Saturday in Hue

Our first stop was the Citadel, the imperial palace from 1802-1945. Mostly destroyed in the war, it has been slowly restored. There is still a lot of work to do. It is supposed to be modeled on the Forbidden City in China, but on much smaller scale. (See photo)

We visited a historian at his home, had tea with him while he told us more about the history of Hue and Vietman. It is the custom to share tea when visiting, even with a group of 14. His home had been a temple and he explained the feng shui of the siting of his home and of the Citadel. One of the better descriptions I have heard of the concepts of feng shui.

After another Vietnamese lunch w ent to the market. I thought the market in HCMC was claustrophobic, but this one out did it. I had to get out of there! Narrow aisles, people pushing, vendors luring--more "Madame, madame..."

It was good to get back to the quit of our hotel (view from our room attahed)