It was decided that today would be our tourist day. Tim and I set out to see many of the important sites in Austin, including the Texas Capitol building, the Texas State History Museum and the University of Texas campus uptown.
Our first stop was the Texas Capitol which was just a few blocks away from the hostel...
In design it is very similar to that of the Washington Capitol building except smaller by size, as there are far more Senators and Representatives in Washington than Austin. Although the building is smaller the Texans don't like to second best, so they made sure that it is the biggest state capitol building, and that it is 13ft higher than the one in Washington. Before heading into the building, we walked around the park outside taking in the beautiful (though hot) weather and a number of statues. Most worryingly of all was the main monument in front of the capitol- what else but a memorial to the defeat of the Confederacy, complete with a huge statue of Jefferson Davis on top. Call me hypersensitive but a monument to a 'state' that defined itself on its adherence to slavery is slightly distasteful.
In design it is very similar to that of the Washington Capitol building except smaller by size, as there are far more Senators and Representatives in Washington than Austin. Although the building is smaller the Texans don't like to second best, so they made sure that it is the biggest state capitol building, and that it is 13ft higher than the one in Washington. Before heading into the building, we walked around the park outside taking in the beautiful (though hot) weather and a number of statues. Most worryingly of all was the main monument in front of the capitol- what else but a memorial to the defeat of the Confederacy, complete with a huge statue of Jefferson Davis on top. Call me hypersensitive but a monument to a 'state' that defined itself on its adherence to slavery is slightly distasteful.
The first stop on the tour of the building were a statue and painting depicting Sam Houston (one of the founders of Texas as a nation, and then a state) and his victory over the Mexican armies led by Santa Anna. In the centre of the building, directly below the dome, was a wonderful mosaic showing the crests of those nations to which Texas drew lineage from: Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, and the United States of America. On the walls around these mosaics were portraits of former governors, and yes, I did pose for a picture beside my hero, George W. Bush...
The inside of the building was very grand and filled with paintings and statues, marble and granite arches, all in the Greek style. We were very fortunate, in that while we were visiting, both houses were in session, and we got to sit in for a few minutes whilst amendments and laws were being discussed (I can't be 100% sure but I think the bill being debated was on the compulsory issuing of grenade-launchers to the under 10s). As well as seeing the legislative branch, in the same building was the Texas Supreme Court, and the Governors office meaning that we got a good view of all things politics in Texas.
After braving the 200m walk down the street, we made it (drenched in sweat) to the Bob Bullock Museum of Texas History. This museum held a special interest for me as although I have studied American history quite extensively, I have never researched the Westward expansions or the formation of Texas. The museum was split into three sections- pre-Republic history; the fight for independence and the subsequent joining of the USA; and modern Texas. As the State is so huge, and its population so large and diverse, it made for an interesting visit, discovering it's history and culture. Before we left we even managed to watch an I-Max movie on 'Discovering Texas' heavily featuring the long horn cow, and rodeos! As we were right next to the UT campus we decided to check it out. It was incredible, a town in itself. Even the smallest building, dedicated to the smallest subject, was larger than the entire library at York. From only a brief tour you could see the difference that funding makes to American colleges (I am actually very surprised that British universities can still compete). Most impressive of all was the college stadium- a mere 90,000 capacity (larger than Wembley). This was a great example of how popular college sport is in America, often more than the professional leagues. I was even told that every single game was a complete sell-out. My only disappointment was that I was not in the right season to see any college football.
After dinner, Tim and I split ways for the evening, as he had managed to purchase a ticket to the premiere of the new Star-Trek film. I instead headed back to the sports bar around the corner and sat down to watch the Grizzlies play the Thunder (I was cheering the Thunder so of course they lost). By this time it was pretty late in the evening, and I retired to my hostel to get some sleep.
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