Casco Viejo in Panama City

On December 10, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Central America3 Comments

If you go to Panama City, it is important that you take time to visit Casco Viejo, which is the historic district in the city. Originally established in 1673 by the Spanish, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to a variety of historic buildings, churches, restaurants, shops, and hotels. As you walk the streets of Casco Viejo you will find a wonderful mix of architecture that spans the 350+ years of its history. Depending upon the time of day, it can be quite busy, especially on the weekend, but not so busy that you can’t enjoy all of the sights.

Although you can hire a guide to take you through Casco Viejo, we felt that it was easy enough to navigate and learn about the various historic sites without the need for a guide or the hassle of dealing with a group tour. All of the signs were in both Spanish as well as English, so it was easy to understand what you were seeing and there is plenty of information on each of the sites in tourist books, maps, and the internet. We started our tour of Casco Viejo at Plaza Herrera where we enjoyed the park with its Christmas decorations as well as the statue of General Tomas Herrera. We were in Panama City days before National Independence Day, so many of the buildings were adorned with flags, buntings, and banners.

Our next stop was at Iglesia Santo Domingo and the Flat Arch (Arco Chato), which is a 17th century church and convent that was destroyed by fire in 1756 and never rebuilt. From there, we made our way down to Plaza Francia, which was once the main square of the city. Today, it provides wonderful views of downtown Panama City as well as hosts a walking street that is lined with local artists selling traditional Panamanian arts and crafts.

There are several wonderful churches within Casco Viejo such as Iglesia San Francisco de Asis, which is the smallest, but perhaps one of the prettiest. It sits on Plaza Bolivar, which is pretty much the heart of Casco Viejo. The beautiful Catedral Metropolitana is certainly an important feature within the city as is La Iglesia de La Merced with its unique architecture. There is also the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus, which was destroyed by a fire in 1781 and later damaged further by an earthquake in 1882. We were fortunate that it was open the day that we visited as we were in Casco Viejo on several other days and the gate was locked, keeping visitors on the outside of the building.

Fountain with Downtown Panama City in the Background

The presidential palace is also located in Casco Viejo, although you aren’t allowed to enter as it is still the residence of the president of Panama. The National Theatre was closed for renovations while we were there, but we read that it is worth visiting as it is supposed to be beautiful on the inside. The Canal Museum is certainly worth visiting as it provides not only a history of the Panama Canal, but it also provides insight into the history of the isthmus in general. We were fortunate to catch part of a dance competition in one of the plazas during our visit, which a unique cultural experience.

If you are looking for souvenirs, Casco Viejo is certainly the place to go. There are many shops selling local items as well as typical tourist items. We ate dinner almost every night in Casco Viejo as there are so many restaurants to choose from. Without a doubt, any visit to Panama City should include spending time in this wonderful historic district. You will likely find yourself caught in a downpour at some point during your time in Casco Viejo, so use that opportunity to join the locals in a pub or café as they watch the rain quickly come and go.

Fort San Lorenzo in Panama

On December 3, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Central America2 Comments

As far as historical points of interest within Panama, visiting Fort San Lorenzo is definitely a key site to visit. The Chagres River was a key method of transportation across the isthmus of Panama during the 1500’s as Spain used it to transport gold from its conquests in Mexico and South America to the Caribbean Sea where they could return it to Spain. It wasn’t long before pirates began attacking the ships as they made their way to the sea, so Spain built Fort San Lorenzo around 1560 to protect their ships from the pirates.

The pirates that attacked the ships were not the ones of a Disney movie and were vicious and ruthless. Over the next 40 years, the fortifications at the fort continued to evolve as the fort became more secure. One of the first things that you notice as you visit the remains of the fort is that the canons all face inland and not towards the river. This is because the attacks on the fortress actually occurred from land as the pirates tried to take control of the high point above the river. The cliffs around the fortress are far too steep for anyone to attack the fort from the river. The fortress also has two motes around it providing the ability to trap attackers as the soldiers retreated into the interior walls.

The fort was attacked and pretty much put into ruins in 1670 by the infamous pirate, Henry Morgan (from Captain Morgan rum fame). It was pretty much abandoned after that, but it was used as a prison during part of the 1700’s. Spain abandoned travel through the isthmus in favor of traveling around Cape Horn, but it became a popular route once again during the gold rush of 1848. The fort was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980 and is part of the current Panama Canal.

You travel through a national park on your way to the fortress and during our ride, we stopped several times to see monkeys, a tree sloth, and most interestingly, an anteater in the trees. We spent about an hour walking through the ruins and despite being a world heritage site, our group was all alone during our time there. Afterwards, we set up chairs underneath a tree to enjoy some lunch. We did have one visitor during our lunch as a tarantula poked his head out of a hole in the tree to see what we were eating. We would definitely recommend that you put Fort San Lorenzo on your itinerary when visiting Panama City.

The Pantheon in Rome, Italy

On November 16, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Italy5 Comments

There are many sights to see when visiting a city with a history as rich as Rome’s and one of those is certainly the Pantheon. There are many fascinating things about the Pantheon, including the fact that it was originally created as a temple to worship all of the Roman gods. Unlike most other temples that were built to specifically honor a single god, this temple was meant to be a place where one could visit to gain favor from all of the gods. Even more interesting is that it was converted to a church in the 7th century and has been in continual use throughout its history.

Walking the exterior of the building provides you with the true sense of how old the Pantheon really is as the walls are worn with age and ruins of an ancient wall are preserved at its base. The shape of the Pantheon has been an inspiration to generations of architects that were fascinated by its dome that opens to the heavens. Once you step through the threshold of the Pantheon and enter the basilica, you are greeted with a sense of juxtaposition. Unlike the worn exterior, the interior is adorned with beautiful art as well as marble walls and floor.

You should certainly expect there to be plenty of crowds as you visit the Pantheon as it is likely on every tourist’s itinerary, as it should be. It is still a church called the Basilica di Santa Maria ad Martyres and the altar is quite notable as you enter the Pantheon. You should certainly go to the center of the large, circular room and look up at the dome with its hole to allow light and suggesting access to the heavens. You should also take time to look at all of the statues that are in the niches of the portico as well as the reliefs and paintings as they are all incredible to see.

With so many places to see in Rome, such as the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, etc., the Pantheon is definitely an important location to visit. Unlike the Acropolis of Athens where the temples are isolated on a hill that overlooks the city, seeing the Pantheon in the winding, narrow streets of the city is quite a unique experience.