Helen, it will be wonderful to see all of your pictures. You have been able to spend alot of real time in places that we all are very very interested in, and your keeping in touch while you are actually there is wonderful too. Thank you again!
And let's hope that the optimistic report about the roof being no worse than usual is correct, though it sounds hard to believe.
I just wanted to follow up again about the roof. I did ask several more AP curators about the roof, and none of them had any idea of what I was talking about when I mentioned the roof collapsing. They even seemed to think that it was a very strange question. The thing is that the AP is still functioning as an office space for the Russian army - I have seen them go in and out of the central entrance (where the oval hall is). So the building, although it looks pretty shabby on the outside is in good working order.
The roof has not caved in - I can guarantee that
. The AP is fine, and it is scheduled to be transferred over to the TS Museum-Reserve, after which it will be restored. This is official and will happen in the next few years. So yes, it seems that we will witness the AP restored soon.
Have you noticed that the roof right above the Marble Hall has collapsed?... It´s very easy to see when you approach the palace from the garden side. The ballaustrade is partially destroyed as well.
Antonio, did you mean you saw it from here?
To be honest it didn't look to me like the roof collapsed anywhere at all. Maybe something happened while you were there and it was since fixed.
Also, and I mentioned this on another thread already, but will mention it here as well, I created a travelogue of my trip with all kinds of photos of the AP, the CP, the parks, etc., as well as some of Tsarskoe Selo in general. So those interested to see all this stuff in great detail (yes, I photographed the AP from all sides, angles and distances
!) will be able to do it soon as a webpage on APTM.
Helen
