I have to admit again, before I came on this trip I was a little worried. I had a preconceived, but luckily, totally incorrect vision of Texas resulting from a combination of Hollywood films, best-selling fiction and the travel experience of others.
This past weekend I was in San Antonio and it quite literally shocked me. My faith and love for the US was completely restored - Canadian propaganda and the CBC be damned. For the first time since I was in San Diego years ago did I really feel like I was in a place (besides St. John's) where I could live, settle down, and be quite happy.

The city has a hypnotic mix of culture, fantastic food, cloud touching architecture, and an endless stream of historic and modern attractions. There is a river that meanders through the center of San Antonio which is bounded on both sides by a wide walkway and is surrounded by the coolest of restaurants, clubs, pubs, shops and hangouts. It was possibly the most relaxed, chilled out place I have been. Everyone was at the 'riverwalk' for the same reason as I was, whether they were tourists or not - They just wanted to relax.

It was so much fun!! Of course, 1.75$ beers only make it more fun. But nonetheless, more than ample heat, little to no humidity, endless sunshine and dreamlike landscapes make it a place that just forces you to smile. Even back here in Houston now, with a trip to Johnson Space Centre looming, my mind is still drifting back to San Antonio, it was almost painful to leave.

Another thing I've learned on this little sidetrip to San Antonio is that my small sized girlfriend has a supersized scream. While at Six Flags, we naturally had to indulge our mutual fancy for roller coasters. It was pretty tame on the first couple we rode, but the last one, "The Poltergeist", was just sensational. Electromagnets accelerate the train to breakneck speed right out of the station, there's no pause, no slow part, and no break.... and surprisingly, there was no break in her scream. It was louder than the shriek of the ride itself. At the end, when we braked and coasted into the station, the people who were seated ahead and had waited with us in line for more than an hour, turned about in their seats smiling, obviously as surprised as I at the source of the scream :)