From Da’an Park we take the subway for just a couple stations to the nearby Liberty Square. We are not sure how we are going to be able to find it but the signs are very accurate and we soon are in the middle of the giant square looking for the fastest way to the Memorial Hall.
We have to get there fast as it is closing at six, supposedly and now it is five thirty. So we are hurrying towards it passing tour and school groups and making our way to the Hall. But it seems that it takes much longer than we expected, for a good reason as it is a huge building and we misread the distance to it initially.
Finally we reach the bottom of the stairs and convince our tired feet to climb the multiple flights of stairs and make it to the top before six. We are not sure if they can close the hall somehow but it doesn’t matter anymore at this point, we still have fifteen minutes to visit.
And that is more than enough time as inside is only a statue and otherwise it is quite austere. And in fact half of the hall is cordoned off. So we take a few photos and then we are back out, now we have to decide how to get back to the hotel.
The views from the Memorial Hall entrance is beautiful, there are relatively few tourists in the evening and we enjoy the expansive sights. We then descend and on the way decide to walk back to the hotel instead of taking the subway. The area looks super safe and we really want to see Taipei at night and enjoy the cooler temperatures. And the distance is only a couple kilometers so it is reasonable.
But on the way we stop at a soft drink vending machine and choose something at random, we just need something cool as the heat has taken a tool on us. And then refreshed we explore the nearby lake which has a few ducks but nothing exciting.
Except maybe the squirrel statue which emits a jet of water feeding the lake, it looks like the squirrel has a water gun shooting at visitors.
Now we are passing through the Liberty Square enjoying the views reaching the main gate exactly at six. And then we look back and notice the doors of the Memorial Hall closing, there is a way to close them it seems and it is happening at exactly six as we expected. So we were lucky we made it there in time to see the interior.
And then it is time to return to the hotel through a couple of parks, looking for birds and just enjoying the landscaped gardens. On the way we also see the Presidential Office Building in the distance, we initially wanted to also visit it but there was no time really during our visit.
In the next park is an interesting memorial, the 228 Peace Memorial. This commemorates the dead of the February 28th 1947 incident when thousands of protestors were killed by the Kuomintang government.
The park ends next to square that we had such an issue crossing the previous day. With experience we are able to traverse it much easier today even though the pedestrian area ends unexpectedly again. And then we are at the hotel and soon we are back in our hotel room and ready to go to sleep after a very busy and tiring day.
