurant. This year it is a one block walk to the Alamo, so lunch is on our own.

A few years back all we got for lunch on our Appomattox campaign tour was parched corn and hardback so there is always a joke all we all will be given to eat on future tours is Army rations. Don't cry to hard about us only getting parched corn and hardback because we stopped for homemade muffins and had a real nice dinner. Not sure the Confederate Army got fresh muffins during the Appomattox campaign.
 
Do I recall you're staying at the Menger?


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Aside from the Alamo business, San Antonio (and the Menger Hotel) is sort of a spiritual home for the Rough Riders from the Spanish War. Above, via the LoC, "Pres. Roosevelt greeting 'the boys' who fought in Cuba - 'Rough Rider' reunion at San Antonio, Texas."
 
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We will miss you, @major bill !

San Antonio is very beautiful, don't miss to do a relaxing boat trip or stroll the riverwalk before or after visiting the Alamo. And think of Robert E. Lee then...
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/...arters_of_General_Robert_E_Lee_San_Antonio_TX



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I am being forced to use my wife's tablet for my trip. If she sees this boat trip and right error walk on her tablet I will have to take her on them. A word to the wise "Loose lips sink ships, or at least force husbands to take boat tours".
 
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A friend of mine visited the Alamo Mission and then took the boat ride through San Antonio afterwards (about 3 years ago). The boat's engine broke down while on the cruise (it had to be towed by another vessel) and they got back late to where their rental car was parked in a parking lot timed zone. Their rental car got towed away as a result. Bummer......
 
I am being forced to use my wife's tablet for my trip. If she sees this boat trip and right error walk on her tablet I will have to take her on them. A word to the wise "Loose lips sink ships, or at least force husbands to take boat tours".

I am very sorry, Sir! But I think that lovely boattrip would make a fine balance for letting you use our wife's tablet.
:D
 
I will be away from home for one to three weeks and may post less on this forum. I think the tablet will work for me, but I may have limited time.
The Alamo is both exciting and sad, exciting in that it evokes strong emotions in those of us devoted to history and sad, because so little is left of this once historic compound/mission. The city has largely claimed the site, the outer West wall is under a strip of buildings, one of which is the Marriott. Where Travis was allegedly killed is now occupied by a Federal building, in fact IIRC it is the area of the Post Office steps. The Long Barracks have been largely recreated, the Alamo has undergone many transformations and purposes over 181 years, from warehouse, arsenal, stables, to mercantile usage and a story of an unseemly period about a brothel.......

Highly recommend the River Walk in the evening!
 
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A friend of mine visited the Alamo Mission and then took the boat ride through San Antonio afterwards (about 3 years ago). The boat's engine broke down while on the cruise (it had to be towed by another vessel) and they got back late to where their rental car was parked in a parking lot timed zone. Their rental car got towed away as a result. Bummer......
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How does that even happen?
Those boats are never more than 30 feet from the bank, FFS.
 
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What's left now is the Chapel (i.e., the old mission church) and the lower part of the Long Barracks adjacent. In 1836 it was a much larger complex.

Hardin's Texian Illiad is probably the best one-volume history of the Texas Revolution. For guides to the physical design and appearance of the Alamo, I suggest Mark Lemon's Illustrated Alamo, 1836, and Nelson and Pais' The Alamo: An Illustrated History.

Walter Lord's A Time to Stand is over 50 years old now, but still a classic of clear storytelling.

Agreed! Lemon's model he created for the book was purchased by Phil Collins and is at the History Shop, catty-corner from the Alamo. I never took a class to the Alamo without going there first so they could realize how big the area the Texians defended really was. Like Billy Bob said..."We're gonna need more men."

Edit: I think the book is out of print now, so if you find a copy, grab it!
 
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