Page 15 - Stuart Exposure - October '23

Stuart Exposure, Page 15

Panama City from page 14

and advantages of cutting
across the isthmus came to
the forefront, and a French
company started with the
construction of a canal. The
French colony that was
established to perform the
task of building the canal
chose an area near the original
site of Panama City as the
nucleus of their activities. The
location and the buildings that Port of Balboa. Photo by Don Kiselewski
followed have become known
as Casco Viejo or the old quarter. returned to their original stature. One of
As one might expect, the French influence in the old quarter the area’s most striking buildings is the Aerial view of the Bridge of the Americas at the Pacific entrance to the Panama
can be found in its architectural image and reminds one very National Theatre. Built in the style of Canal, with Panama City in the background. Photo by Don Kiselewski
much of New Orleans, with wrought-iron terrace railings and an Italian operetta theater, the interior
other ornamental sculptured fences and ironworks. Casco Viejo contains multi-story boxes for the patrons that have been carved who have performed at the National Theatre, including Pavarotti
is alive and vibrant today, with many of the classical buildings and gilded, projecting the richness of the building and more and others.
being occupied by artists, actors and professionals and being importantly, the era. Panamanians boast of the list of entertainers It was in 1903, after the floundering of the French company
that tried to dig the canal, that Panama gained its independence
from Colombia. This came with the support of President
Theodore Roosevelt, which in turn led to the agreement
between the United States and Panama that created the Panama
Canal Zone. This was the impetus for the Americans to finish
the canal. Decades of negotiations between the two nations
followed this treaty, and in 1977, under the direction of President
Jimmy Carter, an agreement was made to give the canal to the
Panamanians. The actual turnover was a gradual process splitting
1 OUT OF 8 of two decades.
the governing board membership into increments over a period

Just a few blocks from the well-maintained theater you’ll
find the ruins of former dictator Manuel Noriega’s private beach
club. The building was left gutted after the 1989 invasion by our
United States Marines when we invaded Panama City. Before
WOMEN he was deposed, Noriega had a mansion in the posh residential
area known as the San Francisco district, located in the greater
Panama City metropolitan area; it was recently demolished
after falling into disarray. Like most metropolises, the “New
City” is filled with glass and metal skyscrapers that reach for the
heavens. The city is truly international because of its location

the Pacific Ocean.
IN THE U.S. WILL DEVELOP at the center of trade between the countries of the Atlantic and

To the south of the old quarter, right at the mouth of the canal,
lies Balboa, the port for Panama City. It is here in Balboa that the
Panama Canal Authority is located as well as the headquarters of
BREAST CANCER the United States Army South. For those who have experienced
a voyage through the canal without stopping, I would highly
recommend a trip to the Miraflores Locks the next time through.
It’s the last in the chain on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal.
It is only by watching huge transport ships, loaded with hundreds
of containers, as they sink slowly into the locks of the canal, that
one can truly appreciate its magnitude.
The late Don Kiselewski wrote from his personal experiences,
having traveled in 122 countries and cruised the oceans, seas
and rivers of the world. Palm Beach Gardens Travel Leaders,
his family owned and operated agency, is located at Mirasol
Town Square, 11360 North Jog Road, Building A, Suite 102-6,
Palm Beach Gardens. The agency has been serving the travel
needs of the South Florida area for over a quarter of a century.
Contact them at (561) 694-9696 or Aussie@PBGTravel.com.

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Panama la Vieja Cathedral in Old Panama. Photo by Don
Kiselewski

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The National Theatre in Casco Viejo. Photo by Don
Kiselewski