I spent most of yesterday celebrating a friend’s birthday and just generally relaxing. My friend had picked a few activities that she wanted to do, so around 11 I met up with her and her husband at Zocalo Café for brunch. None of us had been there before, but it ended up being really tasty. I had the chilaquiles—very good. I would definitely go back there if given the opportunity. We ate outdoors as it was slightly overcast and therefore not as hot as it could have been, and then we hopped into a car and took off for Hamilton Pool, which is about a 20 to 25 minute drive from Austin.
Hamilton Pool was a new experience for me, and I enjoyed every moment of it. After doing a little quarter-mile hike from the parking lot, the noises of people having fun in water can be heard. Turning a corner and crossing a short wooden bridge, you are left looking at a little oasis: a very short, pebbly beach that faces out into a swimming hole surrounded on its other three sides by large rocks.
Yesterday was really the perfect day for swimming and relaxing; it wasn’t too hot, but it was hot enough that you wanted to get into the cold water. If you know me at all, you know that I love swimming, even if I’m not the best at it and usually end up doggy-paddling around. Water trickles down from the cliff that hangs out over the pool, and you can swim under it so that it feels like you’re swimming in the rain. The pool was deep enough so that you couldn’t touch the bottom for most of the area of it, but not so deep that you could dive off any rocks, although there were kids cannon-balling off some. If I ever go back, I think I’ll bring a large float that I can lay on and maybe try to take a book out on it (although I guess it’d have to be one that I wouldn’t mind getting a little wet if that were going to work).
We stayed at the pool for a couple hours and then headed back to the car. On our way back to Austin we stopped at a little hole-in-the-wall called Bert and Ernie’s General Store or something like that. It had a small bar with a porch out back, so we ordered a few Coronas and sat out back drinking, talking, and laughing. All in all, it was a wonderful day, and when I got back to my apartment, I felt lazy and exhausted in that really nice way that you get when you’ve spent all day in the sun and water. A really healthy feeling. It made me look forward to “camp” next week, when I’ll be taking my nephew swimming (although a chlorinated pool is a slightly different experience) and having a good time with him and my sister.
