EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL
Around an unscheduled corner, you can stumble upon the most marvelous things…
We were walking in Casco Viejo yesterday, Panama’s historic center, gawking over the incredible mix of French, Spanish and English architecture, waiting for friends to show up for lunch at Hotel Tantalo‘s wonderful restaurant. The juxtaposition of newly renovated building next to barely standing facade reminded us a bit of Havana, except for the fact that the freshly painted walls there are to give the carefully routed tourists a false impression of Cuban prosperity whereas here, they are a part of a clever government program in which every dollar invested restoring the old town is deductible in full from your taxes. Different, obvs, but the feel is very similar and actually gives an optimistic peek into what we hope is an inevitable renaissance for Cuba. (Please Daisy don’t kill me, I said optimistic!)
Suddenly, we heard enchanting sounds coming from Plaza de la Independencia, home of the Catedral Metropolitana since 1796…
Perhaps the sound of music, of children, of joy?… We walked over and we witnessed a beautiful display of colors and dancing for the Fiera de Casco Antiquo…
Behind the scenes, preparing their children to go on, the moms/seamstresses were working hard on the myriad details to be properly affixed…
The costumes were wonderful, the choreography rehearsed and the dancers beautiful…
The detail in costumes and headdress was incredible and probably passed down from generation to generation. I wish our kids’ private school “winter concerts” were as well funded or organized!
In the end, this kid, blasé from what he must have witnessed a hundred times over, caught the attention of my lens, and we had a moment…
A beautiful day indeed.
