Marie Scott Marks – Camino Sunrise

April 22, 2024

Day Three: San Fernando Cathedral & Dinner on the Riverwalk

“San Fernando Cathedral was founded on March 9, 1731 by a group of 16 families who came from the Canary Islands at the invitation of King Phillip V of Spain and is the oldest, continuously functioning religious community in the State of Texas.” https://sfcathedral.org/our-history

A good night’s sleep and Marie and I were ready to explore a bit of downtown. The cathedral was less than two blocks from our hotel.

Bexar County Courthouse – across the street from the cathedral.

“The Bexar County Courthouse is the largest and oldest continuously operated historic courthouse in Texas¹. It was designed by James Riely Gordon in the Romanesque Revival style ¹. Construction began in 1891 and was fully completed in 1896 ². The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 ². The Courthouse currently functions as the county seat of Bexar County“

A perfect San Antonio ending. Dinner on the Riverwalk. There’s Marie, studying the menu.

April 21, 2024April 21, 2024

Day One: Mission Espada – Exploring

Mission Espada

We easily walked another mile just exploring the mission.

The facade reminds me of many of the small churches along the Camino Frances. Maybe the Spanish floor plan was passed on to Texas.

Priests visiting from Croatia. No. I don’t know what they were doing in San Antonio. The fellow in front was the only one who spoke English – and he spoke with a decidedly Irish accent. I’m looking a tad bedraggled. We’d walked in heavy mist and light rain all morning.

Marie reading the historical info plaque while exploring the mission grounds.

April 21, 2024April 21, 2024

Day One: Mission Espada – On the Way

This was the first mission in Texas, founded in 1690 as San Francisco de los Tejas near present-day Weches, Texas. On March 5, 1731, the mission was transferred to the San Antonio River area and renamed Mission San Francisco de la Espada. A friary was built in 1745, and the church was completed in 1756. https://www.nps.gov/saan/planyourvisit/espada.htm

On the way to Mission Espada

The walk from the hotel to Mission Espada was about five miles. These two missions are very close together, so if you start at Mission Espada, you’ll certainly visit more than two missions in a day. I think we added about eight miles by walking to/from the hotel.

We walked in heavy mist / light rain the first part of the day. and were grateful for the overcast skies and mild temperatures.

April 21, 2024April 21, 2024

El Camino de San Antonio Missions

Tres Peregrinas

Mendy Smith (L) Me and Marie Scott Marks

Marie and I spent our childhoods together. I was ten and she was eight when I moved to the neighborhood. Mendy’s dad & his family lived two doors down from Marie. I am 76.

The walk is through “four eighteenth century Spanish Missions and the oldest functioning Cathedral in Texas. San Antonio is the only place outside Europe that you can officially begin walking the El Camino de Santiago.” El Camino de San Antonio Missions

The Path

Pay attention to the path options. Google likes to take you along high-traffic roadways and not-so-scenic byways. We paused frequently and assessed our options. Opting for neighborhoods and the Riverwalk path added a few miles, but was absolutely worth it.

Lodging

There ain’t none.
If you want to walk from the hotel to the path (and back to a hotel), count on adding another 8-10 miles to the day. Our first day was about 12 miles and the second day, about 15 miles because we walked back/forth to hotels.

Breaks and food

Benches are along the riverwalk. There are no cafes or places to eat, so bring your snacks/lunch/water with you. One detour we took through a neighborhood brought us by a service station and convenience store, but that was a chance happening.