Cowboys & Gators – 3/3

Saturday rolled around, and it was time to see San Antonio. The drive there wasn’t too bad since it was just an hour away. The first item on the list to see was The Alamo. I honestly expected a bit more, but some things are still a work in progress, and from an educational point of view, they do a really good job with all the information at hand. After that, we went souvenir shopping and slowly made our way towards the main attraction of SA, in my opinion: the Riverwalk. It really is beautiful, and it’s located in the center of the city, which adds that wow factor, with all its stone bridges and pontoons floating in the canals. When our stroll by the water ended, we grabbed some drinks, and since we were also a bit hungry, we headed to a Mexican market for some street food. It was really delicious.

And now to the highlight of the San Antonio visit: the Rodeo! Tejas Rodeo is a venue in the northern part of SA, where they organize rodeos every Saturday evening. The place is very well put together, with a restaurant and drinks area as you enter the premises, and behind it is a big “tent” where the magic happens. The show lasts for about two hours and showcases many different disciplines of rodeo, from children riding sheep, horse racing around barrels, to the main event: bull riding. It is a fascinating experience. When it ended, we headed back home to be fresh for our house party the next day.

We got up the next day, and we all knew what was up. It was house party day. Quickly, we made ourselves breakfast, and soon it was time to get some things ready. Some of us took care of the music, while others were in charge of the grill, and so on. We had so much fun, and soon it was time to go to bed once again. We had to get a good night ‘s sleep since it was already moving day when we wake up again.

After getting up, we had our last breakfast at the “ranch”, hauled luggage into the car, and drove away towards Austin, the capital of Texas. On the way, we had to stop at Buc-ee’s again, this time in New Braunfels. It was the biggest one until June 2024, when they finished an even bigger one. The drive to Austin was quite long, so we made another small pit stop in San Marcos. We took a walk around the park with a beautiful lake and a spot for water sports. One more place was waiting for us before Austin: the long-awaited COTA (Circuit of the Americas), where they host MotoGP and Formula 1 championships, along with many others. We arrived in Austin quite exhausted, so we just had a quick dinner and then off to bed.

The next day greeted us with wonderful weather, so we had to take full advantage of it. We went into the city and took a few photos of the Texas Capitol building. Then we walked down 6th Street to scout some good places for evening activities and stumbled upon an interesting museum. It was something about horror and movies, featuring many wax figures. It was a bit scary at times, but worth the money. After an afternoon rest, it was time to head out to the country scene. It was really fun. We found a bar where a guy played guitar; he was brilliant and even took some of our requests. Once again, time flew by so quickly, and after too many drinks, it was time to go home.

Again, moving day, this time to Dallas, our final destination for this trip. On the way to our house, we decided to visit Fort Worth. It did not disappoint. The Stockyards felt like stepping back in time, and it is a great place to buy souvenirs. Another place we visited was the Water Gardens, a large concrete structure with lots of cascading water. I liked it a lot. As evening rolled around, we headed into the city to play some darts, have a few beers, and soon return to the house.

Our last full day in Texas was not as exciting as all the others. We dedicated it to clothes shopping, specifically visiting an outlet and a Marshall or two. In the evening, it was time for dinner. We found an Italian place, and little did we know it was owned by a Serbian gentleman. We had a good chat, and the food was amazing. They even gifted us a glass of champagne; I would recommend that place.

That dreaded day had to arrive one way or another. It was time to go home. We packed our bags and slowly headed to the airport. Thirty hours of travel back home awaited us. Dallas to Helsinki, Helsinki to Munich, and a long drive home in the middle of the night. But we made it and wouldn’t change it for anything.

This trip was one of the most intense I have ever had. It had its highs and lows, but I did it with a group of friends whom I love very much, and I hope we will have more adventures together in the future. Thanks for reading. See you in the next one!