gosh.. im glad that there is a lot of people answering to my post...

and congratulations to nytraveler who think she is better because of the fact that she natively speaks english but she actually leaves in a bankrupted country. Not to mention the fact that while she can only speaks her poor english, there is some other people around here who can speak other 3 languages.

people like Hooameye, nytraveler, Ackislander and Dukey1, who keep poking me beacause of my question have an strict vision of the world.. therefore, they should simply read a little bit more about places around the world and you are going to see that the stupidest situation for you (as an american or an euroupean) should be the most normal situation in other countries (and you are going to see, for exemple, that is ilegal to chew gum on the streets of Cingapure and that you cant go hand in hand with someone of the opposite gender in Saudi Arabia)...

And the sad StCirq.. YOU are messing with me... I said in my Paris' post that I didnt mean to be rude with u.. I only said the truth: you dont look to be good enough to write travel articles since you dont got my point and suggested me at least 3 restaurants knowing that I should have less than 24 hours in Paris.. You came here to nothing but to piss me off. You seemed to be smarter than that.

To sissies who corcen about me messing around with british guards.. chill down.. I AM NOT going to mess with the guards of your country. All I wanted with my question was maybe have fun with the answers about this that could be an uncommun situation.

To end this up.. All I can say is that not everyone in Fodors' forum is prepared to answer about some things about the world. If you are not prepared to that, please just be quiet and save your fingers and keyboard to other stuff.

-Peace

Ackislander: My point was . . . the OP <i>AIN'T</i> American. So why connect his stupidity w/ that of your students???

>>>you are going to see that the stupidest situation for you (as an american or an euroupean) should be the most normal situation in other countries<<<

I'd like to know in what country is it normal to "mess with" on duty govn't or royal guards? There are plenty of places where even <i>looking</i> at a guard or raising your camera will get you arrested. Where is it normal to behave like Austen Powers? (well, except for my uncle R when he's had too much to drink at the family xmas dinner...but other than that?)

>>All I wanted with my question was maybe have fun with the answers about this that could be an uncommun situation.<<

Which is what most of us thought from the outset and why you got some irritated answers: try looking up "trolling".

Where the hell are the "streets of Cingapure". :-)

can I share a fun story?

We were in London with the kids and my son (aged 7yrs at the time) asked (apparently loudly), "I can't see his eyes. Does he have eyes?"

At that moment, the Guard opened his eyes really wide and my kids totally cracked up. He did keep a straight face though other than the wide open eyes. Everyone around us was wondering what was so funny.

We still chuckle about it. That is one of those fun kids' moments.

Apres_Londee, haha very funny this story about ur uncle R.. but.. anyways.. I know there is a tribe in Kenya called Masai where you actually spit in people to demonstrate respect for them (like in Ace Ventura 2).. This seems to be weird.. But if I had made the weird question "is it ok to spit on people in Africa?".. someone certainly would answer "where in the world could be ok to spit in people?".. The world is more curious and more different than we think.. let´s chill and accept this fact.

PatrickLondon.. i know.. there´s a lotta trolls out.

Hooameye.. streets of Cingapure are actually streets which are in Singapure.

haha.. the story told by surfmom is what I was looking for! thank you, surfmom! lol

I was in London at the age of 17 with a group the same age and we were all young, foolish and having a great time sampling all the English beer we could. A couple of the guys were standing for a photo very close... too close I guess... to a guard in front of the Horse Guards and were told to "F--- Off!" The guard's lips never moved.

Years later, wife, daughter in a stroller and I were at Windsor Castle. We stepped across a yellow line painted on the cobbles in a courtyard and the guard 20 feet away stamped his hobnailed boot to attention and bellowed "Don't cross the line!" at the top of his voice. We had no idea we were not supposed to... we still laugh at that one.

I'm off to London in a few hours and certainly won't be <I> "messing"</I> with the guards. And, hoping I won't have to endure any ridiculous questions.;)

Well if the OP is so childish that he gets his jollies with silly posts about "messing" with symbols of authority (not as a politial protest - but so he can be like Austin Powers - THERE'S an ambition for you) then I think we shuold all just leave himm alone with his fantasies.

OP, I think our story is sweet because it was so unexpected that the Guard 'responded'. We certainly weren't "messing" with the Guards.

I find it is what makes travel with kids fun - sometimes adults react in the most unexpected ways! (For example, there was the time in the Louvre when a guard came and took my two girls... we didn't know what was going on - turns out, she took them in front of the ropes of the Mona Lisa so they weren't stuck behind tall adults so they had a clear view. They had a great view while we were stuck behind the tall adults!).

"Hooameye.. streets of Cingapure are actually streets which are in Singapure."

Oh, and there's me thinking that they were in Singapore.:-)

Rumour has it that there are, shall we say, other ways of messing with the Guards when they're off duty. Perhaps that's what the OP had in mind.

Hence the (in)famous "Guardsman's Defence"

I remember many many ago when I had gone to London with my family as a little girl, I went right in front of a Royal Guard and kept staring at him for quite a long time, as I had found it fascinating that he would not make the slightest move.

I do not know, either he wanted to show me that he was real, or wanted to make me laugh, (or wanted to get rid of me) but he finally very quickly poked out his tongue at me but still remained fixed to the ground like a statue and serious!! I remember my elder sister teasing and telling everyone about it for quite some time after returning from our holiday.

You sure got back some old memories for me!