We started today with another visit to the Casco Viejo area.
Casco Viejo 
View of downtown 
Of course our visit would not be complete without a church. This is the San Francisco De Asis Church, one of three churches in Casco Viejo.
On the tip of the peninsula there is plaza/memorial called the Plaza de Francia. This area was the town square when Casco Viejo was the center of the city. There are twelve slabs of marble around the edge of the memorial that outline the history of the Panama canal. France was the first country to attempt building the canal and 22,000 people died during this phase of the construction, mostly from yellow fever and malaria.
While the French completed a good portion of the canal, they were unable to successfully complete some of the more technically challenging areas. The United States acquired the canal from France in 1903 and completed the project in 1914. The US operated and profited from the canal until 1977 when the canal was turned over to Panama. The canal is one of the primary sources of income for the country of Panama and is a major employer. Canal jobs pay good wages and there are wait lists for jobs along the canal.
I was concerned visiting the canal might be a bit boring, but I could have stayed for hours watching the large ships go through. There are special classes of cargo ships specifically designed to fit within the locks on the canal. In 2016 a third lane of the canal was opened to support even larger cargo ships. I was shocked by the fees charged to use the canal. The fee is typically based on the size of the cargo. We watched one of the larger ships go through the original locks and they announced the fees associated with that one ship exceeded $900,000 for a single trip through the canal. Insanity.
Ship captains are required to relinquish command of their ships so canal staff can pilot the ships through the canal. That has to be nerve-racking the first few times.
Small guide boots assist the ship 
Exiting the lock
We left as they were closing down the observation deck and ultimately were stuck in a traffic jam caused by employees leaving at the end of their shift. We shared an Uber back to Casco Viejo with another couple. As we were chatting we discovered they were also from Minnesota. What are the odds?
Once back we grabbed a quick dinner and headed back to the apartment.
More tomorrow.
Will