NECC Vol 2 – Remember the Alamo
Yesterday we had the bus tour of San Antonio, the 7th largest city in the US.
San Antonio is steeped in history. The tour started with the Missions. Spanish missionaries in the 17th C convert the local indians to chistianity, while avoiding being spitted by the local apaches and co. To do this they set up missions – each about a days walk from each other. These were large compounds with the houses built into the wall of the compound and a church. The one we visited was huge and the church was lovely, I prefered it to the cathedral in the city we visited, a much nicer feel to the place.
The time there was very pleasant, but blisteringly hot. So when we had the opportunity to move into the church we were very grateful. The Church is still a functioning parish church for the local catholic population. While the rest of the mission is part of the national parks the church is maintained by the congregation.
From the mission we went back into the middle of town and headed to the Alamo. The visit was rushed and I would have prefered to have had more time to visit what is regarded as an almost sacred site. The Americans see the Alamo as a key point in their history. I will try to visit again with a little more leisure later.
We visited the cathedral in the middle of town too. Behind the altar is a huge (20ft tall) feature. The statues represent the 4 gospels and Christ. Its interesting too because its covered in gold. The entire structure is coated in gold leaf.
All in all a pleasing insight into San Antonio.
Today is the start of the conference with a full afternoon of keynotes, receptions and sessions. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are full of sessions and keynotes. Huge fun – looking forward to wandering through the trade displays – there are 100’s of them.
