Red represents bravery, white purity and blue loyalty. The star represents the State of Texas - the lone star state.
The Tower of the Americas is the second highest free standing tower in the USA, with the first being the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas and the third is the Space Needle in Seattle, both of which we have visited (see Fun and Games but Hating it Out of Principle and A From The Top of The Space Needle respectively). Sorry America, but they are all outdone by the CN Tower in Canada (see The Civilised Way to See The CN Tower).
The tower and a lot of the city centre regeneration, including the Riverwalk, seems to be linked to the 1968 World Fair, which is frequently mentioned. If I am not mistaken, it was a similar World Fair that gave rise to the Space Needle in Seattle. Perhaps we need the 2023 World Fair in our home town so that the whole world can see what Hemel Hempstead has to offer (and I cringe whilst Im writing this)!?
I had to wait until 11.00am for it to open we I went for yet another walk around the Riverwalk. When the tower opened, it was not busy at all, so there was plenty of room to move around and enjoy the view. There are two areas, inside and outside. Obviously the best views are from the outside, although it was extremely
windy. I tried looking for the Riverwalk and I could see some bits of it, although most was hidden amongst the buildings. There was a freight train passing by that was so long that I could not see the far end of it in the distance. Those trains, and their horns, are also a reminder of Seattle, where we frequently had to wait for them to pass (also see A From The Top of The Space Needle).
I skipped the 4D cinema at the bottom (maybe later, as the wristband will let me back in as many times as I like through the day and I may go back when its dark).
There was a big display along the inside wall depicting the history of Texas, but we are going to have more of that later as we had booked an audio tour of The Alamo. After enjoying the view for a while, I went back to the hotel and then we headed for The Alamo at the appointed time and, after the inevitable photo (to not buy later), we immersed ourselves in more Texas history.
California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico were originally part of Mexico, which was then a Spanish colony called New Spain. They had their own War of Independence and achieved independence from Spain. Americans and Europeans were encouraged to settle in Texas, with the land being much cheaper to acquire than in the United States.
There was then effectively a Mexican civil war between the two political viewpoints of the Centralists and the Federalists. The Centralists won, much to the disgust of the Texan settlers who then rebelled and sought independence from Mexico. There were two big battles between the settlers and the Centralist forces, both of which the settlers lost, and one of those battles was at The Alamo.
The Alamo was originally a Spanish mission, seeking to convert all the local indigenous tribes to Catholicism. That is evident still in the main church building, although it later became a military barracks. in March 1836,189 settlers were fortified in The Alamo when the Centralists arrived who laid siege for 12 days. As I understand it, it started when the Centralists demanded the return of a canon, to which the Texan settlers responded, Come and take it! Now that
On the 13th day, the Centralists stormed The Alamo and killed everyone inside (although I think some women and children survived).
There was another battle that same year where the settlers overwhelmed the Centralists and drove them out of Texas whilst shouting, This is for The Alamo. Texas was then an independent country for 10 years until 1845 when there was a vote to join the United States and the 28th state.
It is said that whoever controls The Alamo controls San Antonio. Whoever controls San Antonio controls Texas. Whoever controls Texas has influence beyond the Texan borders.
