Free The Diary of Olga Romanov by Helen Azar

were a lot of people in the streets, some crowding around the motors, in other words—everything as it shouldbe. We went to the chapel where the Mother of God appeared in the oven and to 2 infirmaries…. There was a good amount of people at the station and trumpeters from Reserve regiments. They played the Ulan march and some waltz since we did not leave for a long time. They had to haul both motors into the train. Both bishops were there of course…they even climbed into the train and we hugged again. Your cavalry officer Nakashidze was there too. Remember him from Blagoveshensky hosp.[ital] with a serious head wound? I forgot to say that we also went to the orphanage for refugee boys, and they brought [more] from another one—the girls. On the train sat in little ones' car with Kolesnikov. Well, that's all.
May God keep you.
I kiss you affectionately, my Papa, my jewel.
Your Plastun . 49
    —
    Wednesday. 30th December.
    Mitya had a physical, later he came back and almost the entire time we sat together, played checkers and did just plain nothing. He is so good, Lord knows…. Grandma had breakfast. At 2 o'clock saw darling Papa off with Mama. So sad. From there to Znamenie . At 3 o'clock to a Christmas party at the House of Invalids. Later we 2 rode around in a troika with Isa. Had dinner with Mama in the playroom. In the evening talked with Mitya. Unexpectedly he received instructions to go to the Caucusus for about two days. So sad. Early to bed, have a head cold.
----
    1 . Vladimir Kiknadze: “K” of the 3rd Regiment of his Imperial Majesty. A Georgian and favorite of Grand Duchess Tatiana.
    2 . A code Olga uses throughout the diaries to refer to one of her crushes.
    3 . Chapel in the cellar of Feodorovsky Cathedral.
    4 . Baroness Sophie Buxhoeveden (1884–1956), lady-in-waiting to Alexandra.
    5 . Tatiana Konstantinovna, KR's daughter and Olga's cousin.
    6 . KR's daughter-in-law.
    7 . Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich (1879–1956), son of Grand Duke Vladimir.
    8 . Written in code or shorthand, which Olga does in her diary occasionally, presumably for privacy. Antonina Voronskaya has decoded this text to read: [He?] felt sick, and so ashamed, [I] cannot look anyone in the eyes and himself.
    9 . Olga and her three sisters.
    10 . A game.
    11 . Female religious pilgrim.
    12 . Crimean villa of one of the grand dukes.
    13 . Anastasia's nickname, meaning “the imp” in German.
    14 . Georgian Princess Sonia Orbeliani, friend of the imperial family.
    15 . Horse-drawn vehicle.
    16 . Marie was happy to see her crush Nikolai Dmitrievich Demenkov.
    17 . A derogatory term for a Jewish person. Olga was a product of her environment, and contemporary Russia was extremely anti-Semitic, especially in aristocratic circles.
    18 . Nicholas's valet, who was killed with the family in Ekaterinburg.
    19 . The name day is the feast day of one's namesake saint.
    20 . Admiral N. O. von Essen, the Russian Baltic fleet commander, died in May 1915 from pneumonia.
    21 . Olga is referring to an unknown, unrelated incident here.
    22 . From Yerevan.
    23 . From Nizhny Novgorod.
    24 . Feld-yeger literally means field huntsman.
    25 . Officers from Yerevan, Georgia.
    26 . Valentina Ivanova Chebotareva was a fellow nurse at the royal infirmary and friend to the grand duchesses.
    27 . Dmitri Shakh-Bagov, ensign of His Majesty's Guard's Yerevan 13th Guards Grenadier.
    28 . Nicholas recently appointed himself commander-in-chief of the army instead of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich.
    29 . Father/priest.
    30 . Margarita Khitrovo (1895–1952), lady-in-waiting and friend of Olga.
    31 . Countess Olga Paley, morganatic wife of Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich and mother of Prince Vladimir Paley.
    32 . Prince Vladimir Pavlovich Paley (1897–1918), son of Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich and his morganatic wife Olga Paley and first cousin to Nicholas II.
    33 . Movie projector.
    34 . Rasputin's wife, Paraskovia, and daughters Varvara (Varya) and Maria (Matriona).
    35