Week Two

It's on to week two here in San Antonio!! ...and I am still unemployed. Don't get me wrong...it is not necessarily regrettable. I have made a lot of progress and feel like I will be employed in the very near future. And-I have met some amazing people (my favorite being the missionary couple over-seeing the employment center that I have gotten to know very well. They are my best friends and I must not have made too bad of an impression on them either considering they tried to hook me up with their son...ha). But. For now, I am going to enjoy my last days of freedom. So, what does one do in a new and somewhat strange city? SIGHT-SEE! I know, this is what tourists are supposed to do...but as a new resident, I feel like I should see all there is to see...so I can at least show people around when I finally convince them to come visit me. First stop: the Alamo-number one tourist destination in Texas.

The last time I was here, I was 16. Now I am 22 and SO much more mature and actually interested in things like...history. I thought it would be a lot more exciting this time. And...it wasn't. Don't let the cheesy smile fool you. I mean, there IS some amazing history at this site...but I think once is good enough. However, I did meet this guy in the gift shop...

Apparently he is a famous UFC fighter (Nate "the Rock" Quarry or something like that)...but since I unfortunately don't follow UFC, I had no idea who he was...ah well.

I was then directed to check out the other missions in San Antonio, and these are definitely worth seeing. There is some amazing history at these as well, and bonus-NO TOURISTS. Just beautiful (and somewhat eerie) chapels.

After parking in what I believe was a private parking lot right by the church, I got out and explored the grounds. It was gorgeous. All of these missions are set a few miles apart and all were home/refuge/sanctuary to hundreds of people around the same time as the Alamo (1836 I think). Each is set up as a fortress with cannons and other weapons ready for war.

This is my face...looking through a cannon hole. ha ha 

Oh, and this is the amazing tree whose trunk was literally swimming in and out of the ground.

(Julie-this pose is for you...thumbs up to the duckies)

The absolute coolest things I have seen so far in San Antonio though are these. Now, I don't know exactly what they are or what they are doing out there in this random field. But they are MASSIVE. And extremely curious...with only this little sign to explain...

You would think someone who could make these...um...women...would be able to make a better sign. Regardless...I googled the guys name and it turns out they were made by Tom Otterness...a famous artist out of New York. I stopped reading right there. I like not knowing why on earth these creatures exist.