Going outdoor at Austin!

Today, it is exactly two weeks since I arrived to Austin. I thought it was a university city where you can only have fun at night in the 6th street`s bars and study hard during the day. Well, I was wrong. This city does not stop to surprise me. It has so many options for doing outdoor activities and get you in contact with nature that I never imagined. 

If you like hiking or climbing you do not need to go to the rock climbing at the university gymnasium, although it is awesome, may be you will prefer Mount Bonnell. This is a prominente point alongside the Lake Austin (a portion of the Colorado River). It is the perfect place to have an incredible view of Austin, Lake Austin, and the surrounding hills. From the top you can see some bridges, beautiful houses, the lake and just enjoyed yourself with the peace this place brings to you. Besides, it has sort of stones tables where you can enjoy a romantic dinner or a picnic with friends. You can take bus 19 to get there.

 Mt. Bonnell

Mt. Bonnell

Another place that worth to go if you like kayak, canoe or standup paddle board is Lady Bird Lake. From the UT campus you can take either bus 3, 801 or 803, and if you have your student ID you can go for free. It takes almost 20 minutes to get there. You can rent any of the ítems I mentioned above for 10, 15 or 20 dollars per hour (if you go on weekends or holidays it will be 5 dollars more expensive). It is a beautiful, healthy and powerful activity. Probably you will find a lot of people in the lake either doing water activities or just taking sunbathing. The lake is full of ducks, herons and birds, and If you are lucky and sharp-eyed you can also see some turtles. A lot of people take their dogs so they can swim and play catching the ball in the lake. If you like running or walking, you can also enjoy of the lake´s view by doing your routine just at the side of the lake. Something that surprised me a lot and made me laugh was that men take their children in the baby carriage and run with them. Besides, the lake counts with a few bridges that make the view even greater. One of them is the famous South Congress Bridge where when the sun sets, a great quantity of bats leave the bridge to snack on insects lingering over Austin’s Lady Bird Lake on the Colorado River. The bats are best seen in the spring and summer, when it is incredibly hoy in Texas. 

 South Congress Bridge

Lady Bird Lake

Finally, a great place to go if you like swimmig is Barton Springs Pool. You can get there also by bus from the UT campus. Barton Springs Pool is a man-made swimming pool located on the grounds of Zilker Park. The pool is filled by water from Main Barton Spring. You can go either in summer or in winter, due to Austin's winter is not so cold, at least this year. It is a beautiful and relaxing place to take a bath and swim. It is not so deep and you can see many fish around. There are always life guards when the pool is open and you can jump from a trampoline into the water.

 Barton Springs pool

Barton Springs pool

It has take me only two weeks to discover all these places, I cannot wait to see what awaits me the next four!!