Your Happy Place?

Think of your happy place. A peaceful, serene, and quiet locale. A spot where you can sit and contemplate on whatever happens to float through your brain. Or not. 

He's found his happy place

A beautiful location that once had an amazing and noble purpose. Flowers everywhere that are lovingly tended, gorgeous old trees with branches that sweep the ground. Old stone walls. 200+ year old buildings. This is my newest stay-cation spot in San Antonio. 

Cross over the well

Mission San Francisco de la Espada better known as Espada, is the southernmost mission of the 5 missions that line the banks of the San Antonio River. It was founded in 1690 and moved to its present location in 1731, to help the Spanish stop the French encroachment coming from Louisiana. 

Still an active Catholic parish with weekly church services, it and the other missions have become a National Historic Park operated by the National Park Service.  While the missions have not been in continuous operation as parish churches since they were established, many of today's current parishioners are direct descendants of the mission indians and spanish citizens who founded and built the missions. 

Feeding the birds at
Mission Espada

Now I'm guessing that at about this point you're probably thinking "no way, that sounds like some kind of school field trip." And you might be right. I'm sure that schools in San Antonio probably still have field trips to the Missions, but there is so much more there that you can appreciate as an adult on a lazy weekend. For bird watchers, the park offers over 200 species of birds. Spring and early summer being excellent times to get out and spot a Green Kingfisher or Scissor-tailed flycatcher. 

The chapel of Mission
Espada

Texas history buffs will be interested in seeing the 270 year old acequia or aquaduct which supplied much needed water to the mission and is part of the irrigation and aquaduct system that stretched from the Alamo, the mission farthest north to the Espada at the souternmost point.

Winding its way along the mission trail between Mission Concepcion and Mission Espada is the Mission Hike & Bike Trail. In total an 8 mile trail that allows access to each of the missions on an easy wide pathway. However, be advised that this is not a loop, so to return to your starting point could make your total walk/ride 16 miles. The part of the trail that I was on didn't have any steep inclines as this part of the city is fairly flat in terrain. All that adds up to any easy ride or walk even for the youngest or for that matter  member of the family. The only caveat is that parts of the trail are currently under construction to return the river back to it's original snaking, meandering natural current. Which translates into detours for hikers and bikers as those parts of the trail under construction are closed. The trail is expected to be open again sometime next year with new plantings and more attention to the environment.

Picnic anyone?

Not a hike, bike, or history person? Not into knowing every species of birds in front of you? Well do you like to picnic? If you do, then pack up a good lunch, a great bottle of vino and drive to the Mission with whoever makes you laugh so much you cry or that special someone in your life and spread out your blanket. Eat, drink, laugh, talk and take in the breeze and the beauty around you. You may have taken a brown bag lunch as a kid on a field trip but you can make your picnic so much more. Bring a pillow and watch the rays of the sun as they spread across the sky and change the face of the Mission. But don't feed the Mission cat without the friars permission! 

I'll even throw in a recipe for you to try that works very well at room temperature. So now I ask you is this only the fodder of elementary school field trips now?

The Friary of the Mission

One of the flowers in the compound

I've never seen this kind of flower before

This was a tiny flower
that I had to try not
to step on.

Another lovely flower

Can we say pretty?!?

Under the eaves of the friary, was this
statue of St. Anthony

Even the butterflies know about Espada Mission.

The birds were trying to build nests under the eaves of the Friary

Old hardware, hand hammered by
the Indian blacksmith from the
Mission

I've never seen anything like this.

Not the original plaque but you get the idea.

Some of the ruins on  the Mission showing Indian housing

Military housing on the Mission

What is left of the protective
wall of the mission in one
area

The wood is all mesquite

Farm implements and a well from what would have been the
town of San Fernando, outside the walls of the Mission.

This is where the cemetery
would have been located

These bells and the supporting structure
were added after the chapel was built.

Inside the Alter area of the chapel

Note how the wood of the
door has warped,
split and shrunk so that
you can see daylight.

The entries were so low that I was about the only one who
fit through without bending over or hitting your head.

The view from one room to another to
another.

Ruins on the Mission grounds

I really liked this one. It's almost like a house built into the wall

The first version of a multi-family
housing unit.

The mission was founded in March 1731,
Estela Escalira signed this rock on an
old well on June 12, 1731.
This was at the back of the Mission grounds

The view of the bells from the back of the Mission

If you look very closely, you will see at the bottom right
a small patch of green. That is the musket hole through
which the Mission's soldiers defended it. These were probably
at about 2 to 2 1/2 feet above the ground.

Moorish Style door frame to the chapel
which is original to the chapel.