We stayed at a very nice hotel in Hue, and each day enjoyed breakfast on the 7th floor overlooking the city. View to the right --->We woke up early and traveled via bus to the the "forbidden city" section of Hue, somewhat reminiscent of the famous Forbidden City in Hong Kong. This citadel was used by various emperors and
housed their families and servants. The complex contained the king's office building, a special place for the empress, a school for the princesses, a dining area, an area for worshipping ancestors, countless courtyards and more.
The outer wall was surrounded by a moat full of the beautiful lotus flowers so integral to Viet Nam. The thick walls and roof eaves were skillfully wrought with tigers and dragons, both symbolizing strength and protection.
To the left is the gong used for announcing visitors and alerting the citadel complex of important events. The gong displays the ubiquitous yin and yang, in which the yin represents the dark and weak, and the yang represents the light and strong; according to some these stand for twin energies that are responsible for everything that happens.
I snagged this not-quite-condoned photo of the emperor's official throne, an uncomfortable but nonetheless impressive seat upon which he would listen to requests and announcements.
The windows of the ornate buildings were often a colorful design like this one, a common pattern that brings longevity.
We continued wandering around the palatial complex, visiting the palace specially designed for the mother of the emperor, called the Khon Thai . When the emperor died, his son would take the throne, but oftentimes the son still needed to be raised, and so the empress mother would stay on in her own portion of the grounds for the rest of her days.
The temple section was one of the most impressive and colorful areas of the grounds. The royals would come to burn incense on large altars to their gods, and then they were enter a long building filled with miniature thrones of the preceding emperors. The royals would come here to pay homage to the emperors before them, and today there are 13 small thrones open to the public, each labeled with the name and years of the emperor who reigned then.
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Following our morning at the palace, we traveled just down the road to a Buddhist community just off oriented around a tall pagoda, stretching into the sky. Some members of this community achieved unusual fame when in protest against the Vietnam-American war, they burned themselves to death by drenching themselves in gasoline and igniting themselves in public. A chilling exhibit stands near the center of the complex by the dining area.
Today the Buddhists gather regularly for vegetarian meals and worshipful hymns, and multiple apprentices with unusual haircuts wander around as lackeys and learn how to behave as monks.
Following an awkward observation of their midday eating rituals, we set out for a riverboat cruise back in the direction of our hotel. Our boat was a kitschy but spacious dual-pontoon, and we checked out the coastline on our way back to the heart of Hue.
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