Go: Citadel at Hue

From Hanoi, we headed to Hue.  We chose to fly to save time.  We took the Vietnam Airlines bus to the airport.  It was cheap and a disaster.  Not so much so that we missed our flight.  But almost.  If we ever do it again, we'll take a taxi.

On the other hand, the bus from Hue airport to the city was a dream.  You buy your tickets at the arrivals hall and the bus is waiting outside.  It then drops you at the door to your hotel.  Perfect.

We stayed at the Jade Hotel, a small guest house.  The staff at Jade were amazing. Extremely helpful and everytime we arrived back at the hotel from anywhere they gave us a cool lemon juice - very welcome in the heat.  The hotel is simple and the rooms are compact but comfortable.

There was one reason we had come to Hue.  The Hue Citadel.  And we had one afternoon to see it.  The Citadel is currently being restored, with work expected to be completed around 2015.  As a result, the Citadel is currently a collection of contrasts between some beautifully restored buildings and atmospheric ruins.

I loved just wondering around the monuments and could have amused myself here for hours.  I even stumbled upon an elephant!  No one had told me there were elephants.

We enjoyed the walk along and over the river back to our hotel.  I especially enjoyed observing the little stalls on long the riverside selling all manner of things... including birds.

But, the thing that excited me most in Hue was the sight of a woman selling strawberries.  I haven't eaten fresh strawberries since we left Australia. Naturally, I had to have some.  Unfortunately they turned out to be quite tasteless. Oh well.