One for Texas! – Awesome!

ONE FOR TEXAS AWESOME

Texas had been on my bucket list for some time, especially Austin the 'Music Capital of the World' and finding myself without my travelling friend this year I asked Charmaine to find a holiday that I could do 'solo but safe'. As always she found the perfect fit for me - a tour of 5 cities in 10 days with so much packed into each day, but plenty of free time to relax as well.

Dallas: the city tour and JFK history was very interesting evoking many memories and the afternoon visit to South Fork which included a Texas Cookout / BBQ was such fun, even for those who didn't remember 'Dallas'.

Fort Worth: my absolute favourite! cowboys, country music, cattle drives, Billy Bob's Honky Tonk (the largest in the world!), live bands, dancing AND live Bull Riding! There is also more JFK history as he made his final speech as he left the hotel (now Hilton) for Dallas on that fateful morning. Molly the Trolly is a hop on / off  free bus which runs every 15 mins and will take you to the shops, the Water Gardens and Sundance Square amongst other points of interst.

Austin: the state capital, we enjoyed an excellent tour of the Capital Building, and the Lady Bird Lake cruise to see the thousands (and thousands) of bats fly out to search for food at dusk was well worth waiting for. All genre of music was catered for in the bars on 6th Street (memories of Beale St in Memphis) and step back in time and enjoy a relaxing coffee (or cocktail) in the Driskill Hotel on 6th Street.

San Antonio: The Alamo was another favourite on the tour. The audio tour allows you to walk around at leisure or you can sit and listen to the guides giving lively description of this important part of American history. Not to be missed is the Riverwalk with it's bars, shops and restaurants, enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail in a delightful setting and take the boat tour of the river for a better view.

Houston: The Johnson Space Centre is very special, work still continues here and the history is fascinating. There is a model of a 747 shuttle carrier and replica shuttle walk through exhibit, flight simulator rides for the stout hearted, Saturn V rocket (breathtakingly massive!), Mission Control - remember 'Houston we have a problem - Apollo 13', and much, much more. Allow the best part of a day to experience everything the centre has to offer including the guided NASA Tram Tour.

Galveston: situated on the Gulf of Mexico with beautiful beaches, this was a delightful surprise with its lovely Victorian buildings which have been preserved. Take the harbour boat trip to hear about the fascinating history of this town and if, like us, you are lucky you may get to see dolphins.

These is just a brief overview of a fabulous holiday and if you have ever thought about going to Texas I would say 'do it' I'm so glad I did.