So it was decided we would go to Sea World, San Antonio for our mini-vacation. CG booked us into a veeerrrryy nice hotel, Marriott Riverwalk (which was, go fig, right ON the Riverwalk. Tres’ cool). When we arrived, they said since we are Marriot Rewards customers, we’d been given a complimentary upgrade. Meaning…we paid $140/night for a freaking penthouse suite which (according to the paper thingie on the back of the door)SHOULD have cost us around $700/night.
Monday morning, we get up and prepare for Sea World by donning the appropriate clothing and footwear as well as sunblock. We drive to McDonald’s where I get to taste one of the new McGriddles which are sinfully decadent (for McDonald’s anyway.
). Then we drive to Sea World and upon arrival, discover we have left our hats at home. So we buy souvenier hats…a black cap that reads “SEAWORLD” in holographic print for CG and a simple black visor with the Sea World logo for myself. We also sign up for the 90 min backstage walking tour, which ended up being the best $20 bucks we spent all day.
We were guided behind the scene of Shamu Stadium where the orcas (that’s killer whales to you and me, jack.:)) perform. We learned that while there WAS an actual Shamu the whale at one time, there no longer is and it simply a ‘stage’ name for their orcas. We got to get up close and personal with an Atlantic Bottle-Nose dolphin as well as feed/ pet stingrays and a white spotted Bamboo shark. Our tour guide, Victoria, was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, which made it quite fun.
We spent the rest of the day doing various shows such as Viva!, the show featuring Pacific White-Sided dolphins and belgua whales, R. L. Stein’s 4-D Haunted LightHouse starring Lea Thompso and that guy from Back to the Future (the one who played the wacked out Prof. Emmit Brown), Shamu! starring the orcas and my favorite Fools with Tools starring Clyde and Seamore the California Sealions.
There is a smallish waterpark and several rides in Sea World now but we skipped the waterpark. We did, however do some of the rides like the Steel Eel and the Great White .
About 3/4 through our day, around 4 pm I was walking down a concrete path when I heard something in my shoe go ‘squish’. Not a water ‘squish’ but a bad ‘squish’. I’d developed blisters on the side of my left foot, just behind where the big toe joins the rest of the foot and on the bottom of my foot, where the toes join the foot but I hadn’t really thought about it because they didn’t really hurt too badly and I’d kept walking. When we sat down and removed my wet shoe and even wetter sock, it was discovered one of the blisters had popped and now I was in intense pain, making it hard to walk. We debated staying vs. leaving and I chose to stay. I put my shoe and sock back on, tied my shoe and gritted my teeth. I was walking slower than before but I was determined to make it through the rest of the night.
When we finally arrived back at the hotel, we used the pin on my nametag from work to pop the blisters and drain them of fluid. I slathered on some aloe gel and climbed into bed, even though it felt like my whole foot was dipped in pain and fire. The next morning (that’s today) I got up and my foot had swelled just enough where I couldn’t get my shoes on. Lucky for me, I’d brought my flipflops to wear in the car and was determined as ever to press on.
We walked around the Riverwalk, me gritting my teeth the whole time and ate breakfast at Schilo’s. Now, if you’ve never been to San Antonio (and even if you have, you might’ve missed it), Schilo’s is a German deli that makes authentic German food and REAL rootbeer. None of that sissy A&W crap for the Schilo’s folks. No way. It was the best damn rootbeer I’ve ever had, with a deep flavorful quality you just don’t find in carbonated rootbeers like A&W or Barqs. The potato pancakes we had were crispy on the outside yet chewy and moist on the inside, just like real German potato pancakes oughta be.
As we drove home, we decided that in order to conserve what little skin I had left on my foot, we would skip the touristy attractions we’d originally planned to visit on the way home since I have to go back to work tomorrow 
and will end up standing on my feet, on bare tile with NO padding in between for 7-8 hours without a break. We came home, popped hte blisters again (for they’d filled up again over time since we’d popped them this morning) and I soaked my feet in hot water with Epsom salts in hopes to relieve some of the pain I’m in right now.
Overall, except for the blisters, we had a really really good time.
IDBB