Hanoi 2

The second day in Hanoi was pretty amazing, a little less jetlagged (although it is 5:30 in the morning right now and we fell asleep around 7:30pm..) but lots of fun exploring the city.  We started the day with a light breakfast at the hotel and went out to explore the city.

Yen Thai Street, where our hotel is located.  Tons of fruit vendors and fish and meat stalls.  Today we saw the biggest live shrimp swimming in a bin for sale.

We didn't make it far in our walk before we got to a small french bakery Banh Ngot Phap Anh Hoa on Phung Hung street, where we picked up what was essentially a hotdog wrapped in a croissant, and the most amazing chocolate croissants either of us have ever had.

One of the cities most charming features is that just about everywhere you go, you'll find randomly placed, hanging cages with little songbirds.

We then went further into the historical district of the city, and saw the some of the beautiful architecture and monuments, among which were 

Cua Bac Catholic Church - pretty amazing architecture (although only built in the 1930's)

Beautiful old temple built in the 11th century

The massive statue of Vladimir Lenin.

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (you can actually go see his body, unless its one of the few months of the year where is body is taken to an undisclosed location for "maintenance"

and The Hanoi Botanical Gardens, full of adorable couples partaking in their wedding photo shoots, as well as,

this baby monkey and his family.

In the afternoon it got fairly warm and humid, and on our walk back to the Old Quarter where we're staying, Elliot thought a quick road side shave would be nice.

Who knew it would come with a complimentary hair cut?!

Nice!

After a bit of relaxing and a cup of Vietnamese coffee (which is a bit like Turkish coffee without the grounds, and is served with condensed milk-- which looked a bit like frosting), we took a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake.  We ended the day with an amazing meal of bun cha, a traditional northern Vietnamese dish. 

The meal is made of a large bowl of rice noodles and an equally large bowl of small fried pork meatballs and bits of grilled pork, soaked in a delicious rich broth.  On the side are sliced lightly pickled cucumbers, a bowl of amazing spicy chilis, garlic, ginger, and onion finely minced, and a plate of fresh herbs and lettuces.

Our plans to visit the nearby "Night Market" were cancelled by our jet lag - rescheduled for tonight!