Panama Day 2

Each of our mornings started with coffee on our deck overlooking the city. We also made sure we were protected from the mosquitos with our mosquito bracelets. We never did see a mosquito on our trip (in the city or in the jungle). Is that the case for February or were we just well protected? We will never know....




We started our second day in Panama with a trip to Casco Viejo, the historic Panama City neighborhood that is filled with cute plazas, colonial churches, and museums. Our taxi driver dropped us off at Plaza de Francia, which is dedicated to the French effort to build the Panama Canal and the thousands of people from around the world who died during the process. The plaza is flanked by Paseo Esteban which runs along the top of the sea wall and has vendors selling local products. This is where we all bought our first Panama souvenirs.



We then explored the rest of Casco Viejo, including the Palacio de las Garzas (Presidential Palace which was well guarded),



The Catedral Metropolitana (one of the largest in Central America),


And Santo Domingo, a church and convent which was never rebuilt after a fire that destroyed it.

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We also took time to visit the Museo del Canal Interoceanico (Canal Museum) and have ice cream at Granclement before heading to Mercado del Mariscos, the city's fresh fish market where we got awesome ceviche. After our ceviche, we enjoyed a nice long stroll along Cinta Costera (the walkway along the coastline).




On this second night, Grammie and Trisha also enjoyed a nice sunset back in Casco Viejo before heading to dinner with Kimmy. A very great full day in Panama.