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Everything posted by scubacruiserx2
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As we headed South more of Panama City came into view This Canadian minesweeper was a long way from home - and so were we . We didn't have to be in Bilbao or Seattle to recognize the Frank Gehry architecture or the Biomuseum . I really like the twisted green building in the skyline the The F&F tower (Revolution Tower), also known as “Tornillo", (the screw in Spanish) . It is one of the most iconic buildings in Panama City. Located on Calle 50, in the heart of Panama City's bustling financial district, its 47 floors spiral 243 meters into the air, and are visible throughout the city.
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Thanks Doug . We booked this cruise when there were only 3 weeks left before departure and all of the ports ( except Fort Lauderdale ) were new to us . We did have a lot to learn about the ports and so that kept everything fresh . We were on the ship in December but many of the workers had changed . On the previous cruise on the NA we had the cabin on the Starboard and the cabana on the Port which gave us views on both sides . Hopefully we may give you somethings that you haven't seen yet and maybe some new ideas . 🙂😎
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We decided to go up to the Retreat for lunch and to view the Canal The deck above the retreat was never crowded The Retreat cabanas overlooking the pool Dive Inn for lunch This floating crane named Titan was a war prize after the Second World War and nicknamed Herman the German . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_the_German_(crane_vessel)
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At breakfast in the Pinnacle before entering the gate . In this video clip we have been raised up a level and are moving past the wall of the lock and then past the gate itself . It seemed so close that we could almost reach out and touch it. After breakfast we went toward the promenade deck to go outside We started to watch a mule work but while looking at all the tension on the cable attached to the ship - we deemed it unsafe if the cable were to snap and moved to another place . The Gatun Locks with the gates open and shut A large Costco container ship going the other way
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The flowers came in while we were gone and we ordered room service for a late lunch before a quick nap . Columbia in the rear view mirror Unlike the Catholic service we had no worship leader but a full group of people and hymnals for acapella hymns for Palm Sunday before dinner . Part way into the service a man came into the back of the service and quickly left and returned with a guitar . He said that he used to be a music leader in his church and launched into a rousing song . I didn't recognize him until he sang but it was Robert Neary the man who had portrayed Neil Diamond .
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We were near the Cathedral de Santa Catalina de Alejandria near a ship's tour And went in after the other tour came out Just across on the ground was the Portal de las Reinas which showed many of the Miss Columbias including Ariadna Gutierrez in the lower right photo . She was mistakenly crowned Miss Universe in 2015 on live TV by Steve Harvey .
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Our next stop became very busy with tour buses from the cruise ship . It was Castillo San Felipe de Barajas . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castillo_San_Felipe_de_Barajas After the buses left we were mobbed by people with animals and people for photos , selling cigars , T- shirts , Panama Hats made in Ecuador , jewelry and food . Next stop was an outside photo of the Teatro Heredia Followed by a walk along 5th street with it's Colonial balconies . A scene in a Will Smith movie Gemini Man was shot near here . Many of the doors have animals on them to describe the social or job status of the resident.
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We had a few vendors in the parking lot at the monastery but at the next stop it was very busy both inside and out . We agreed to meet in about 30 minutes time and ducked inside to cool off and get a breather from the busy outdoors and heat and get a look at these fish . When we stepped outside we saw this Police car And in the distance I could see a ramp leading to one of the walls that surround the city
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After meeting Rafael we headed to the highest point in the city at almost 500' , The Convent de la Popa . It was Palm Sunday and there were a number of people walking up and down the hill carrying Palm plants .They were going to the monastery to have their palms blessed and return them to the place where they were to be planted . The view was spectacular and we could see the Nieuw Amsterdam . We passed by the Mass where the Palms were being blessed . We then entered the courtyard ( cloisters ) where Rafael could talk . He told us the story about how the convent was founded . The chronicle says that while Friar Alonso de la Cruz Paredes in the convent of the Candelaria of Ráquira (a town of the Colombian Andean area), the Blessed Virgin appeared to him and ordered him to build a church on the hill closest to Cartagena, in order to return the Christian faith to this land, in which the legend says, inhabited an evil spirit, in the form of a goat, to which the mulattoes worshiped under the direction of the native Luis Andrea, who ended his days in a cell of the Inquisition.[1] The friar fulfilled his mission and threw the animal from the top of the hill. Since then the Cartagena people call to the precipice, the Salto del Cabrón, in allusion to the goat. Wikipedia He did mention that the worshippers of the goat had gold ornaments that were precious not because of it's worth as a precious metal but more for it's intended religious purpose .
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At the end of the walk there is a bump in the road that some people may not pass by but spend part of the day here at the Park Cartagena . We were in a hurry to meet our guide Rafael on the other side of the park so we hustled thru and would stop at the park on the way back if we had time . We hope to continue mañana . 🙂 😉
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We were in and before sunrise in Cartagena , Columbia for our first visit there I saw what I thought was a statute of Mary and Jesus but the guide said differently . We were in on Palm Sunday the date of Jesus's Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem . A fisherman nearby the ship All ashore The walkway to the city