Exploring San Antonio - 2/21/2011

In the morning we got up at 7 so we could leave with Mark at 7:30. His puppy came out to welcome us all over again by jumping on us and nipping our hands and licking our faces. Mark had recommended Taco Taco Café for breakfast as it had been given the award for best tacos in San Antonio. We ordered two tacos - the Special with eggs and potatoes and beans and the Chilaquiles with eggs and onions and peppers. We added salsa and they were delicious. (They asked us not to take pics....but I think we forgot that rule the next time we ate there.....)

San Antonio pics

Next we went off in search of a Japanese Tea Garden. We parked at the zoo for the free parking and climbed the hill to the garden. There were flower lined paths and waterfalls and streams and rocks. Tricia climbed to the top of the rock wall so I could take her picture. On the walk down we saw tons and tons of cats in the woods. There were food dishes and climbing posts, so it seemed that someone was looking out for them, but they didn’t appear to be house cats. We must have seen twelve or so. There was a sign at the bottom of the hill saying that it was illegal to dump pets in the woods, so we think the cats may have been dumped and breeding there.

Afterwards, we went to the Alamo, bypassing the $8 Alamo parking and opting instead for the $1.50/hour meters that were only a 15 minute walk away. There were a lot of tourists there, and we couldn’t take pictures inside. We saw an archaeologist inside who was restoring parts of the walls. We learned that only 12 people had survived the siege - all women and children and one servant. We were able to see the room where the women and children had stayed during the siege. We also learned that Texas had already been declared independent before the siege took place. We read all the names of the people who died. There were men from many states and many from other countries in Europe as well. There was also one freed Blackman who died, identified only as John _________.

We wanted to see the other 4 missions as well, which were said to be prettier than the austere Alamo. We drove to all four Missions and explored the ruins of the churches and convents. Some of the convents were still in use by monks who had returned after a long time away. We also saw an aqueduct built to forge a stream and completed in 1740.

Then we found a little shack making and selling food, so we tried the famous Frito Pie and Corn in a Cup. Frito Pie is Fritos with chili and nacho cheese, and is alright. Corn in a Cup can be skipped, as it is corn and spices and mayonnaise, and other things that don’t belong together.

 

Right at this time, I got a call from Orbitz saying that my imminent flight to Madison had been delayed two hours and that I would miss my connection. I had a 9 AM appointment in Madison the next day, and was already supposed to arrive at 10:30 PM. Panicking, I called every rental car company in Milwaukee, but none would let me rent a car in Milwaukee and return it in Madison. When we got to the airport, I asked the ticket agent what he could do, and he told me to talk to the attendants in Milwaukee. I asked if they’d at least put me in a hotel, and he scoffed. Apparently, they do absolutely nothing if a plane’s delayed for weather. (They do next to nothing when it’s not weather, so why was I surprised?) I figured I’d talk to the people at the gate, but there was no one there. I had to wait an hour, pacing back and forth at the gate, before they finally came. The lady was so nice, in spite of the nervous breakdown I was having, and let me ask her every 5 minutes whether the Madison flight had been delayed yet. She consoled me, saying she would be doing the same thing and that all the Midwest flights would be delayed and not to worry. The fourth time I approached her I informed her that I’m usually much less of a pain in the ass.

Finally, she said the Madison flight had been delayed until 10:10 and that the Milwaukee flight would arrive at 10, so I should make it. We finally boarded the plane, to my relief. Fidgeting in my seat and waiting for the plane to take off, I finally flagged down a flight attendant and asked what the hold up was. And she told me there was a maintenance issue with the door. And I sat in a plane full of people and cried. No, really. It was sad.

 

To top it all off, they knew absolutely nothing about any of the flights in Milwaukee, and could not tell any of the upset passengers were going to make their flights. The pilot came on before we landed to tell us that most flights had been delayed and most passengers would make it. I tried to breathe. When we landed and they let us out, all of us who needed to catch a flight bolted off the plane and into the terminal. I didn’t even know what gate I needed, and couldn’t find a screen with useful information, so I shouted in the general direction of a gate agent “Where’s the Madison flight??!!??” He shouted back and I took off running.

The flight had been delayed until 10:40. And here it was 10:25! Tons of time. They weren’t even boarding yet, but started up as soon as I arrived. I sank gratefully into my seat on the little plane. We pulled away from the gate. And then the pilot came on. And I swear this is what he said:
“Folks, I’ve just been informed that the airport is closed. And we need to deice the plane first, so we’re not going to try, because there would be no point. I mean, it’s closing in about 3 minutes, and we wouldn’t make it. So, I’m really sorry, but we’re going to have to wait 20 minutes for them to plow the runway, and then we’ll need to be deiced, so it’s going to be about a 30 minute delay.”
Way to bury the lead, right??? The passengers all gasped in horror, and then signed in relief. As long as they didn’t cancel the flight (because there were no other flights), we did not care about delays. I was happy as long as I got there by about 8:30 am. All the flights the day before had been cancelled, and they were still trying to find flights for those passengers!

So, I finally made it into Madison, and had the scariest drive out of the airport ever! Apparently there was an actual reason for the flights to be delayed! And that reason was snow. And ice. And then I was terrified that my appointment would be cancelled and I’d have to reschedule, which would have killed me as I’d just FLOWN from San Antonio for this thing. But, by 8 the next morning the roads had been fully plowed and everything ran smoothly all day. And at 6 pm I got back on a plane and headed for San Antonio. But not before I had some Culvers. I know we’re on a fast food hiatus here, but after my night a greasy hamburger, fried cheese curds, and a Reese’s Concrete Mixer were vitally important to my life.