We were on the 'Reunification express' overnight going between Hanoi and Hue - only there was very little express about it. We were overtaken by mopeds as we left Hanoi! The sleepers were definitely hard - very little padding and they were also built for the Vietnamese who are not quite as big as Westerners. We shared the cabin with 3 generations of Vietnamese - grandmother, mother and daughter. I'm glad to say the daughter, about 3, did not show the same reaction to me as the previous child ( did not cry and hide behind the mother). We arrived in Hue about 10:00. Going through the countryside the area looked very wet with many of the fields flooded. When we arrived, the rain was pouring down and we got soaked between the train and the exit. When we arrived at the hotel, the entrance was flooded. We decided to declare today an admin day - doing emails etc.- after having had a walk around and getting soaked yet again.Next day, we woke to the same weather - thick cloud and drizzle with a threat of heavier rain. We decided to venture out and went off to see the citadel - an area built by the Vietnamese emperors just as the French were taking over. The walk took us over the Perfume river - which looked a bit miserable in the rain. The citadel itself is a miniature city but it had had lots of war damage - initially in the independence war against the French and then in the American war (as the Vietnamese put it). Many of the buildings were gone or were in ruin. The place seemed to be modelled on the Forbidden city in Beijing but without the size and without all the people as well. The temple in it was quite interesting - it was to worship each of the royal ancestors as the Vietnamese are into ancestor worship. The other highlight was the royal theatre - a lovely little building done out in red.As the rain continued to come down, we decided to call it a day in the citadel and went back to the hotel for a juice and chocolate tart.We were woken early next day to the sound of more rain. After breakfast, we looked outside and it wasn't raining. We checked with the hotel receptionist, she said the weather will improve in the afternoon. So we hired 2 bikes and set off to go round the royal tombs. The Royal tombs were built by the emperors whilst the French were running Vietnam and they are renowned for their extravagance. We cycled for about half an hour to get to the first one - Tu Duc. It is a large park setting with various buildings - some were originally palace rooms as it was used as summer palace initially - the rest were mausoleums not just for the emperor but also for his immediate family. The buildings were very different and were covered in mould due to the extreme damp weather. All this made them look like very old temples - a lot older than they really are..We pressed on to another 2 tombs, both of which were unfortunately closed due to restoration work. We then went on - down unmade roads - to the next tomb. This was another 8 km away over the other side of the river. On the way it started to spit with rain. Just as we were alongside the river, the heavens opened. We dashed over the bridge and found a café to shelter in. As we sat there, the weather closed in and we couldn't see the surrounding hills. Fran was moaning at me for persuading her to cycle and I was cursing the receptionist for her dodgy forecasts. We sat in the café for half an hour and decided the weather wasn't going to change so set off in the rain for the next tomb. This tomb (Ming Minh) was probably the best - a temple and series of buildings set around a garden and lake. It all looked very serene - even in the rain. It would have been even better in the sun. We then had a long trudge back - ending up soaked through so we went out to a good restaurant for an excellent seafood dinner.