Vignettes of the World
We asked for a ride to Ba Na Hills. When we arrived at Ba Na Hills 20 minutes later, only then did we realize that we joined a tour. They tour guide advised us to stick with the tour group until it ended at 3:30. …
Danang was my third trip to Vietnam. I had not written much during my first two trips, which were to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, respectively. Therefore I will start with my third trip. To Danang and Hoi An it was. The street scenes …
This would be my second try at finding the War Relics Trail, also known as Maclehose Trail Section 6. Last time, I attempted to reach this section of the Maclehose Trail by the starting point of the Kowloon Reservoir. I was lost. The War Relics are closer to the Pineapple Dam in Shing Mun Reservoir. So I chose that as the beginning point this time.
From the Pineapple Dam, turn right when facing the Shing Mun Country Park Plaque. Walk for 1 km to reach the Shing Mun Reservoir, which has a beautiful reservoir scenery. Continue with the trail and reach the BBQ area. The Maclehose Trail Section 6 sign will show you the steps up the War Relics Trail.
The War Relics Trail consists of a system of trenches, tunnels, air vents to end with the Shing Mun Redoubt. This immensely interesting group of WWII structures were part of the Gin Drinkers’ Line. The British built this defensive line between 1937 and 1938. Intended to be the “Oriental Maginot Line,” it was a defense against the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in 1941.[1] It extends east-westward on the New Territories between formerly Gin Drinkers Bay (now Kwai Chung), all the way to Sai Kung in the East. Passing Kam Shan, Shing Mun Reservoir, Lion’s Rock, Tate’s Cairn, Kowloon Peak and Shatin, the Gin Drinkers’ Line had a total length of 18 kilometers.[2]
On December 8th, 1941, Japanese forces launched its invasion on Hong Kong from Shenzhen. The Shing Mun Redoubt served as the command headquarters for British forces on the Gin Drinkers’ Line. Spanning an area of 12 acres, it consists of a vast system of underground observation posts, tunnels, trenches and pillboxes guarding the most vulnerable land route into Kowloon. On December 9th, Colonel Doi Teishichi commanding the 228 Regiment of the Japanese forces launched an assault on the Shing Mun Redoubt from Needle Hill (now the Shatin area).[3]
What the British thought would take weeks of defense at the Gin Drinkers’ Line, the Japanese troops accomplished in a couple days. In just two days after, the Shing Mun Redoubt fell, and the Gin Drinkers’ Line collapsed. With that, Kowloon fell into Japanese hands. The defense moved quickly back to Hong Kong Island. In the week of December 18th to 25th, Japan and Britain engaged in serious battles for the control of Hong Kong Island. On December 25th, 1941, Hong Kong fell, thus beginning the Japanese rule of Hong Kong for the next three years and eight months.
See here for more on the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941 at the Pinewood Battery.
There was a bit of a hike up the hill to see the War Relics. After about 15 to 20 minutes of continuous walk on upward steps, I reached the first relic, which was a simple air vent.
This is a trench in ruins, leading to a tunnel.
The signs did caution the tourists not to walk these tunnels, but I confess that I did walk one. At the Regent Street and Shaftesbury Avenue opening, I made it up the stairs on Shaftesbury Avenue. When I entered the opening, which was rather short, I hunched instinctively. But once getting in, I realized that it was a normal height, all the way up the stairs.
Apparently, the British named these tunnel systems with actual locations in Britain to aid the English soldiers of the Middlesex Regiment.[4]
The Shing Mun Redoubt and its observation posts could call artillery support from the Mount Davis Battery and Stonecutters Island Fort. Its four pillboxes were fitted with guns.[5]
Despite this gloomy day, the view of Kwai Chung’s urban scenery was really quite amazing.
Finally, at the Shing Mun Reservoir, our Macaque Monkey friends were raging a war of their own.
[1] The Wikipedia on the Gin Drinkers’ Line.
[2] Id.
[3] The historical descriptions on site at the Maclehose Trail Section 6.
[4] Supra note 1.
[5] Id.
I love Vietnam. Being a child of Hong Kong, I grew up knowing just a few countries. There was Britain, which as a colonial power administered Hong Kong during my formative years. There was China, a motherland that scared most of Hong Kong people away …
I was very ambitious in trying to walk the Maclehose Trail Section 6 from the starting point of the Kowloon Reservoir. It turned out that I lost my way. I never made it out to the War Relics Trail, which would have been the final …
It was time to say goodbye to the Dying Lion. I headed back and passed by the Hofkirche St Leodegar (The Church of St. Leodegar).
St. Leodegar is Luzern’s patron saint. In the Chapel Bridge, some of the historic paintings feature scenes of the martyr’s life. With beautiful twin towers, the Church of St. Leodegar was “one of the art history rich churches of the German late renaissance period.”[1]
Unlike many other locations in Switzerland, Luzern has remained Catholic. In fact, it was in the center of the Counter-Reformation raised by the Catholics in Switzerland. The Jesuit Church south of River Reuss was a key player in this episode.
The Church of St. Leodegar was long the site of Catholic worship and monastery. In fact, the church was part of the monastery that in turn founded Luzern.[2] It stands on the former foundation of a Roman basilica. In 8th century, the site was known as Monastarium Luciaria, with a church in Gothic architecture. The Benedictine monastery became a collegiate church in the 15th century, and since then, the “college of canons, a non-monastic community of clergy, has recited the Divine Office every morning and evening.”[3] A fire destroyed the church in 1633, leaving only the two original gothic towers intact.[4]
Since 1874, the church served simultaneously as both a monastery church and a parish church with the founding of the parish church of St. Leodegar.[5]
The Musegg Wall is a structure of the 14th century. It spans the length of 800 meters. And subsequently, the people of Luzern added the nine towers. Like the Chapel Bridge, it was a protective mechanism for Luzern. There are nine towers, four of which are open to tourist visits during the warm months of the year. As mentioned before, I went at a time that it was closed, and I had to miss the spectacular views that it must have offered of Luzern and Lake Luzern.
The Wall begins with the Nolli Tower in the west above the Geissmatt Bridge, and ends at Museggstrasse 7, at the eastern end of the Old Town.[6] I was determined, however, to do a walk to the extent I could, and I did find the very noticeable sections of the Musegg Wall within the Altstadt. I saw few people, and I enjoyed the exploration without the need to consult the map.
If I visit Luzern again someday, I would definitely see the Zyt Tower. It was erected in 1442, featuring a clock with a dial large enough to have been read by the fishermen on the lake. Its bell, the Leodegar Bell, “strikes the hour one minute before the other church clocks in the city.”[7]
And this entry concludes my series on travels in Switzerland.
[1] The Wikipedia on the Church of St. Leodegar (Lucerne).
[2] Myswitzerland.com, Hokirche St. Leodegar (Court Church of St. Leodegar) Luzern.
[3] Luzern.com, Church of St. Leodegar, Luzern’s Parish Church.
[4] Id.
[5] Supra note 1.
[6] Inyourpocket.com, Museggmauer.
[7] Luzern.com, Musegg Wall and its Nine Towers.
Lunch at Heini It was time for lunch. As much as I looked forward to having some hot food, I was a little lost as to how to find the right food for the right price. All things in Switzerland were expensive, with the exception …
Those who have been to Hong Kong would have heard of the “Ladies’ Street” in the shopping area of Mong Kok. I think equally fascinating is its counterpart, “Men’s Street.” Temple Street in Yau Ma Tei is known to Hong Kong people as “Men’s Street.” …
The Chapel Bridge took me south of the river, where my tour of Luzern began. The Jesuit Church stands prominently on the riverside. “The Jesuit Church of St. Francis Xavier was built 1666-73, but its onion domed twin towers were not completed until the 19th century. The stucco on the ceiling is supposed to depict the apotheosis of St. Francis Xavier.” I found the white background of the ceiling to stand apart from most cathedrals and churches of Europe. It certainly lit up the whole nave and at the same time lifted the atmosphere in the inner space. It was, for the lack of a better word, less somber than most other churches.
Next to the Jesuit Church is the Franziskanerkirches, with “Renaissance choir stalls, 17th century pulpit and Baroque ceiling paintings.” While the ceiling was much less ornate, all those décor and the organ at the back were the telling signs of the church’s long history, “dating 1270.”
The Wagner Museum was in this area of town, but it closes on Monday, when I visited. Wagner has made home in Luzern between 1866 and 1872.
I walked through the streets of southwestern Luzern. Seeing that there was a souvenir store, I went in to compare prices for the magnet that I bought at the Chapel Bridge. The store keeper came out to greet me. She was a friendly Asian woman. She had a bright smile, “where are you from?” I said Hong Kong. Then she took out a bunch of paper, “can you help me?” The paper showed some simple Chinese phrases. I read each to her and then explained the meaning. She wrote down the sound in her own language. I saw the characters and she was Thai. With English and Chinese we went through a few sheets. She said she got a little confused with “German, Chinese, English and Thai.”
Anthony Bourdain has once said this about traveling, “it is those little human moments that are the ones that stick with you forever, the random act of kindness.” Certainly, this Chinese exchange was completely unexpected. Yet it was time for me to go. She said her name was Palika. And yes, I should have bought the souvenirs at her store. They were way cheaper.
Perhaps due to the heat in the store, or maybe it was this chanced and heartwarming meeting with a Thai lady, that my sneezing cured when I left the store. By the time I passed through the Historishes Museum and the Naturmuseum, I was feeling like myself again.
The next site was the Spreuerbrűcke (the Spruer Bridge). Together with the Chapel Bridge, Spreuer Bridge is one of the two surviving covered wooden walking bridges in Luzern. Because of its location farther down in the Reuss River, it was the only bridge where people could dump chaff (spreu in German), thus its name. The Nadelwehr, which are needled wooden water spikes, still today regulate the flow of water in Lake Luzern. They also help generate water power.
As with the Chapel Bridge, the Spreuer Bridge also has paintings on the roof panels. On the Spreuer Bridge, the paintings feature the Danse Macabre (in German, the Totentanz; in English, the Dance of Death). The 45 paintings still existing show the universality of death. I was not quite able to find out why it has to feature something so morbid, but perhaps it had to do with the religious sentiment of the time.
The snowing did not stop. It was likely to stay that way throughout my time in Luzern.
Sources:
DK Eyewitness Travel, Switzerland, Luzern.
The Wikipedia on the Spreuer Bridge.
All About Switzerland, Luzern, Spruer Bridge & Dance of Death, Nadelwehr.
Luzern and Lucerne are one and the same city. Luzern is the way that its mostly German-speaking population refer to the city, whereas Lucerne is simply the French name and the general reference in English. For a couple days I kept debating what my next …