Did I mention how excited we were for BBQ, Shiner Bock's and country music?!  Because we got it ALL (plus some!) in San Antonio and Austin.  

Being one of Texas' oldest cities, San Antonio had quite the charm.  Very old buildings, narrow roads and a largely Hispanic influence, San Antonio is one of those towns you slowly fall in love with.  On the surface, it seems a little gritty.  A little day-in-and-day-out, go-to-work-to-pay-the-bills kind of city.  We didn't stay for very long, rather an extended afternoon, but the charm grew on us and I can imagine taking a real liking to what surrounded us.  

We had some great Tex-Mex at Mi Tierra, recommended by good friends Ruben and Beth!  

We toured the Alamo.

It's amazing how it sits right there, smack-dab in the middle of the city.  

Perhaps the highlight of San Antonio, although rather touristy, was the River Walk.  Here, bars and cafes line the river about ten feet below the street, an oasis allowing an 'almost' break from the intense summer heat.  

We camped about 40 miles north of San Antonio and took advantage of a great afternoon floating in the river the next day.  

We headed up to Austin later that afternoon.  Instead of making our way directly into town, we made a  satisfying pit stop at The Salt Lick, for some real Texas BBQ.  And damn, it was GOOD!  Here, open pits smoked massive amounts of meat for what seemed like days.  We ate so much we laughed that we were drunk on BBQ!  

Oh, and it was BYOB.  Awesome.  

We stayed in Austin for five nights.

A HUGE thanks goes out to Darin for an intoxicating (um, literally) amount of recommendations of your hometown! 

We explored East 6th St, South Congress, South First, what felt like West Austin, Rainey Street, just to name a few.  We drank at dive bars, saw live music whether random or planned (thanks again Billy Joe for recommending The Preservation at The Parish!).  Hey, I even rode a mechanical bull!  Pictures will NOT be posted...  

We ate AMAZING street food.  BBQ, BBQ, tacos, more BBQ.  

We ALMOST bought new boots and cowboy hats (if only in our budget!).  

Good thing we brought our own boots.  

We took a rather refreshing dip in Barton Springs and cooled off from the heat.

We even ran into an old Seattle friend!  Caitlin, it was SO GREAT (and so completely random) to see you in Austin!  

Joe and I can honestly say that we LOVE Austin.  Yes, many compare Austin's scene to Seattle, as they're alike in so many ways.  But Austin has a southern charm missed by its northern counterpart and we cannot wait to make it back!