Hue Day 55 12/11/2014

We both woke around 7am after an OK nights sleep.  The journey seemed very bumpy (especially considering we were on a train - Diane nearly fell off the top bunk at one point!) but much quieter than our last train journey although the Vietnamese music was hard to take at this early hour in the morning.   Along the way we passed numerous paddy fields and even at this time could see people out working.  The view was obliterated at times as we passed through torrential downpours hoping that the weather further south would be better.  We arrived into Hue station on time and after purchasing our onward tickets to Danang (the nearest train station to Hoi An) we jumped in a taxi which was a short ride to our hotel for the next two nights, the Orchid.  We were greeted warmly by the staff with a welcome drink and fruit.  Our room wasn't ready so we decided to head out for brunch which we got just around the corner.  After showers, sorting out laundry etc we headed off to visit the Citadel which was 20 mins walk away.  Hue is Vietnam's ancient imperial city and the Citadel includes the Imperial Enclosure inside a walled moat.  Most of the Emperors are also nearby hence why so many tourists are drawn here.  We had a couple of hours walking around the deserted gardens, palaces and ceremonial halls which whilst impressive seemed quite small and new (it was only built in the early 19th century) compared to what we had seen in China.  Most of the buildings are being renovated after being heavily bombed by the Americans.  On our way back to the hotel it got very dark and then the heavens opened (and we thought this wasn't the rainy season!). Whilst sheltering from the rain at the palace gates next to some rather large cannons we were approached by a very opportunistic lady selling ponchos.  After getting the price down from $2 USD each to $1 each we put them on and dashed back to the hotel. We stopped on the way at a busy street bar and enjoyed a couple of beers watching the rain and traffic riding past.  As it was getting late and the restaurants were starting to get busy we headed over the street to a lovely place called La Carambole, which serves traditional Vietnamese food.  It was very tasty especially Simon's who had mackerel with sweet chilli and lemongrass. The food here in Vietnam is beautifully flavoured with spices but not really that hot.  We headed back to our hotel to catch up on a few bits on admin and an early night in our romantic room!