Olga's Letters

[La_Mashka]

I was reading the letter "fragments" from the main page in the Alexander Palace Time Machine.

I think Im going nuts, because I couldn't find alink for Olga's letters  

Is it just me?

[IlyaBorisovich]

The link isn't listed above Tatiana's letters as it should be, but here's the link:  http://www.alexanderpalace.org/palace/odiaries.html

Ilya

[La_Mashka]

Thank you very much Ilya!

[Georgiy]

Here is one from the site Matushka posted. It is a very interesting site, but I'd forgotten the URL!

26 December 1917
Hello Ritka my dear!
I got your letter of the 7th yesterday evening, and I thank you greatly for it. Of course I already wrote to you on Sunday, but I don't know if you will get it or not. Well, already it is the holidays. We have a Christmas Tree in the corner of the hall which gives off a wonderful smell, but not like the ones at Tsarskoe. It is a special type of tree and is called a 'balsamic fir tree'. It smells strongly of oranges and mandarins and there is always resin flowing down its trunk. We don't have any decorations - just 'silver rain' and wax candles - of course these are Church candles as we don't have any other. After dinner on Christmas Eve we distributed presents - for the most part our embroideries. Dividing them up and working out who will get what reminded us completely of the charitable markets in Yalta. You remember how much preparation went on always?
The Vigil service was at 10 in the evening and the Christmas tree was lit. It was beautiful and nice. The choir was big and sang well, but like at a concert, and this I do not like. Ritka, you know, we haven't had a line from Lili, and pretty much nothing since August which is strange enough, we know only through your letters. She was in Odessa. Really, coud she have forgotten about us?!
I'm writing to you on the huge table int he big hall. My brother's toy soldiers are all over the table. A little way off Papa and the four children are drinking coffee, but mama is not up yet. The sun is shining onto the paper between my right arm. We finally had some snow and it added to our snow mountain. I wrote a small letter to Chern. and got a reply the next day. Please thank him and pass on our big regards to him. Katia writes, so does T. Sonya. Bibi has been silent three months and Olya Kolzakova longer. Iza has arrived but they have not released her from the house. We have only seen her from the window.  Well, I'll finish here. I wish you much happiness for next year and kiss you strongly my darling. All send their regards. Mama kisses you. God be with you.
Your Olga

Hearty thanks my dearest ritka for your greetings. We sometimes get letters from Lyuba.We often remember you. I kiss you warmly. Anastasia

[Lanie]

I've read this one before; it is to Margarita Khitrovo.

[Margarita Markovna]

I've read this one before; it is to Margarita Khitrovo.

Darn, thought it was to me.    

Thanks for this Georgiy- I loved reading about their holiday!

[Janet_W.]

It is wonderful to see this letter again. Any Romanov correspondence is of interest, but this one in particular is quite newsy and very descriptive. Best of all, the letter tells us a great deal about Olga and the friendship she shared with Rita. I wish I could go back in time, tap her on the shoulder as she is writing, and convince her, her family, Dr. Botkin and the three servants to accompany me to safety in my time machine.

Forgive the fantasy, but when you get to know a person through their photos and correspondence, moments occur when you do feel as if you could bridge time!

[LarissaAnn]

Thank you for sharing that Georgiy, I really liked the part about their tree especially as I can smell mine from my chair here too.  I always love reading thier letters as it really takes the reader into a peek of their lives.
Lori

[Lanie]

Another letter from Olga to Rita K.

Tobolsk, 17 October 1917.

Darling mine,

We all send you our heartiest congratulations and wishes on today's occasion. Though it is late, I still hope you'll get this letter in time. I sent you a postcard through Bibi, in the Crimea, but I don't know whether it reached you. It must
have been terribly pleasant in Yalta. Did you meet Al. Vlad. ? You know, I never replied to the nice letter Gruzd. had written me. If you ever write him, tell him that I am very grateful to him, and that sisters remember their wounded and think of them.  I have not replied to Veta's letter, either; her parcel did not reach us and I do not know her address; can you tell me it?  Aunt Sanya seems to still be at Tsarskoe.  I don't know anything about the others.  I wrote Olya, but have no reply as yet; I don't know whether she should write directly to me or through Commissar Pankratov because he receives all mail and distributes it.

Everything is all right with us.  The weather is like that in the fall.  There isn't much snow and it is not cold.  One cannot complain, generally speaking, because the sun comes out almost every day and it is a hot sun too.  We go for walks but less than before, and we have nothing to do.  There is not enough snow to play in and it is not warm enough to play other games.  Our house is very cozy, especially after we received carpets from Tsarskoe.   Did you hear the Lyuba moved?  Where is Ksenia?  I hope that your brothers are in good health.  Give them our regards.  Do you have any news about Mal. and Nik. Dmit.?  We don't know anything about him and would be glad if you would tell us something.  Where is Molokh.?  The sisters and brother have started their classes.  At night we all sit together and play various games.  Sometimes somebody reads Chekhov aloud, or something else.  Some of the stories are very funny.  How do you like the new spelling?  It appears to me very ugly and foolish.

Did you see Tanya's parents?  It seems they are still in Yalta.  Where is she?  It's been a long time since we've had any news from them.  Are you not bored with all my questions?  It is time to end.  Give my regards to Zinochka and her family.  Is Olga Evg. there?  Good luck, my dear.  Liv.'s postcards hang on walls here and delight us.  God bless you.

I kiss you tenderly and think of you.

Olga.

[Lanie]

Another...

6/19 January 1918

Darling,

I have just received your letter of Dec. 14 and the verse. Although this is an old letter, I nevertheless was very glad and I thank you for it. I do not know whether you receive my letters. This is the sixth since the New Year. I gave Papa the letter from the Institute girls, and he thanks for it. Thank God that everything is in order with you. It was terrible when we had no news from you and we saw in the papers what was going on in your place. Here everything is more or less in order. There are many Red Guards present: one detachment arrived but so far they seem to behave quite decently. We were preparing for the Holy Comreunion during the first week, and even went three times to Church. Now again, night and afternoon masses are celebrated at home. What do you know: Nastya, Trina, Valya and Tat. have been moved to our house and all are kept under lock and key. Here you are. So that our house is now full of partitions, people etco Last days were colder and cloudy, still the sun shows itself before the sunset, just as now, for example, and is pretty warm. Recently the temperature was 21 on the balcony, isn't it good? The snow melts, and it is incredibly muddy in the street and especially in our garden. There is also much water. Life is as before, we all sit on the porch and sun ourselves, we saw wood and split it etc. When sun shines we feel good even if there is nothing to do, but when there is no sun--it is boring. We've had no news from Katia since Christmas. Olya wrote in January, and so did Bibi. I know that they write often, but somehow the letters do not reach us. Baron told Olga Porf are at T. S., each in his own hospital. The poor countess is again in mourning: her father died. Reccntly I received a very nice letter from [...]. This seems to be all I know. Oh yes. A son is born to Iv. Trof. at Yeletz. Eug. Serg. wrote a. letter. We see Isa in the window. Babochka's relatives and [...] have scattered everywhere. His goodmother stays at Petrogr. Everybody sends you regards. I kiss you. God bless you.

Your Olga.

Best wishes to little Chern. and your hosts.

[Sarushka]

Another...

6/19 January 1918

My source (Pered Rasstrelom) lists the date for this one as 4/17 April 1918.

[Lanie]

I might have wrote it out wrong, I have no idea, it was just saved on my computer without the date and I thought that was it.

[Georgiy]

Sarushka's dating sounds more likely as they are fasting for Great Lent.

[Ida]

"How do you like the new spelling?  It appears to me very ugly and foolish."

What is she talking about?

[matushka]

At the begining of 1918, the soviet power made a law about the russian speeling. Some letters of the old alphabet was said not necessary, and people, children at school had to learn the alphabet without them. It was, for example, the "hard sign", some kind of letter at the end of a lot of words, a special form of "i", a special form of "f", which came from the greek alphabet and was used, for example, in the patronym "Feodorovna".
It seams to me that this reform touch also the punctuation, but I am not sure, perhaps will someone correct me and complete this information.
That is Olga is writting about, founding the new speeling quite strange.