THIS MAKES ME HAPPY: OLD STUFF, NEW EYES

Wimberley's not the only town that has more than one side to it.  You may see several different faces on San Antonio as well.  It all depends on your point of view.  For instance, when you mosey along the famed Riverwalk, you are surrounded by hordes of tourists, and all the businesses you pass are the hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops that cater to these tourists.

If, however, at one of the many bridges which span the river, you were to climb up to the street level and walk along the sidewalks on the other side of these very same buildings, you would see something altogether different.  You would see local people running errands, waiting for busses, going to work -- just going about their daily lives, pretty much oblivious to the throngs down below.  You would find that many of those buildings house altogether different businesses on their upper levels, and you might even stumble across a bit of history.  We happened across that unusual cage-thingy in a garage-like space next to a Marriot hotel.  When I paused to snap a picture of it, a nearby workman asked me if I knew what it was.  Since I had seen something similar in Europe, I guessed "elevtor."  He said I was right, but that it was a very special elevator.  That Marriot hotel used to be a convent, and this particular elevator carried the nuns down to its basement, where they would walk through a tunnel that ran underneath the street and took them to the church on the other side.  I'm so glad he told us that story, for it made me look at the whole block through new eyes.

There is yet another side to most cities -- one you aren't likely to see unless you are a very early riser like me.  Since most of my travel-companions tend to sleep way later than me when they are on vacation, and since there is nothing worse than having to sit still in a dark room for two or three hours if you are wide awake, it has become my habit to go out in search of a cup of tea or hot chocolate (depending on the season), and then to wander the streets while they are totally deserted, except for the odd jogger or two.

Without all that hustle and bustle around you, it's not so critical to watch where you are going, and when your eyes are allowed to wander, there's no telling what you will see!  Take, for instance, those grey bumpy things sticking out from the wall above, at the Mexican cafe where we lunched the day before.  Did you realize what they were?  Molcajetes!  They decorated the wall with hundreds of the giant Mexican mortars, for grinding corn and herbs and such, but I bet most people never even notice.

Most amazing are the things you will discover when you allow your eyes to drift upwards -- something we almost never do when there are lots of people around.

 

I had never noticed how many gorgeous old movie houses San Antonio has.  They remind me so much of the ones my parents used to take us to, in downtown Dallas.  Thank goodness they have been preserved rather than torn down!

I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to live up there above the old Texas theatre -- to be able to step out of my living area onto one of these exquisite balconies!

Slowing down enough to see the same old stuff through brand new eyes?  This makes me so very happy!

What about you?  What did you do this week, to slow down and enjoy a few of the simple pleasures life has to offer?

Slow + Simple = Happy!