G for Gdynia

G in "My Polish Alphabet" is for a couple of places.

No. 1 is

Kosciuszko Square

Gdynia, a port city built in the early 1920s, situated in the north of Poland, by the Baltic Sea. It was granted city rights on 10 February 1926. 

Monument to Joseph Conrad

 

Since then, it got larger and larger, but the heart of it is still the old center, with its modernist buildings, the harbor, marina, and a sandy beach. The air is lovely there.

In the heart of Gdynia

 

When I was little, my mom took me to the beach on Saturday mornings. I tended to spend hours playing in the sea waters. 

Baltic Sea - view from the beach

 

Later, when I got older, I turned out to be not a beach-type person at all but I always enjoyed the relaxing walks along the seashore and on the city boulevard.

Monument to Displaced Citizens of Gdynia.

During WW2, by the Nazi order, a big number (about 50 000) of Gdynia inhabitants were forced to leave their homes/the city to make space for the new "settlers".

Monument to Gdynia Scouts

The scouts and other citizens of Gdynia fought for the freedom of their city/country during WW2.

More photos and a few more words about Gdynia in an older post here.

St. John's Day Parade in Gdynia

 

Check out other entries in "My Polish Alphabet" - here.

L for Lonely Frigate

 

Since I used to live by the Baltic Sea, quite a few entries of "My Polish Alphabet" in one way or another  are related to the sea.

"Lonely Frigate" ("Samotna Fregata") is one of those traditional songs that were known and sung by many Poles despite the fact, that it was not played on the radio or TV. Well, at least not in my time. The tune, which is rather sad, was quite popular where I lived. Combined with the lyrics, it has sometimes made me teary a bit. 

For so many years, I had no clue who the authors of the song were. I guess it is never too late to learn something. While preparing this post, I found out that the lyrics had been written by Konrad Łapin, a Polish poet who lived by the sea. Henryk Hubertus Jabłoński, a Polish composer of Gdańsk, wrote the music of  "Lonely Frigate" (and many other songs well).

Here is the song.

My translation of the text:

In a faraway port, somewhere at the end of the world,
Where a dead wave hits the shore,
A lonely frigate, for long years,
Has been waiting for something at the mouth of two rivers.

The rivers fall into one sea,
But a current carries them in two directions,
The frigate waits, though she might want to
Pick up the anchor and sail away.

In a faraway port, somewhere at the end of the world,
Where a dead wave hits the shore,
A girl lives who, for long years,
Has been waiting for someone at the mouth of two rivers.

The rivers fall into one sea, but a current carries them in two directions.
The girls has been waiting,
Though she might want to leave everything and sail away.

But the anchors hold too tight,
Two rivers have been flowing in both directions for years,
On the water only, at the northern lights,
A snow-like flower floats away.

And this is how the fate of the girl
Intertwines somehow with the fate of the frigate
That has been standing for years.
At a faraway harbor, somewhere at the end of the world,
Where only the wind sings carelessly.

An instrumental version of the song is included below. I have no clue why the lady is kneeling in the water (a mermaid ?). The music is nice, though.

My Polish Alphabet - B - Part 1

In "My Polish Alphabet" B is for a few things. If you have not read its previous entries, the Alphabet is about things, people and places which come to my mind when I think about Poland.

 

B for Birches

Birch trees are a common element of the landscape in Poland and that part of Europe. Well, you do not see it in Texas, though due to the climate difference, of course. Birches are said to emit positive energy of healing properties. The energy, bringing calmness and relaxation (among others) is believed to be beneficial for humans. That is why (according to dendrotherapy), hugging those trees and being around them is supposed to be good for our health. Birch syrup derived from the tree trunk, birch leaves, and its petals contains various micro-elements and is used in herbal medicine.  Moreover, birches are just pretty trees with their slim trunks covered with white bark and light green leaves on the branches.

B for Berries/ Blueberries

I remember picking them when we happened to be in a forest when I was little. There were quite a lot of woods with deciduous trees where we lived, so it was not uncommon to visit /walk in such an area. Sometimes it was raspberries as well - they went straight from a bush into our mouths.

In the summertime, you can buy all kinds of fresh berries at greengrocer's or at the local market fruit and vegetable stalls. My favorite summer dishes made by mom were blueberry soup served with diced cream of wheat and blueberry dumplings (stuffed with blueberries) served with cream and sugar.

B for Baltic Sea and Baltic Sea Beaches

Ages ago, on the summer weekends, mom made sandwiches, packed them with a bottle of syrup and towels in a bag, and we walked to the beach. As a few-year-old kid, I enjoyed spending half a day playing in the waters of the Baltic Bay. Later, in the evening, my burning and red arms usually reminded me about the beach time. Mom treated my burned skin with buttermilk. The cold layer of milk brought relief. later in my life, I visited the beach also on my own. Although as time passed by, I (meaning my skin and I) enjoyed sunbathing less and less. It was always nice to walk barefoot along the sandy seashore.

 

However, that was not what I liked most about living by the sea. 

It was the salty smell of the breeze coming from the Baltic, refreshing the air not only on a hot summer day. On the other hand, in the wintertime, the sea brought dampness and chilly gust which made the "feels like" air temperature lower than the thermometer was showing.

No matter what the weather was, besides the storm, of course, the sea boulevard was the place to stroll. The sound of the waves hitting the stone boulevard barrier and the calm waters of the Baltic made the walk relaxing. The ships standing somewhere far at the distant horizon were a pleasant view as well.

 

The second part of the B entry soon on the blog.

Credits: 

• Photo of Birch Trees - Dalee Despain, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
• Photo of Blueberries - Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons