Panama City October 26 - 28, 2018

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The first hotel we stayed at was in the modern part of the city, the financial district. What struck us was the skyline. Very tall buildings with interesting and unusual designs. My favorite was the one our taxi driver referred to as the screw (but our guide called it tthe corkscrew.

We then moved to a hotel in the Casco Viejo to join our tour group. This is the older part of the city, my favorite part. A little bit of history first. The following descrption I found on the internet as I do not have the writing to describe these accurately.

Panama Viejo

Founded on August 15, 1519, by Spanish conquistador Pedro Arias de Ávila, the city of Panamá was the first European settlement along the Pacific. For 150 years it flourished as Spain exported Peruvian gold and silver to Europe via Panamá. In 1671, Captain Henry Morgan sacked the city and it was relocated to the present-day Casco Viejo. Today Panama Viejo lies in ruins. The Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, built between 1619 and 1626, is the best-preserved building of the ruins. The tower can be climbed during regular daytime hours, providing visitors with a sweeping view of the ruins and the modern-day skyline in the background

Casco Viejo

Following Henry Morgan’s sacking of the old city in 1671, the Spanish decided to move the city 8 km southwest to an area that was easier to defend. This area now called Casco Viejo, the second major sight of Panama City is the most attractive area of the City. Its unique blend of architectural styles, with both Spanish and French colonial buildings, are stunning in their decadence – paint-chipped walls extend onto wrought-iron balconies overflowing with flowering plants, and churches with marble altars and stained-glass windows stand remarkably intact. Indeed, as the second sight of Panama City, Casco Viejo contains much of the city's traceable history. There is the Plaza de la Independencia, where Panama declared its independence from Colombia in 1903, and the Plaza de Francia, commemorating the failed French effort to build a sea-level canal; the National Theater and the Presidential Palace; a museum of colonial religious art and a museum dedicated to Panama’s history; indeed, there is something for everyone within this neighbourhood.

See additional photos.

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Comments

[Colette]

Who is we
Hi. I am curious to know who’s with you. I assume Bob and Jocelyn but any other family members? BTW. I love the history and photos

[Dee autour du monde]

Yes Bob and Joce + Marc and Lise, Brenda and Rick, and my friend Sue.