A Tourist at Home

My Aunt Rhonda recently had an opportunity to come down to San Antonio to visit Mike and I. My Mom was also available to come down the same weekend. We found this to be an excellent opportunity to be tourists in our own city.

 Mom and Rhonda with "Hanna" wine they found at HEB

On Friday, Mom had some conference calls to attend to and Mike was at work, so Rhonda and I decided to check out the Botanical Gardens. I was amazed at all the beautiful flowers they had on the grounds - and all just 10 minutes away from our house!

 me inside one of the many statues on the grounds

 

Rhonda poses in the Japanese Garden

 Beautiful Orchid

That evening, KU was playing in the NCAA tournament. The game was actually being played in San Antonio, too! Ellie made some stuffed shells and brought it over to our house and we all watched the game together. After the Jayhawks won, there was a mandatory pilgrimage to get gelato. 

Ellie and Geoff ready for a Jayhawk victory (note the clever sauce placement on the stuffed shells).

On Saturday, Mike and I competed in a triathlon and duathlon, respectively, at Lake Pflugerville near Austin. I was very proud at my performance at my first duathlon and I got 1st in my age group (out of 3!). It probably helped that I was mentally prepared for running 3 miles, biking 12 miles, and then running 3 miles when really the runs were only 1.5 miles each!  

That evening, everyone was tired and getting cranky as dinner time approached. I suggested that we go to a nearby pizza place which is a certified "Pizzeria Napoletana" (one of only 32 in the US!). We had a bit of a wait to get a table but oh my goodness was it worth it. 

Mom, Rhonda and I seated and ready for our Pizza!!

The food was great, of course, but we also had great service. We sat at the "bar" where we could overlook the kitchen operations. 

Skilled chefs carefully prepare each pizza by hand!

 We saw pizzas go into the oven (considered the heart of the kitchen/restaurant) and we even saw them create a s'mores pizza made with nutella! When we told our waiter we wanted one of those he looked hesitant and asked the chef. He looked hesitant for a bit and then agreed to make us one. Turns out it wasn't even on the menu. They only offered it as a special sometimes. It was AWESOME! 

In awe of the S'mores pizza!

On Sunday we had brunch along the Riverwalk and then did some exploring.  

Enjoying brunch on the Riverwalk!

 There were many KU and VCU fans roaming the area as well. 

Some crazy blue guys (we assumed they were for KU) were wandering the Riverwalk

 And of course, no trip to San Antonio is complete without visiting the Alamo!

Remember...