Austin, Texas

We took a flight from Vegas to Austin the next day and were greeted at the airport by a live band – so far the self-proclaimed music capitol of the world was living up to its reputation.  We checked into a Travelodge and spent the next couple of days soaking in the atmosphere of this young, lively and pretty city. 

Not being ones to miss out on a bit of history, we spent one sunny afternoon visiting the capitol building, where we tagged along to a school trip tour learning all about the history of the lone star state. Being the ignoramus that I am, I hadn’t realised that Texas was once under Spanish rule and then part of Mexico. The main thrust of our school-trip tour, therefore, centred on the two most significant battles in the Texans’ fight for independence, The Alamo and San Jacinto. The former saw just two Texans survive the battle against the Mexicans, whilst the latter, just a couple of weeks later, finally ensured them their freedom.  It was really interesting hearing a Texan’s account of the history, especially as the guide referred to the battles as some of the most significant in world history….and there I was thinking Alamo was just a car-hire company!

The city of Austin gave me the impression of being very ‘alive’ (for want of a better word).  There were heaps of trendy bars with live music constantly flowing throughout the streets.  Restaurants, bars and clubs, alike, all offered something a bit different and there was a nice, friendly vibe about the place.  One noteworthy evening was spent at a lovely restaurant called ‘Moonshine’, where Ash had the best steak of the trip (yes, even better than Buenos Aires).  Another evening we head out on the famous 6^th street to get a slice of the nightlife that we heard so many positive things about.   We certainly weren’t disappointed as we ended up seeing the guy who taught Carlos Santana how to play the guitar for just $5 each.  Despite having well and truly left South America behind, we were suddenly plunged into a world of Spanish speakers with Ash and I being the only non-hispanics in the whole place.  It just goes to show how culturally diverse the state is and how Mexico and Texas still hold a strong connection, although the power-balance has probably shifted somewhat since the days of The Alamo battle.

Austin is also a famous university city and the leafy grounds provided a perfect spot for an afternoon’s walk.  Unfortunately we visited during Easter holidays and so were unable to go and watch a football match (or even gate-crash a frat-party), which would have been cool to do.  Nonetheless, we were able to see the student areas and there were still some students milling around, meaning that we could get a bit of a feel for student life there. 

Just to make sure we had got our fill of live music, the final evening in Texas’ capital was spent at a reggae festival (just going to show it’s not all cowboy boots and ‘yee-has’) where we got to see some bands and enjoy the festival atmosphere.  The night turned a bit sour, unfortunately, as we ended up getting lost on the bus on the way home, having to travel all the way to the terminus just to come back again. Luckily the bus driver was kind and let us stay on the bus for the return journey and we eventually made it back in one piece. 

We were a bit gutted about inadvertently getting a late one that evening, as the next morning we were to travel to the airport to pick up our first, very own hire car.  To say that I was anxious about driving in the States would be an understatement and I was more than jittery for the first day or so. I made it a personal mission to get fewer than 5 beeps across the whole trip, and the first and only 3 were achieved that first day.   We had decided to drive back into the centre of Austin (kind of equivalent to driving through London) after we picked up the car so that we could visit a park that someone had recommended to us.  It was definitely worth the effort – the park was positioned near to the river and you could walk along the waterside watching people kayaking, with great views of the city.  There was also a piano that had been placed overlooking the water that Ash and I had a good tinkle on.  If that wasn’t enough, the park was also home to a fresh water spring so we were able to have a dip to cool down from the strong Texan sun.  p.s. We also got the hire care stuck in a ditch, which was fun and quite embarrassing!

After enjoying this other face of Austin, we eventually set off again to our next destination in Texas - San Antonio, the site of The Alamo, for our next dose of history!