July 22-26
Our boutique hotel dates back to the 17th Century, with some illustrious owners, and totally refurbished at the start of this century. It is situated in Casco Viejo, founded 350 years ago. Henry Morgan and his pirates sacked the original Panama settlement in 1671, 8km along the coast, which was founded in 1519 by Spanish conquistadors.
It is a pretty enclave, on a promontory, with many churches, some ruins and pretty residences with balconies, very Spanish looking. Today, it caters mostly for tourists, with hotels, coffee shops and souvenir shops, but it is bordered by major roads and very run-down living quarters.
Upmarket, pretty buildings stand next to dilapidated ones, adorned by vegetation. It was a great spot for us to be based in, coming alive with music, restaurants and bars in the evening.
We had a host of ideas of what we could do whilst in Panama City, but as Lynne was unwell for the duration of our visit, the scope for wider exploration was limited. We undertook a historic walk across the area, visiting most of the interesting attractions in Casco Viejo.
This included a variety of churches – ranging from ruins to refurbished cathedrals. We visited a tall obelisk, a memorial to the over 20,000 Frenchmen, who perished in the first unsuccessful construction of the Canal. It also commemorates the discovery of the source of Yellow Fever, which was identified with mosquitoes.
The city having a proud French connection, we also enjoyed the, without doubt, best croissants we had ever eaten outside France!
It was a shame to forego visiting the Financial District and taking the Panama Canal Railway to the Atlantic Coast, but we made the most of our downtime.
Panama was very hot, sunny with sudden short rain storms. It was surprisingly interesting as a holiday destination, but with Lynne having no ability now to receive a Yellow Fever Vaccination due to age, we are unlikely to visit Panama again.
However our experience of transiting the Canal would always have been the highlight of any visit and we are delighted that we were both able to enjoy it.
Hope you are feeling better now, Lynne. What a pity!
I am, thank you. Wiped out for nearly a week. But back in USA, need to watch out for the garlic! Excellent meal here last night in The Big Easy (aka New Orleans).
That was a shame Lynnebut pleased to learn you have recovered.