On your guard in Lux

The Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg City is the official residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, the head of state. Soldiers of the military of Luxembourg have been performing guard duties since 1966 with frequently only one guard visible at the palace. The representative of them I met once was a perfect example of "life in slow motion"
(for impatient spectators: guard's walk time 1:00 -> 1:33).

It happened that he was offered some help... The enthusiast volunteers tried their best but apparently it's not just a piece of cake to be a perfect Duke's guard!

You can play the movie by clicking on the picture. Credit: bober88

The Luxembourgish guard stayed cool but one day he might take the revenge the same way as his hardcore colleague at Buckingham Palace...

Once upon a time in Luxembourg

Behind forests, mountains and lakes there is a city where its crazy statues become temporarily alive, most of them at night (there are some practical reasons for that as you'll see)...

They leave their cages...

...observe everything carefully and spread gossips with the speed of light...

The most noble of them Gëlle Fra plays serso with her laurel wreath...

Others, symetry freaks, arrange French style gardens everywhere possible (be conscious that one day you can find a little piece of Versailles in front of your house)...

It's them who grow popcorn on shrubs called snowberries and distribute its fruits in the Luxembourgish cinemas...

...and once, in January 2011, the statues made Hamelius bus stop bursting with green leaves in the middle of winter, just for fun...

In the morning there are only few traces and subtle signs of their secret activity left in the city... like the statues' orientation point near the airport...

...some cigars petrified in their mouths...

...confusing sticker art...

...or even Snoopy and Woodstock glued to the somebody's mailbox...

Just be attentive! :) The evil is in details...