miss b loves ..........Hanoi, Vietnam (Part 2)

During our stay in Hanoi, we were constantly amazed by the volume of traffic, mainly scooters and it's not uncommon to see three people on one scooter .......

 and often a family of four ......

The Temple of Literature, a 1000 year old national treasure and Vietnam's oldest university, is a tranquil place away from the noise of scooter horns...... 

Beautiful manicured lawns, lotus ponds and courtyards........

The 82 steles which sit on stone turtles are carved with the names of students who were awarded doctorates from 1442 to 1779. 
In Vietnamese culture, the turtle is a symbol of longevity.

Outside another cyclo ..... ready for the next tourists to come along......

Our next stop was a short walk just around the corner ...... Craft Link, a non profit-making shop selling high quality textiles and supporting craft workers in rural Vietnam. How could I resist these pretty silk purses, a perfect size for clutch bags!

The brown one for me and two cute gifts

miss b loves ......... Hanoi, Vietnam (Part 1)

Vietnam has been on my must-visit list for a while now and after considerable research, I thought that Hanoi would be our kind of place ..... and it exceeded all our expectations! 

We had arranged to be picked up by the hotel and in the back of the car there was iced water, cold towels and ...... a tray of macarons! More macarons awaited us in our very elegant room ..........

The Hotel Metropole ...... We had definitely made the right decision! Complimentary macarons every evening! 

Our first morning began with a stroll around Hoàn Kiếm Lake .... 
      

Turtle Tower

....where locals come to sit and watch the world go by .......

We spotted an interesting looking bridge (The Welcoming Morning Sunlight Bridge!).....

   
.....which led to the Ngoc Son Temple (Temple of the Jade Mountain) .......

miss b loves..... the Vogue Café, Dubai

We enjoyed a few days in Dubai on our way to Vietnam and on the way back to England too.(I've almost finished sorting through the photos ready for my next post!) I was pleased to see that the Vogue Café was finally open in Level Shoe District Dubai Mall.

Well, it was certainly worth the wait! As you might expect, it was a very chic and elegant place with huge black and white photographs from Vogue archives .......

..... a stylish menu.......

... with fashionable images and quotes ....

There's a mix of cuisines including many international classics .... sushi, Thai-style salads, Maine lobster rolls, pasta dishes and even fish and chips! My 'Vogue Club Sandwich' was as delicious as it looked ....

miss b loves Paris ......old favourites and a few new discoveries(Part 2)

I'm back from my travels ......... Vietnam and Dubai! I took so many photos that it may be a while before I'm ready to tell you about our fascinating trip. In the meantime, here is my Paris Part 2 post from last month's visit. If you missed Part 1 you can read it here

Day 2 ..... we headed down Boulevard Saint Germain to number 34 .........the original home of Diptyque candles ......

Of course I had to take one home ........

...and then we went in search of another shop ....... a chocolate shop and tea room .... to Jean Paul Hévin, the renowned chocolatier .... definitely worth a visit .....these are very special chocolate cakes!

and how realistic is this chocolate shoe in the window! 

Another window caught my eye .........'I'm not a shopoholic. I'm helping the economy'........