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.

D for "Dar Młodzieży" And "Dar Pomorza"

 

"Dar Młodzieży" (Gift of Youth) is a tall ship that belongs to Gdynia Maritime University and serves as the school training ship. It was built in the Gdansk Shipyard and launched in 1981. 

 

"Dar Młodzieży"/ Gift of Youth

In 1982, "Dar Młodzieży" replaced the old "Dar Pomorza" (Gift of Pomerania) in the training service. The latter ship is old indeed. It was built in 1909 in Germany. After WW1, the vessel was taken by Great Britain as part of war reparations and was next brought to France. The tall ship was used there as a seaman's school training ship. 

 

"Dar Pomorza"/Gift of Pomerania

In 1930, it was sold to Poland. Actually, it was bought with the money raised by the inhabitants of Pomerania (that's where the ship's name comes from). Later, rebuilt and supplied with an auxiliary engine, "Dar Pomorza" traveled around the world, with Maritime University students on its deck. When it got too old to serve, the ship was turned into a museum and docked at the Gdynia marina. 

 

On the deck of "Dar Pomorza" - August 2011

 

 

Her sister ship "Dar Młodzieży" docks nearby when she comes back home from her voyages.

 

"Dar Młodzieży"

 

"Dar Młodzieży" - view from the naval craft museum "Błyskawica"*

 

Both tall ships (especially "Dar Pomorza" which has become part of the local landscape) are the icons of Gdynia.

 

If you do not know where the port city of Gdynia is, check out the map of Europe, look for Poland, then the north of the country by the Baltic sea.

* More about the naval craft in another entry of "My Polish Alphabet", later.

"My Polish Alphabet" is about things, people, and places that come to my mind when I think of Poland.

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
  

My Place in Poland

This is the English version of the post created for the holiday project of  "The Polish Ladies Abroad Club". In July and August, bloggers, members of the club, write entries on their favorite spots in Poland.

My place in Poland, the place I like most and which I miss the most is

Gdynia - my city.

Gdynia is situated in northern Poland, by the Baltic Sea. It is quite young, as for a city. It was granted city rights in 1926. Although Gdynia is rather large - it has many newer and older districts - it is the city center which I love most. The center is neither too big nor too small. Just right to me.

Gdynia - City Hall

When in the center, you can easily get on foot to each and every place of this part of the city. Walking along the streets you can visit local stores, shopping centers, bars, fast food places or cafes. If you get too tired to walk, there are trolleybuses which can take you from one side of Gdynia center to the other.

When you are done with shopping, there is Kosciuszko Square - just a few steps from the main street - where you can rest on one of the benches, admire the city fountain and colorful flower beds or go to the nearby marina.

Gdynia means also Polish Navy and Polish Sailors

Kosciuszko Square - Monument to Polish Sailor

 

The Kosciuszko Square wharf is home to the Polish Naval Craft Museum "Błyskawica" (Lightning) and the Maritime Academy sailing ship "Dar Młodzieży" (Gift of Youth).

ORP Blyskawica

 

Dar Mlodziezy

Kosciuszko Square and Sea Towers

When you feel like enjoying a sea adventure, you can board one of the passenger ships and cruise around Gdańsk Bay, Port of Gdynia, go to Gdańsk, Sopot, or (by ferry) to Hel Peninsula.

If you are a "beach person", you can easily reach the city beach by walking through Square Park.

Sunbathing is not your cup of tea? Cross the beach and you will reach the seaside boulevard, which is quite popular with Gdynia citizens.

While visiting the Gdynia center, do not miss its Stone Mountain (Kamienna Góra). Climb it (going up the stairs) or use a lift and you will be rewarded with a view over the city, marina, beach, and port.

Panorama of Gdynia

The park created on the slope of the Mountain is worth mentioning too. In the summer, on Sunday evenings, live music concerts take place there.

The City Aquarium is another tourist (and not only) attraction situated at Kosciuszko Square. Many interesting ocean creatures, including sharks, live in Aquarium tanks.

The Aquarium building (in the background)

Not far from the Aquarium, there is also the Museum of Gdynia (for those ones who are interested in the history of the city) and the Polish Navy Museum.

Engineer Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski was the constructor of Gdynia seaport

Polish Navy Museum exposition

 

Gdynia is a really interesting city, well taken care of by its Council. All year round, numerous cultural and educational events (including entertainment) are organized here. There is always something interesting to see or/and attend: festivals, exhibitions, music concerts, sports tournaments, tall ship races, and many others.

 

On St. John's Day (June 21) a merry parade marches along the main center street (St. John's Street).

Maritime Academy representatives

Polish Navy Orchestra (plays best)

And there is also quite a different day and quite a different procession... 

... Corpus Christi celebrations in Gdynia

Gdynia has its wooden pier too, you will not find it in the city center, though. 

Gdynia Orłowo - view from the pier

Besides it all, I miss the sea breeze, and the wind from the sea, which makes the air fresh and pleasant on heat days.

The beach is beautiful not only in the summer...

Although there are many beautiful places in the world, Gdynia will always be one of the most beautiful ones to me. Why? The answer is simple: Because it is 'my' Gdynia.