Watching Guards change at Buckingham Palace/ Carlos Pueblo

Watching Guards change at Buckingham Palace/ Carlos Pueblo

 I met a young student, William Su of Taiwan, at a hostel in London.

He studies at a Plaque University in Czech Republic and travels around

Europe before his return to Taipei. I recommended Buckingham Palace

for a visit. At the subway station, we ran into another two young ladies

from Tainan, Taiwan, Ying Chen Hsu and Jean Ting Wang; therefore, we

went together as a small group. These three youngsters all possess

i-phones with GPS function which are very handy to monitor the direction

 all the time. Both ladies are working at an orchid company and one of

 them looks exactly like one of my nieces ,Wen Wei of Vancouver, Canada.

They had been here a few days before and yet still not quite satisfied;

in a result, arranged an early morning to come back again. We followed them

to stand right in front of the gate and waited for the guards to come by.

Finally, after more than an hour’s waiting, we did see two companies guard

maneuvered inside and outside of the gate. More and more visitors gathered

and looking for a place to stand and watch, I would say more than ten thousands.

We arrived early; therefore, we were not worried at all.

The first Guards change at 11:00 A.M. Two companies of Guards involved plus a

big marching band. I believe the size is smaller at Windsor Castle, one section

plus a smaller marching band. Inside the court yard, the Guards on duty gather

and practice marching continuously while outside the taking over Guards are

marching toward he gate from the barracks. A group of the mounted Guards

ride through the edge of the Palace with a big sound of house kicks. Mounted

Guards with shining helmet carry a curved sward, big and tall. Grenadier Guards

dress emerald green uniform with a leather hat and automatic rifle.  At 11 o’clock,

the gate is open, the Guard company outside, under the guidance of the red coat

marching band, enter the Palace through us, right in front of us. Two companies

face to face and begin the process of change, first to replace the guard at the guard

house and some inside the Palace. British Guards change involves some kinds of kicks

which are very different from the American army. I believe that more dramatic and

colorful guards change between India and Pakistan army are originated from the

British army. The marching band plays the popular musical pieces and one of them

Is the Gold Finger, an 007 movie title piece.

The Band guides the off duty Guard Company out to their Barracks and also a group

of Gurkhas Guard, a Royal Gurkhas brigade. Gurkhas are from North India near

current Nepal, and have served to the British Crown for century.

Two ladies took us to Wellington Arch, Westminster Abbey and the Parliament,  

the Household Cavalry Barracks, and the premier’s residence, 10 Downing St.