Casco Viejo, Panama

Panama City, Panama is a sprawling metropolis that has a very "concret jungle feel." It is a very "vertical city" with tall buildings all over the place. However, nestled away just outside of the city center is the incredibly charming area of Casco Viejo. Panama city officially has two "old towns" and this one was the second. The area is full of cobblestone streets, old cathedrals and an incredible mix of architectural styles including Caribbean, French, and Colonial. Our first morning in Panama City we took a cab to this area and at first it was VERY intimidating. Casco Viejo is currently going through a "rebirth" but much of the area is still very poor. Driving through these narrow streets and seeing the poverty our first morning was quite intense. Lindsay gave me that look that says "we are not getting out of this cab" :). The driver eventually stopped at Plaza De Francia and we jumped out to begin our exploration. We were absolutely AMAZED at what we found. This little area had more charm and character then just about any place I have ever been. We wandered the narrow streets of cobblestone and admired the brightly painted colonial/french houses that always had 1 or 2 smiling kids smiling at you. Around every corner were little parks and city squares were you could sit and be surrounded by the incredible flowers and plants of Central America. I was in college at the time studying Urban Planning so I was completely blown away at what I saw. We spent the better part of the day exploring the area and loved it so much that we came back numerous times during the trip. The colorful houses, streets, restaurants, people, nearby ocean all combined to make this an incredible place. Furthermore, it was completely "untouched" by tourism. We only saw 2 other travelers the entire time we were there. The main square of Casco Viejo is called Plaza De La Independencia and is a large square with a very old church as the main focal point. We spent a good couple of hours just people watching in this area. Children were playing, old men talking and street vendors were selling ice cream....it was perfect. We felt so lucky that we were able to experience the undiscovered gem that is Casco Viejo, Panama!!