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Sunset over the Lady Bird River and thousands of bats fly in a cloud, forming a tornado of black wings. Such are the sunsets in Austin since the 80s, when the structure of the Congress Bridge was remodeled. Unexpectedly, their beams became the refuge of almost a million bats that migrate from Mexico every spring. Next to the Capitol - the largest in the United States, even more than Washington -, the bat is one of the symbols of Austin , the contradictory capital of the state of Texas.

The stereotypes of the area - the leather boots, the republican conservatism and the cowboy of the National Rifle Association - are mixed with the most modern, the coolest festivals (the South by Southwest or the ACL, for example), the designer stores, vintage markets, graffiti ...

"Austin has become fashionable. Technology companies do not stop installing and more and more people move," says Steve, a waiter at The Jackalope, one of the mythical dive bars or booths on Sixth Avenue, the golden mile of music live. He says it while preparing a margarita, one of the local drinks. "Everything comes from Mexico!" He says in Spanish.

The 'skyline' of the city at sunset.

In the background, a live group sounds. Every day there are more 250 performances in the city . For something Austin is the proud capital of live music . As soon as it lands, the traveler already encounters folk singers in the airport bars.

If something defines Austin are its bars and murals , practically in every corner. In Rainey Street, an old residential street, the most incredible bars are concentrated: most in old manor houses of the early twentieth century, others in bungalows or cargo containers . Nearby are some iconic graffiti: the Texas pop mosaic, the tribute to the ill-fated Selena or the Greetings From Austin , painted in 1977.

The Range's parking lot is full of trucks (one in four cars sold in Texas). This is one of the most famous shops and shooting galleries in the state . His slogan: Do the Texas thing . That is, shoot. Wednesday is girls' day, with a 50% discount. "The goal is to create a safe and supportive environment. It's about having fun and promoting women's interest in firearms," ​​explains Cindy, the instructor of A girl & A gun, an active partnership throughout the country.

Lunch at the Luck restaurant.

Here you can find a grandmother with a Ukulele Club t-shirt (and a 9 mm Glock) or a housewife with Rosalia nails that has left the children to unload a cartridge of 50 bullets (by the way, the aforementioned Catalan singer performed in the last ACL, with Billie Eilish, The Cure and Guns & Roses).

LITERARY FACET

There is another Austin, hidden in the archives of the University of Texas. In his library, literary funds of writers such as Gabriel García Márquez, Jorge Luis Borges (who spent several seasons living in the city), Julio Cortázar, Virginia Woolf or William Faulkner are preserved. The literary Austin has one of its busiest meeting points in the mythical BookPeople bookstore , which opened in the 70s. In recent weeks, they have presented their books authors such as Naomi Klein, Salman Rushdie or Jonathan Safran Foer . Because there are as many Austin as graffiti.

PRACTICAL GUIDE

How to get there: There is no direct flight from Spain to Austin. American Airlines or Delta fly to the capital of Texas from other parts of the US such as New York or Miami.

Where to sleep. In Austin Motel, retro air from 140 euros. Also in The Diskill, the oldest hotel. From 200 euros. And on The Line, with a pool overlooking the Colorado River. From 140 euros.

More information: on the web austintexas.org

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