My Polish Alphabet: N for Navy

Since I lived by the sea for a few decades, the Navy is the military formation which has always been closet to my heart.

The uniforms of the Polish Navy are always of the navy blue color + black shoes, not white as in the US.

During various kind of the Polish Armed Forces parades it was the "sailors" units that caught my attention the most. 

I was so very used to their presence in the area where I lived, and the sight of a Navy officer and/or a regular Navy service person was quite a frequent and usual experience, part of life at the seashore. You could see those men and women on the city streets and on TV all the time.

There is Naval Academy in my home city in Poland. The academy is over 100 years old. Its motto is "Amor patriae suprema lex"/ "Love of the fatherland is the supreme law". 

Another thing is the patriotic part. On All Saint's Day, we always lit lanterns at the monument dedicated to defenders the Polish coast at the WW2 time. It is a pity I do not have a photo of that monument taken on November 1. It was always surrounded by the light of dozens of lanterns.

Monument to the Polish Sailor in Kosciuszki Square, Gdynia

The monument dedicated to the Polish Sailor is a location where patriotic ceremonies take place at various occasions including the Polish Army Day on 15th August.

When I was younger, everybody who lived in our region, knew the song "Sea, our sea" know also as "Although each of us is young". It was the school song of quite a few elementaries but not only. The song was commonly sang by scouts among others. It is one of the tunes played most often by the Polish Naval Forces Representative Orchestra.

The song was written in the 1920s/30s by captain Adam Kowalski at the beginnings of the Polish Navy and the naval port/ city of Gdynia.

Loose translation of the first part of the  song main part:

Although each of us is young, we are called old salty seadogs.

We, the guardians of Polish waters, Polish sailors we are.

Ref. Sea, our sea, we will guard you faithfully.

We have orders to hold you, or at the bottom, at your bottom fall,

or at the bottom with honor fall.

No force, no storm, will take Gdynia from us.

Our fleet, though not big, faithfully guards the port gates.

Sea, our sea, we will guard you faithfully.

We have orders to hold you, or at the bottom, at your bottom fall,

or at the bottom with honor fall.

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Photos taken at the Naval Academy and Kosciuszki Square in Gdynia (2008).

UPDATE

Looking through my old files I have found the photos of the monument to the Defenders of the Coast fallen in 1939.

All Saints' Day. The later during the day it was and more people were coming to the cemetery, the more lanterns were lit

Other posts related to this topic:

"B" for Bosun

"D" for Dar Młodzieży and Dar Pomorza

"L" for Lonely Frigate

"My place in Poland"

"G" for Gdynia

"H" for Hel and Hel Peninsula

"O" for ORP Orzeł

"S" for Seagulls

and more in "My Polish Alphabet".

S for Sioux

Sioux in Poland? It was a restaurant chain and one of its places used to operate in the city where I lived. The food was great there. The menu included a variety of different types of dishes, however, its main part was the Pol-Mex meals. Pol-Mex = meaning Mexican food made in a Polish way. 

The names on the menu were typical for the Mexican type of food, but they had not much in common with the Tex-Mex cooking, besides the ingredients. As I said, it was all delicious.

Another thing that I liked there was the interior. The restaurant had two floors, with western-like furniture, lamps and other decorations. Booths that looked like wagons were downstairs and saloon-type furniture upstairs. The walls were decorated with murals and photograph of Native Americans. 

The restaurant waiters were friendly and helpful. It was a really nice place to be regarding all sorts of meetings, and simply to have good and not too expensive food.

There was another Sioux place in a nearby city, Sopot. The menu offer was equally tasty there, but the restaurant was much smaller than our favorite spot in Gdynia.

 

The chain headquarters used to be in Poznań, a city in central Poland. More than a decade ago, my mom and I happened to visit Poznań. Then, we also went to their local Sioux place. To our great disappointment, their food was awful. You could think it should have been the opposite, considering the fact that the chain executives were so close. Well, maybe that was a sign that something wrong was going on and that was why the chain did not last.

When we came back to Poland, regrettably, we learned that our favorite Sioux place in Gdynia (+ most of them in the country) had been closed.

 

 
PS

Google says that the restaurant still operates in only two cities in Poland.

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

O for ORP Orzeł

 

I mean the Polish submarine "Orzeł" ("Eagle") that was built in 1936/commissioned in 1939 and proudly served in the Polish Navy during WWII. My Grandma's cousin was one of the crew members on the vessel. Unfortunately, my Mom cannot recall his name.

 

In June 1940, the submarine did not return to its base. The circumstances of its disappearance are not clear. Probably, it was hit by a sea mine, or struck by an aircraft. Anyhow, "Orzeł" was lost at sea, and all its crew perished.

After WWII, several expeditions were organized to find the submarine or its remains. 

 

 

I think it will be found. I had a dream in which I attended an event celebrating the find. A local women's choir sang there. The women were wearing long dresses with long aprons on them. I could hear a man's voice announcing that the pieces of the submarine were found 300/400 meters under the sea surface level, near the defensive ramparts of Finland. The vessel was buried in a hole in the sea bottom, covered by sand. The announcement was not in Polish, though. I am not sure why.

 

 

 

The submarine you can see in the photos was built in Riga in 1986. It is the third "Orzeł" submarine that has served in the Polish Navy. 

 

 

The photographs were taken during the send-off event celebrating another ORP "Orzeł" search expedition (Balexmetal 2008).

 

Inside the expedition ship

 

Research equipment

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

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 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.