Same start with breakfast for me. Andre has changed it up today, lunch, breakfast pho, then lunch again. Is he worried we won't find food out there once we get moving.
Todays plans, flower market? Just wandering and get dirty and wet again, it looks like another misty day, I can see outside in the breakfast room drinking my fancy Cafe Sua Da, here they serve it in layers. I have a better window view here than the window to the hall in our hotel room.
Time to take out some money again. Find VP bank about 2 blocks away. Still no charge from VP bank and other button allows us to take out 15 million. Some more expensive tours coming up that are charging us the merchant fee if we use credit cards, so cash it will be.
First stop today is St Joseph Cathedral. It is around 9:30 and there is a wedding happening, decide to watch for a while in a back pew. Clapping, so I guess they are now Mr and Mrs. Wait around outside for the bride and groom to leave the church, so many pictures being taken inside. Someone is turning the lights off in the church, they get the hint and finally come outside. The bride is wearing a beautiful what must be traditional Au Dai wedding dress. Wonder what time everyone got up this morning to prepare for what seems like quite a formal wedding.
Wedding done and we decide to walk to Dong Xuan Market. I had read somewhere about great photo ops outside the back of the market, did not disappoint. The apartment buildings are fantastic.
Went into the market and it is the strangest market we have been in. Maybe it is a wholesale market? Not one person tried to sell us anything. Andre did buy a new ball cap, the one he has been wearing is beyond disgusting. I tried looking at a dress up dress for youngest granddaughter and was told no no no, so that was the end of our shopping there.
Time to find something for lunch, we were looking for Nam Bittet, we think we were at the right place but it was mostly closed up except one tiny spot with not one customer. Wonder if it is more of a supper place than a lunch place, but decided to move on. Ended up at a delicious Indian restaurant. The outdoor naan tandoor oven was just lit, Naan bread doesn't get much fresher than this, delicious. We also shared vegetable biryani, again delicious. Would definitely go back to Rama Krishna Indian Cuisine. But it is another one of those places if you use the WC you Wonder if you should eat there, enough said.
Beer street is our next destination, nothing happening here on a Friday afternoon, surprised at least one spot doesn't have a happy hour going.
Time for egg coffee, this time at Cafe Dinh. This time I have it cold, Andre hot. The cold is definitely what I prefer. After seeing how we got into the coffee shop yesterday we knew to look for a little alley for today, today had the added complexity of at the top of the narrow staircase turn left is one coffee shop, turn right is a different one. Sunflower seed eating seems to be a thing here to have with your coffee, who knew? As we were leaving a couple much younger than us arrived, I felt sorry for them, she was as tall as Andre and he was a good 4 inches taller, those tiny chairs would be rough, at least they were young.
Back to the hotel, shoes could use a blow dry again. Shoe repair guy tried to tackle Andre again today, not sure what he was going to try to fix today, but Andre escaped.
Nic and Stu arrive and we move on to Nem nuong nha trang que hoa. Delicious, one of my favorites so far, it is grilled pork that you add a bunch of things with it to rice paper, roll it all up and dip in a delicious sauce. Very yummy. Andre ordered some kind of noodle dish as well, all delicious and extremely inexpensive.
Next off to find a drink somewhere, need a break from tiny chairs for a bit. Pass by Nam Bittet and it definitely is in full swing and open for supper.
Nicole had a friend that has just been to a library speakeasy, no idea we would be going to a speakeasy here. Standing outside we realize we are where the trains go by. I have no idea if we were at new train street, old train street or what but there were barricades up and a woman comes running down and asks us to come for coffee. Barricade is opened by police or security, there are 3 couples there already and we sit behind them. Nic doesn't even care about the trains , there are kittens. Really nice family at this little shop, and the cats were a bonus. Security is strict about anyone walking around, whistles are blown and shopkeepers are keeping everyone in line. A train did go by after about 40 minutes, it was fun to see, and pretty much as soon as the train leaves everyone moves on. We stay to play with kittens a bit longer, then the speakeasy calls across the street.
This speakeasy was called Bee'znees. You have to figure out how to get in from a library. Tiny staircase once inside, and it so reminded me of the one time we visited a speakeasy before in NYC, even the drink prices were about the same lol.
One drink and we call it a night, Andre and I are moving on again tomorrow and a fairly early pick up in the morning. Kind of wishing I didn't have that last drink. Grab back to the hotel, it is raining pretty good now, got a ride in the new electric Vietnamese car Vinfast that they have just started exporting to the USA. Another great day, we will be back in Hanoi 2 more short stays, so much more to do here.
Next off to find a drink somewhere, need a break from tiny chairs for a bit. Pass by Nam Bittet and it definitely is in full swing and open for supper.
Nicole had a friend that has just been to a library speakeasy, no idea we would be going to a speakeasy here. Standing outside we realize we are where the trains go by. I have no idea if we were at new train street, old train street or what but there were barricades up and a woman comes running down and asks us to come for coffee. Barricade is opened by police or security, there are 3 couples there already and we sit behind them. Nic doesn't even care about the trains , there are kittens. Really nice family at this little shop, and the cats were a bonus. Security is strict about anyone walking around, whistles are blown and shopkeepers are keeping everyone in line. A train did go by after about 40 minutes, it was fun to see, and pretty much as soon as the train leaves everyone moves on. We stay to play with kittens a bit longer, then the speakeasy calls across the street.
This speakeasy was called Bee'znees. You have to figure out how to get in from a library. Tiny staircase once inside, and it so reminded me of the one time we visited a speakeasy before in NYC, even the drink prices were about the same lol.
One drink and we call it a night, Andre and I are moving on again tomorrow and a fairly early pick up in the morning. Kind of wishing I didn't have that last drink. Grab back to the hotel, it is raining pretty good now, got a ride in the new electric Vietnamese car Vinfast that they have just started exporting to the USA. Another great day, we will be back in Hanoi 2 more short stays, so much more to do here.
Todays Pictures:
Found the VPBank where you can get larger amount of Dong, we got $15,000,000 to pay for our Ha Long Bay cruise and Pu Luong tour
Either good or bad news I assume
Coffee shop on the second floor and tiny steep steps down a 2 foot wide corridor from the main street. Blink and you will miss the entrance
This is in a park
Went to supper with Nicole and Stu
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