In 2018 my grandmother, Roberta was turning 90 years old. This was what it took for my family to band together and start working on that bucket list with her. First stop was Texas. She wanted to see the Alamo and more.

Being from Ohio my perspective of Texas was always this giant desert state. Being in the air above it (at 1:00) This definitely wasn’t the case. But what was the case after we got there was the giant sun and giant sky that Texas has. Even in the city. We opted to walk everywhere and there was no shortage of things to look at. The small little villas and areas of history are just all over in San Antonio. I highly recommend eating near the river like we did.

I think nearly everywhere we walked there was another historical site or another monument to something amazing. The Tower of the Americas was a great start to day two in San Antonio. Even with the rains the view was amazing and the pathway leading up with even more history was well worth it. My favorite place I’ve visited is the UK because I love the feel of the history there. You get smothered in it as soon as you step off the plane. Texas was the first time I had felt that of anywhere I’ve ever been in the states. We’re so young here and we don’t even pay it mind.

The Alamo was like another world. It’s in the middle of the city and so much smaller and bigger at the same time for what I expected. Walking through, looking at the flags and the artifacts and reading the story of them people that lived there was amazing. This is the reason why I loved studying Anthropology as my major and just sets off my love of history so much.

Riverwalk was another great way to learn about the history. We took the boat tour and the guides were amazing. The things we were able to learn was amazing. The hotel that was picked up and moved, the buildings that so many historical things happened at and more. The way they handle floods and so much more. I mention in the following video but I want to reiterate, I just love the way Spanish culture is so ingrained in this city. It is so different that what we have in Ohio and speaking as a Hispanic person it was mind blowing. I grew up around such a different feel and to see this blend of cultures was just enriching for my soul.

We spent our last two days in Austin. Grandma wanted to see the Capital Building and the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential library. The drive reinforced the idea that Texas is not as desert as I thought. Moving on though. Austin. Oh man Austin. This city is the place dreams were made of. As much as I thought I loved San Antonio, Austin was a whole different playing field. San Antonio drenched me in the history that I love, while Austin brought me the modern feel of a vibrant and alive city.

Grandma wanted to see live music and we found a live Jazz band in a basement. The State capital was also a great call as was the Presidential Library. They have so much history in Texas from before they were a state and after. So many battles fought, so many strong opinions and so many types that come from there. The presidents and the other political figures that come from there. There was something overpowering about these places. The University of Texas Campus was also a lovely addition. We walked through this to get to the library and if you haven’t been to a big college campus before, be ready for it. It’s unreal how huge it is. It’s insane. Mind blowingly insane. Also Bats. So many bats.