My roommate and I set out early this morning in search of the citadel, and the first people I noticed were these two women sitting on the pavement writing in their little books or journals; no, writing is not dead.
We got to the military base where big signs about not entering were posted, and if we couldn't read those, there were the armed soldiers with whom to contend, nary a smile among them. I looked across the street and one imaginative fellow had just set up a mirror and a little barber's chair and voila! A barber shop.
As you can imagine, THIS contemplative fellow I just couldn't resist but had to pretend I was photographing something else. I really just wanted to talk to him...
At last we spotted the Flag Tower, built in "1805-1817," according to the brochure. I suppose there is not agreement among scholars - or at least among brochure makers.
The citadel itself was the first structure built to protect the city in the 7th century when it was called Dai La; it had 6 kilometers surrounding it and only one rampart; the middle was called Long Do, or dragon's navel. In 1010 King Ly Thai To chose Dai La as the capital of the country; in 1014 he built a bigger rampart because he decided the people should not live WITH the king, so the king and family lived inside the first walls, and the people lived inside the second walls. In 1028 Ly Thai Tong built the 3rd rampart, which is the plan of Old Hanoi. Now, here's the really interesting thing; yesterday we had a speaker who was involved in getting the citadel a World Heritage site in 2010, and in 2002 there began an excavation, which is going on to this day. They have uncovered three levels of materials that go all the way back to the 7th century.
These certainly have the swoops of a Chinese roof.
But this dragon motif is definitely Vietnamese. Here's the really peculiar and probably self-defeating facet of Hanoi;unlike other major cities like Paris on the Seine, Budapest on the Danube,it is situated on only ONE side of the Red River, and this has been a liability for Vietnam, particularly with China breathing down its neck.
One of the exhibits at the citadel included these quirky little drawings by Henri Oger who haunted the streets of Hanoi, drawing different kinds of people in 1908-1909; here with the big ear flaps is the costume of a mandarin, a literary scholar. I cannot say that he exactly suits my profile for a beloved scholar, but it was a long time ago.
These are examples of the way different dynasties made a tiled roof.
This last one was, I believe, from the Ly dynasty, and what I loved about it was the image put at the circled ends of these tube structures - a jester's face! See below:
These are the famous dragon staircases up to the palace, which was rather grand and spacious.
And this photograph, please forgive me, I took despite its being against the rules. I had to do it, and I'm sorry. This is one of the women gently brushing the surface of a part of the excavated area, which is quite large. I just love that she is wearing her hat and brushing away, doing the menial work that is archeology!
We stopped for an iced coffee, and I loved this man sitting at a table with an electric fan blowing right in his face; thank goodness I have a 14X lens!
I had told my colleagues about Green Tangerine Restaurant, but several went for dinner and left because they said it was too expensive; however, I read that they had a $10 lunch menu, so we went today. THIS is my creme brulee dessert, and I'm sure you can understand why I had the dessert course and only a wee sushi salad.
This is the entrance, and I remember going here for dinner when I first came to Hanoi; it was right after my father had died, and I was on my usual shoestring travel budget. I had heard from some friends that the place was wonderful, and I went because I knew my father would have loved the fact that I'd gone. It was heavenly.
Just one little bit of farewell texture for today, and I shall put my feet up and rest up for tomorrow when we go to the ethnicity museum. Here's the way I am going to celebrate the 4th of July; there is an all Beethoven concert at the Opera House at 8:00 P.M., and I'm off to fetch me a ticket right NOW! THAT is a July 4th celebration for me!
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