I was there a few years back and I was surprised as well it was sort of tucked and hidden away, and just way different than I expected. Nice picture I am glad you made it out alive. LOL

All I can think of upon seeing this is when Ozzy Osbourne was again, drunk and stopped to take a leak and got arrested for doing that on the side of the Alamo. And we wonder why security is tough...lol Just kidding, great shot...and yes it does suck when visits at places like this are disapointing.

Wonderful shot nothing like overboard & paranoid security to make a person want to forget the Alamo

Living in and around San Antonio for many,many years, I always cherished trips here. I hate to start a sentence this way but, "back then" it was even more hidden away in the big city. A tiny moment in history sandwiched in among department stores and office buildings. The effect was magical - like a personal discovery when you least expected it. When in lived only a mile or two from downtown, at least once a week, I would hop the bus with a picnic basket and go to the Alamo. There were no pole and chains, no expansive paved walks, and I never saw more than a handful of people during any visit. I could walk around, inspect every inch, feel the history and relive the story in my mind without interruption. I'd walk out the back where there was lovely grass and no barriers, once again, to the long storerooms to the left. There, a small mini-theater played a documentary of "The Alamo" and I'd take a seat on the long bench in front of the small screen and eat my lunch. There were no restrictions on inside photos then either, but it was during one of the periods when I couldn't afford a camera - even a cheap one. I wish I had some pictures of it then... but all I have now are the photos that live in my memory. As a fan of Texas History, the Alamo will always be the Lone Star that shines in my heart. Great shot.

Lovely capture!

This is the Alamo? The famous Alamo? It´s so small! I thought it must be much bigger.

The Alamo was much bigger. This is only the chapel which really did not play much of a part in the battle. Most of the old mission grounds are now paved over and built over. Still a nice place to visit. We spent 18 months by the calendar in San Antonio and it was informative to read editorials and to watch documentaries about the period. A few books, particularly diaries of US troops dating from the time of the Mexican Wars were especially interesting. Thus, over the years, my perceptions about the "heroism" of the defenders has been replaced by more realistic attitudes. IMO, most got what they asked for. Too big a place to hold with too few men. None of their darn business getting mixed up in what was essentially a Mexican civil war to restore that country's constitution (which forbade slavery). Santa Anna's big mistake was the massacre of the survivors from the Alamo and those of an earlier battle (IIRC Golliad): what he saw as strength (he learned this as a junior officer during a sack of Monterrey) just totally backfired. If there is no surrender, one must fight to the death. Alexander the Great learned this during his campaings in Asia. Sparing prisoners took the fight out of those on the fence of fight or surrender. Our childhood heroes (thanks to Walt Disney) often turn out to have clay feet on closer inspection. Davy Crockett -- deadbeat dad; Jim Bowie -- thug; Col. Travis -- posturing fool; all other Norte Americanos and foreigners there -- opportunists. The real freedom fighters were the Mexicans who wanted their constitutional rights restored. The image is excellent. No tourists cluttering the place up.

this is a wonderful shot. I felt the same way when I visited there; I wanted it to be much more emotional than it was.