I had been warned about the traffic. About how we were taking our lives into our own hands. About how I could not let go of the girls, not even for a second. And how one should wait to go after the rainy season. And definitely not while a Typhoon was there...
But somehow we managed it and I must say it was one of the best family holidays we've taken!
I do feel I need to add that one thing that really made this holiday hassle-free was the fact we hired a driver (which allowed us to cover a lot of ground, see a lot of sights and stay dry).
I must also say that we really did not allow enough time - as we only had a long weekend. Had we been able to spend more time there, I would have taken the girls to Sapa (overnight train to hill tribe and terraced rice fields) and Ha Long Bay (for a night on a junk). My mom managed to get out into the country for an afternoon, but the girls at that point were totally over stimulated, so we lounged by the pool.
Ready, steady .... go!
At the airport ...
All checked in ... Go dogs, go!
First stop ... The Temple of Literature. Founded in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong and dedicated to Confucius. Interesting place! They even have seats carved into stone that look like you are riding a turtle - but you only get to sit there if you have earned a doctorate there.
It didn't take long before people were lining up to pose with Chase.
I carried Mads just about everywhere ...
I had been told the food in Hanoi was great. What an understatement! A born foodie, it was heaven on Earth for me. Gorgeous fresh french bread and pastries. Loads of fresh herbs (combos of dill and lemon basil), savory clear broth, succulent duck cooked to perfection. Ice cream that tasted so good that after one bite, it was all Mads could think about for the rest of the trip.
But I think we all agreed that the best restaurant we found was Green Tangerine. Words can not describe ... all I can say is if I lived in Hanoi, I would eat everything on this menu 50 times. And then I would ask the chef every day to teach me how to cook. Every day. Until I wore him down. Until he finally gave in.
Seriously, why don't all kids meals look like this? Mads had the seared sea bass with lemon cream sauce and a side of veg.
Chase had the chicken cordon bleu ...
Tortoise tower in Hoan Kiem Lake...
Scenes from old town ...
St. Joseph's Cathedral (built in 1886), which was completed shortly after the Treaty of Tientsen, which gave France control over the whole of Vietnam.
Hao Lo Prison (aka Hanoi Hilton), is where US POWs were incarcerated for 6 years during the Vietnam war. By 1953 they were holding 2000 prisoners in a space designed for 500. I would not recommend bringing children here.
Hubs and mom also went to the Vietnam War Museum.
On a lighter note, we also took the girls to see the Water Puppet Show. Front row seats! Fabulous.
The woman in green is playing a traditional instrument - I don't recall what it's called, but I loved the story about it. Apparently women were not allowed to play it or listen to it for the longest time, because it was feared that they would fall in love with the man playing the instrument.
Really fun to watch. Only problem was there was water falling from the AC unit in the ceiling directly above me the entire time. It was like water torture; I tried my best to ignore it.
More street scenes ...
Babes on bikes...
We also crossed the red bridge to the temple at the center of the lake. At the temple, the girls had so much attention it was overwhelming ...
love this picture of Chase ...
We practiced a little gymnastics ...
Just chillin ...
We drove by this lovely temple a couple times before we told the driver to pull over. It was beautiful inside. We never did find out the name ...
Inside the temple...
I think this was the opera house...
More love for Chase and Mads...
Ministry of Foreign Affairs ...
Ho Chi Min Mausoleum. He's in there. We didn't go in as the girls were too tired and our own interest level wasn't too high. It was impressive looking as we drove by ...
One Pillar Pagoda was originally built in 1049 by Emperor Ly Thai Tong. It has been rebuilt many times - the last time was in 1955 after the French destroyed it. The Emperor built it after having a vision of a goddess holding a son - and so his trusty adviser told him to build the Pagoda and then his wife would have a son.
Hmmm, another gorgeous and official-looking building that I never did get the name of...
Swan boats were available for hire. Paddle them as far out as you like, just make sure you have enough energy to bring them back. If we had more time and more predictable weather, I would have taken the girls out.
More information on this temple to come...
A picture of Chase posing with one of the many children who wanted to take pictures with her...
Ah, sister love...
And then we decided to go to Fanny, for ice cream. They had an amazing menu. Adult options included vanilla ice cream shake with chilies and vodka. They had ice cream creations the kids loved. Both ordered a "Pinocchio."
Hubs ordered a banana split.
Mom ordered something delicious...
So happy ...
On the way to the airport, we drove by rice paddys where we were able to see them being harvested ...
Here is a shot of our driver...
Goodbye, Hanoi!
