I really liked Huế (pronounced h-way). There are some great things to see here, and it's got a bit more of a laid back feel to it - think of it as the Harrogate of Vietnam.
I decided to head off in the morning to check out The Citadel, and have a look around the Imperial City.
The Citadel was built in the early 19th Century when the Emperors still ruled the roost, and just as the French were starting to take a keen interest in Vietnam. It's a walled city, the perimeter of which is 10 km in length, surrounded by a huge moat, within which the courtesans lived.
Inside The Citadel, surrounded by another moat and another huge wall, is the Imperial City, where the Emperors lived. And inside that there's another wall inside which is The Forbidden Purple City - where only the Emperor and his missus, and his (many) girlfriends used to go.
It's a remarkable place to go, and while a large part of the Imperial City has been destroyed through a variety of reasons, it's a great place to visit. In fact, I spent a whole morning just wandering around the buildings and grounds.
The first moat, the city wall, and the huge flag tower - all of which are the genuine article - as built in 1807:
One of the gates into The Citadel:
The holy cannons of Huế - there are nine in total, all dedicated to something. These four are dedicated to the the four seasons:
The parade ground inside The Citadel:
The inner moat, and gateway to the Imperial City:
The gateway to the Imperial City - which was used for royal occasions. Only the emperor was allowed to enter the middle gate - as you can see - the gate is still closed:
The inner moat:
Inside the Imperial City:
JBL SR Series - they look that old - they were probably here when they built the place:
This intricate lacquer painting shows one of the ceremonies taking place. The emperor stood on the top of the gate, while the courtiers massed around the parade area. They have some pictures taken by a French delegation - it must have been an incredible thing to see:
The Royal Palace:
These stone tablets show the different ranks of the courtiers - when they met, you'd stand in a line based on your rank, using these stone tablets to make sure everyone stood in the right place:
Inside the Royal Palace:
This is all that's left of the Forbidden Purple Palace - although as you can see, it's currently being restored, and they are rebuilding large sections of it to the original design:
Tree lined avenue within the palace:
Doorway to one of the shrines:
So that's where all the phone boxes went:
Giant urn things:
No, No, NO, NO! Some pigs:
On the way out, I bumped into Mel, and we arranged to meet that night at a restaurant in town. I wandered around the rest of city for a while, and then headed back to meet Mel.
I couldn't remember the name of the place we'd arranged to meet, but did remember the name of the street. So I went to the place I thought it was and asked if an Australian woman had arrived already.
They looked at me a bit confused and said that it would take 20 to 30 minutes for them to arrange. I was totally confused and then it suddenly clicked. They thought I was asking for them to arrange for a woman for the evening :-) That's just what it's like here...
Thankfully, Mel arrived at that point.
The restaurant served traditional Vietnamese food, but used the tapas approach, so you could try loads of different stuff. It was really good - as was the company.
We both work in similar fields so were able to swop war stories, although I'd better not say too much as Mel is a Lawyer and I don't want to get sued :-)
It was great fun, and we ended up being the last ones in the restaurant - we even had to find the waiter so we could pay and go :-)
The end of a perfect day on the road...
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