You know you're obsessed with the Romanovs when... Part 2

[thelastimpofrussia]

Lol!! XD

[GrandDuchessIzabella]

YKYOW Royalty when...
You correct tour guides at stately homes.

(I have done this at least three times, at Windsor Castle, Balmoral and other National Trust places. Most memorable was at Balmoral, where there was a lovely painting of QV with two young ladies in bustle dresses. I asked the tour guide who they were and he told me that it was Princess Victoria and Princess Alice knitting for the soldiers fighting in the Crimean War with QV. I told him that it couldn't be, because: 1.  the fashion was wrong 2.  Victoria was in morning clothes and Albert died after the CW and 3. really, they looked nothing like Vicky and Alice. He looked quite flustered and muttered, 'yes, yes' and nodded when I told him that it was more likely to be two of Alice's daughters or even Princess Beatrice and Louise. My mum dragged me away before I could embarrass him further. I hope they've found out who it was now!)   

[GrandDuchessIzabella]

YKYOW Royalty when...
You correct tour guides at stately homes.

(I have done this at least three times, at Windsor Castle, Balmoral and other National Trust places. Most memorable was at Balmoral, where there was a lovely painting of QV with two young ladies in bustle dresses. I asked the tour guide who they were and he told me that it was Princess Victoria and Princess Alice knitting for the soldiers fighting in the Crimean War with QV. I told him that it couldn't be, because: 1.  the fashion was wrong 2.  Victoria was in morning clothes and Albert died after the CW and 3. really, they looked nothing like Vicky and Alice. He looked quite flustered and muttered, 'yes, yes' and nodded when I told him that it was more likely to be two of Alice's daughters or even Princess Beatrice and Louise. My mum dragged me away before I could embarrass him further. I hope they've found out who it was now!)   

I meant Osborne, not Balmoral! Sorry!

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi Isabelle,

Great story - loved it!!!

I have done this also:
at the Neus Palais in Potsdam, when a guide said two portraits were of Frederick the Great's daughters and I corrected him as he had no children. The portraits were of his sisters.
I guess we're both naughty
Larry
 

[GrandDuchessIzabella]

Hi Isabelle,

Great story - loved it!!!

I have done this also:
at the Neus Palais in Potsdam, when a guide said two portraits were of Frederick the Great's daughters and I corrected him as he had no children. The portraits were of his sisters.
I guess we're both naughty
Larry
 

Lol, but it has to be done! We can't have them telling other people the wrong thing. (Plus, it's kind of funny )

[Maria the Beautiful]

   Hello all.  I don't often post here because I'm not as knowledgeable as most of you are, but I have been lurking here reading your posts for a few years and am as obsessed and as passionate about the Romanov's as you all are.   I just had to share me little story with you.   I just returned home this morning from a week-long cruise on the Norwegian Jewel (NYC-Nassau, Bahamas).   If any of you have ever sailed on the NCL Jewel you will know that the main dining room is Tsar's Palace.   I was travelling with my niece who knows of my passion for the Romanov's, especially for our beloved NAOTMAA.   She had sailed on the Jewel before and knew that Tsar's Palace was lined with paintings of the Romanov's.   The main part of the dining room contains mostly paintings of the "older" members of the Imperial family, beginning with Peter the Great; however, there is one wing off the main dining room that is only used for "overflow" diners.   It just so happened that on our first night on the ship when we went for dinner we were seated in this wing.   The entire wing was dedicated to NAOTMAA!   I gushed as we followed the waiter to our table!  I almost cried, really!  Every painting were reproductions of so very familiar photographs that we all know and love.   My niece was ecstatic that we sat dined here because, although she is not as familiar with NAOTMAA as I am, she knows how much they mean to me.    The rest of the week we were not so lucky to be seated in "MY WING", but wouldn't you know, last night, for our final dinner on board, guess where we were seated?   Yep!   No lie.   I just know NAOTMAA had a hand in this - maybe this were their way of letting me know they were feeling my love, what do you the rest of you think?   BTW, this niece I was travelling with is my normal travel partner and we have a joint savings account started about a year ago that we are going to use for a trip to Russia.   I need to work on her a little to raise her to my level of passion for NAOTMAA before we leave.   Thanks for listening to my story.   Have a great day all.

[Maria the Beautiful]

I just re-read what I posted above and realized I used some incorrect grammar.   I apologize for that - I'm usually better than this, but I was just so excited to tell my story.   Forgive me!

[thelastimpofrussia]

It's fine, we all make mistakes

I need to go on the cruise and get pictures..... Like now. Oh that's so cool! I seriously want to go on a cruise now. I will go beg my parents if I have to!

[Maria the Beautiful]

Yes, Talya, you must take a cruise on the Jewel.   When you do, keep in mind that the NAOTMAA wing is only used for overflow, so you stand a better chance of being seated there during the rush dinner hours.    We never requested to be seated there - it just worked out that way.   Also, the paintings are not very good reproductions of the original photos (I would have preferred they had hung the actual photos), but you will recognize them immediately because they are of the most common photos of the family.   The people sitting at the table next to us heard me telling my niece about each of the paintings and they commented that no one was smiling in any of the paintings.   I laughed and explained to them why that was so and about how very rare it is to see a photo of NAOTMAA where any one is smiling.

[GrandDuchessIzabella]

What a fantastic cruise you must have had! Wow, a whole room full of NAOTMAA pictures. Sounds like the best wallpaper ever!

P.S Post more often! I don't know very much either, but by asking questions I've learnt a lot.

[blessOTMA]

Maria the Beautiful , since I make paintings of the family from photographs, I'm most interested to read your post! Fascinating! and I  2nd  GrandDuchessIsabelle , please post more often =)

[Maria the Beautiful]

blessOTMA, I was thinking of you when I saw the paintings!   I've been lurking around here long enough that I am familiar with some of your incredible artwork.    You folks may not know me yet, but I sure do know a lot of you from your previous posts.  Also, bless OTMA, I see from your personal info here that we are almost neighbors (I live in Wilmington, DE - formerly from West Chester, PA and we are pretty close in age as well!).   

[Sara Araújo]

Last Summer, I visited the Ajuda Palace and Lisbon and I was so surprised to find a painting of Maria Nikolaevna (daughter of Tsar Nicholas I) on the wall that I kind of made a fuss. (I might have squealed a little bit. :p) But, anyway, my fuss, besides infuriating my cousins, who were with me, attracted the attention of one of the cleaning ladies who was very glad to see that someone knew and cared about one of the portraits. Turns out she knew quite a lot about King Luís and Queen Maria Pia, as well as of everyone else who had a portrait in that room (mostly the Leuchtenbergs who, of course were very close to the Portuguese royal family because Queen Maria II's first husband had been one, and the brothers and sisters of Queen Maria Pia) because her family had been working at the palace for several generations and she ended up making a tour, she let us stay until after the closing time and, best of all, she let me take a photograph of Grand Duchess Maria's portrait with the flash on, so sometimes the obsession with the Romanovs is something like a perk.

This was the photograph: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grand_Duchess_Maria_Nikolaevna.JPG

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi,

Beautiful portrait;  very colourful dress....
Thank you for posting it....

Larry

[blessOTMA]

blessOTMA, I was thinking of you when I saw the paintings!   I've been lurking around here long enough that I am familiar with some of your incredible artwork.    You folks may not know me yet, but I sure do know a lot of you from your previous posts.  Also, bless OTMA, I see from your personal info here that we are almost neighbors (I live in Wilmington, DE - formerly from West Chester, PA and we are pretty close in age as well!).   

Thank you for your compliment! You are very welcome to come see my pictures ( as is any member of the forum )  I have a galley set up in my home  which is open by appointment ....drop me a line if you are in the area =)