Crazy for Casco

Casco Viejo, Panama

From our mountain getaway in Santa Fe we headed to our final destination in Panama, a small-ish suburb of Panama City – Casco Viejo. After the destruction and attack in 1671 of the original Panama City – Panama Viejo – a new city was constructed on a peninsula which was encircled by the sea. Since 1673 this city has gone through major transformations. The Casco Viejo today combines a mix of newly renovated & refurbished buildings that contrast with the old crumbling buildings from olden times. It’s also home to several semi-famous monuments of Panama: The President’s House, La Catedral Metropolitana (the main catholic cathedral in Panama City), The National Theatre, The Panama Canal Museum, and many more. Mac and I spent our days in this city wandering about and taking in the sights.

Panama Canal Museum

One of our first activities in Casco Viejo was visiting the Panama Canal Museum. This museum is 3 storeys high and covers the history of the canal starting with the discovery of Panama in the 1500’s and going right through to the building, completion and upkeep of the canal in current years. All of the information posters were in Spanish which made it a tad difficult to understand the entire exhibit, but I did manage to eek out a bit of history.

Casco Antiguo Spanish School

One of the main highlights of our time in Casco Viejo was signing up and taking Spanish lessons at Casco Antiguo Spanish School. We went back and forth on how many hours we wanted to commit and we ultimately decided to go all-in and selected the 20 hour/week intensive Spanish course. We had classes on Monday through to Friday everyday from 1:30pm to 5:30pm. Our teacher, Indira, built on what we already knew and helped us to refine our knowledge of both the spoken and written parts of the language.

It’ll still be a while before I can speak fast & confidently in a conversation, but I made a lot of progress in one week and the time commitment was totally worth it!

After one of our lessons, Mac, myself, two other students, and the founder of the Spanish School – David – went on a bike ride around the city at sunset. David acted as our guide as we navigated the rental bikes across town and onto the brand new highway that encircles the city. The Cinta Costera was a controversial project costing several hundred million dollars, and at one point it threatened the city’s UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Aside from all of the initial controversy, this bypass is now home to parks, courts, playgrounds, and one of the most amazing pedestrian & biking/rollerblading trails I’ve ever seen. The walls are lined with flowered ivy and the views overlooking the city (both Casco Viejo and Panama City) just can’t be beat.

Spending  week in Casco Viejo was one of the highlights of the time we spent in Panama. It’s filled with history and charm and is just far enough away from downtown that it doesn’t have the big, overwhelming “city” feel. Walking around town always took a bit longer than expected because I kept having to stop and take pictures (much to Mac’s delight…). It’s also only a 10-15 minute walk from the nearest Metro (subway) station. From there you can take the train to Albrook station which is the major hub for buses serving the entire country. This is a city that I definitely want to return to eventually.