Sunday, though tired, we visited San Antonio's second biggest attraction, the Riverwalk. Rather than walking, we took a boat trip, which on reflection was a very good idea. The Riverwalk is a small section of SanAntonio which has a small river flowing through (about 20ft wide). In 1928 some architect, called Hugman, had the bright idea of using the river as a nice spot to have a town walk and a place for restaurants, so he drew up a plan for creating a small loop in the river, putting walkways either side, and since it was below street level, lots of stairways and elevators to create easy access. America’s Corps of Engineers put in a weir and later flood control so that the water stays at a constant level. The effect is a delightful walk through a narrow river valley, with buildings on either side, but plenty of trees, tropical shrubs, cool shade and spaces with many places to stop and have a meal or drink, it is quite delightful.
It sometimes has a feel of Venice about it (although I have never been there), a narrow waterway with tall buildings on either side, also it reminded me of the Pirates of the Caribbean, as the architecture has a very Spanish feel and the whole environment is controlled with the gently meandering waterway, with its unexpected turns, narrow arched bridges and tour boats. The boat trip is very good value at $6.00 (senior rate!)and takes you at a very gentle pace round the whole of the Riverwalk, with lots of useless information about special bits of it. We loved it.
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