Hue

Once again, we started the day with a wonderful breakfast. When we entered the lobby on our way to the dining room, we had three people greet us and show us the way. This is not a Vegas Casino hotel; we just needed to turn left and there it was, but everyone stopped what they were doing to greet us. Entering the dining room, the staff stopped what they were doing and stood at attention, greeting us with good mornings and welcomes. It made me feel a little dirty, like a plantation owner with a large staff. 

The family Christmas photo.

After breakfast, we took a boat ride down the Perfume River, and then toured a sprawling pagoda. Hue is home to two palaces of the Nguyen dynasty. The first we visited was a kind of vacation home, and where the first king of the Nguyen dynasty is buried. The exact location is unknown to keep enemies from desiccating the grave. After lunch, we went to the main palace, which was a walled city within a walled city, also known as the forbidden citadel. Within this was the purple district, which is where the emperor lived. Much of this was destroyed in the Vietnam war, which the Vietnamese refer to as the American war, but the buildings that were left had beautiful architecture and detailing. It is the rainy season in Hue, and the weather ranged from mist to drizzle to rain. It reminded me of Seattle.

This sculpture had real hair for his beard.

A monk was ringing the bell in this pagoda.

The family in front of the entrance to the king's home away from home.

I admit, my photos started getting artsy today, but I really like this one.

For lunch, we had works of art that tasted delicious.

Even the dessert was coming out roses.

After such royal treatment, we started to feel the part.

Like those old west photos, except this one was actually in the forbidden citadel.

We ended the day with a trip to the market. One thing is for certain: on tour days, we remain very busy.