Move!

 This is a remarkable and funny incident that happened while we were visiting Fredensborg Castle on our tour.  Ken wrote about it in detail in his journal.  I will copy his words, changing and adding a few of my own:

While in port at Copenhagen, Kay and I did a ship-arranged excursion to explore several ancient Danish castles and their grounds.  While visiting Fredensborg Castle, we had an unusually funny experience.  This castle is currently inhabited.  Our tour guide explained that we would not be allowed to enter any portion of this castle because the Queen's son and daughter in law (Crown Prince Frederick and Crown Princess Mary) and their family were living there.  She said we could walk up the road to the castle's gates.  There we would find two royal guards, decked out in their royal uniforms, guarding the gates.  She told us that these guards are ALWAYS totally focused on their duties and would not speak to us, smile at us, or recognize our presence in any way.  She offered that if any of could get a guard to speak to us or even smile, she would give us a gift.  She said that she had brought many tours here.  She always gives them this same offer.  But only once had she ever had to give the gift.  That was when she brought a tour of children here, and one of the children had turned somersaults in front of the guard, evoking a smile.

We walked the 100 yards or so up the cobbled roadway to the castle's front gate.  Sure enough, the two focused guards stood at attention, each holding a serious-looking automatic weapon.  They looked splendid in their crisp uniforms.

Our tour group joined a few other tourists in the street in front of the gate, so that there were approximately fifty people milling about, admiring the guards and castle, taking pictures of it all.

All of a sudden, two vehicles approached us from the right side.  They appeared around a corner that led from one side of the castle.  Both vehicles were expensive Land Rovers.  Our tour guide, who had been telling us about the Crown Prince and Princess that lived there, excitedly exclaimed, There she is!  That is her!"  Sure enough, the front Land Rover was being driven by a beautiful woman, Crown Princess Mary!  Now, you have to understand what a huge deal this was.  It would be like seeing Princess Katherine in London, or the president's wife in Washington DC.  This was big!  The second vehicle appeared to contain several body guards.  

If you click on this picture, you can make it bigger and see Crown Princess Mary inside the vehicle.

As they approached, our guide encouraged us to all move out of the roadway.  We were completely blocking the road.  Heeding our guide's directions, I joined the rest of the crowd and moved off the road to the right so they could pass.  Some of our group was a little slow in doing so.  Suddenly I heard one of guards bellow in a very loud voice, "MOVE!"  I looked from the irritated guard to our group to see why he had yelled at us.  What I saw paralyzed me.  There was my dear wife, still standing in the middle of the road right in front of the approaching cars.

Now you need to understand that Kay loves to take pictures and values a good picture very highly.  At this moment, Kay realized that she was in the perfect position to get the best picture of the day.  There she stood with her camera up, taking pictures of the oncoming car.  I then looked toward the Crown Princess, worried that she would really run into Kay.  No.  Crown Princess Mary was smiling broadly at the unusually bold picture-taking tourist in front of her.  I yelled at Kay to move and she did.

I looked at the guards to see if either of them had leveled their weapons at us, but they hadn't.  In fact, I don't think either of them had even moved.  We were all so excited to see Crown Princess Mary and her escorts.

Crown Princess Mary

  I was just glad that Kay hadn't been run over.

As we walked back to the bus, I realized that no one had said anything to our tour guide about the fact that we had made one of the guards say something.  I pointed it our to her.  She brightened and exclaimed, "You are right!  Your get the prize!"  We eagerly anticipated the prize.  When we got back on the bus she presented me with a little, round, red foam clown's nose.  I was a bit disappointed.  I thought the prize should be something a little more grand, given the amazing feat Kay had achieved.  Oh well, our grandchildren should like it!

This is the nose given on a card with this picture.