Days 12, 13, & 14 in Austin - Part 3 - Seat of Power, Bats, Bat Shit, And Bat Shit Crazy.

That's right, dear readers, this post gets its own teaser title.

Many, many of those that call Austin home suggested I see the Capital Building and I'm glad I did as the architecture is special and access was free and easy. The building has a dome that can be seen in most city views and plays prominently on Congress Street. The details within are impressive and Texas-subtle, which is to say over the top. The woodwork, stonework, mouldings, light fixtures, inlays, and portraits of former governors all capture the eye and make for captivating visuals.




Austin also has a massive (estimated at 750,000 - 1,000,000) Mexican free-tailed bat population that call the underside of the Congress Street Bridge home. Come dusk, they funnel out from the safety of their hives (???) / bat caves (???) in wave after wave of batty-ness to the amusement of the citizenry and visitors alike. My venue for this spectacle was a pontoon party boat operated by a local tour company. Fortunately, I selected a seat on the boat with an overhead canopy as, once underway, we were informed by our guide that prior to taking flight, the bats like to, um, lighten their loads, and well, you know. The water began to ripple as if so many tiny pebbles had been dropped into it. And then, a black funnel of winged mammals took to the evening sky, flying away from the setting sun and along the river in search of food. The lake cruise at dusk was pretty fabulous as well and provided some great vistas of the Austin skyline.




Finally, whilst roaming the city streets on Monday, I spotted this very unique resident:



Yes, this woman is wearing a Mexican wrestling mask (Lucha Libre) at 11:30AM on a Monday in the heart of the city. I witnessed her casually stroll and even stop and smell flowers along her way. For some reason, she reminded me of one my dear sisters. Can anyone guess which sister???