Bob Atchison's Sept 2013 Trip to the AP!

[Forum Admin]

Many people have asked to see photos from Bob's trip to the Alexander Palace, where he finalized the details of the new "Society of Friends of Tsarskoye Selo" and see the Autochromes, and connect with friends old and new.  He even stayed IN the Catherine Palace!

So here we go:

Bob and Albert Bartridge in the Amber Room (where any pictures are totally forbidden, unless Dr. Iraida Bott the Deputy Director of TS Museums is your personal tour guide and says it's OK:


Bob and Alexey Gusanov, his very old dear friend who is Deputy Director of Pavlovsk, at the Costume exhibit in front of some of Alexandra Feodorovna's dresses:


The Marble Hall today:


The view from Bob's room in the Catherine Palace itself:


Albert in front of the entrance to the Guest Quarters of the Catherine Palace, and the Palace pooch snoozing.  Two dogs stand guard at the door all day long.  They look fierce, but are actually very sweet and friendly:

[Forum Admin]

The Hermitage Pavilion in the Catherine Park:


The Quarenghi Music Hall in the Catherine Park:


The Pavilion in Catherine Park, inside and out:



The Portrait Hall, with Bob's friend Paul Brewer who came from New Zealand to meet with him.


Bob and Paul, with Dr. Iraida Bott, Deputy Director of Tsarskoye Selo Museums and now Bob's good friend, with Alex the translator, on the location of the actual spot where Rasputin was buried (which is not where most people believe it to be located).


Bob, in the Alexander Palace, almost 40 years after his very first visit:


The grave of Anatoly Kotchumov, Bob's mentor, friend and Curator of the Alexander Palace before World War II, the monument erected by Pavlovsk Museum.

[rgt9w]

Thank you for sharing the photographs!

[edubs31]

Thank you for sharing the photographs!

Yeah really. Sounds like a dream come true for one totally deserving fellow! Stayed AT the Catherine Palace? Unreal! :-)

FA, I'm curious about the picture of Bob and others standing on the spot of Rasputin's burial. Are you saying this is where the grave that Alexandra had him originally buried stood? I realize his grave was eventually dug up, but I'm a little surprised that a simple dirt road cuts across it now and that it isn't marked in some way. Whatever one's personal feelings of Rasputin might be doesn't the spot of his burial have at least some type of historical significance?

[Forum Admin]

Thank you for sharing the photographs!

Yeah really. Sounds like a dream come true for one totally deserving fellow! Stayed AT the Catherine Palace? Unreal! :-)

FA, I'm curious about the picture of Bob and others standing on the spot of Rasputin's burial. Are you saying this is where the grave that Alexandra had him originally buried stood? I realize his grave was eventually dug up, but I'm a little surprised that a simple dirt road cuts across it now and that it isn't marked in some way. Whatever one's personal feelings of Rasputin might be doesn't the spot of his burial have at least some type of historical significance?

This is the location of where he was buried, on the site of the chapel Anya Vyroubova was building.  There is now an entire "cult" surrounding Rasputin, and frankly the Museum doesn't want people to come and have their weird "worship" events, which are already taking place in the other spot where people believe his grave to have been.  Bob was telliing me about one such event he witnessed last week, where a "picnic" turned into some weird service with plastic nativity scenes and plastic flowers and chanting and such...at what they thought was Rasputin's grave...

[Holly]

Wonderful photos and it's great to see Bob there.

[edubs31]

Thank you for sharing the photographs!

Yeah really. Sounds like a dream come true for one totally deserving fellow! Stayed AT the Catherine Palace? Unreal! :-)

FA, I'm curious about the picture of Bob and others standing on the spot of Rasputin's burial. Are you saying this is where the grave that Alexandra had him originally buried stood? I realize his grave was eventually dug up, but I'm a little surprised that a simple dirt road cuts across it now and that it isn't marked in some way. Whatever one's personal feelings of Rasputin might be doesn't the spot of his burial have at least some type of historical significance?

This is the location of where he was buried, on the site of the chapel Anya Vyroubova was building.  There is now an entire "cult" surrounding Rasputin, and frankly the Museum doesn't want people to come and have their weird "worship" events, which are already taking place in the other spot where people believe his grave to have been.  Bob was telliing me about one such event he witnessed last week, where a "picnic" turned into some weird service with plastic nativity scenes and plastic flowers and chanting and such...at what they thought was Rasputin's grave...

Ugh, yes, I completely understand that. And while it sounds bizarre I'm somehow not at all surprised.

[blessOTMA]

Thank you for posting !!!

[Laura Mabee]

Brilliant photos and post! What an awesome visit.
I look forward to the future and appreciate Bob creating a connection so that we can help with the future of the AP.

[TimM]

There are great pictures.

Bob, in the Alexander Palace, almost 40 years after his very first visit:

He was allowed to visit in Soviet times?  Cool.

[Forum Admin]

Bob and Suzanne Massie went together and were the first US citizens to set foot in the Alexander Palace since before World War II!

[TimM]

Bob and Suzanne Massie went together and were the first US citizens to set foot in the Alexander Palace since before World War II!

Wow, that would have been a historical first.  Considering the U.S. and Russia were bitter enemies for so long at that point.

[historyfan]

Wow. Just...wow. Thank you so much for posting!

[Alice]

Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing those with us.

[Michael HR]

What wonderful photos! The AP is looking so much better