H for Hel and Hel Peninsula

H is for Hel and Hel Peninsula (in "My Polish Alphabet"). They are situated in the very north of Poland. 

(1)

Hel used to be a fisherman's village. These days, especially in the summer, the place is popular with tourists, amateurs of fresh fish, and sunbathing on the sandy beaches facing the open Baltic Sea.
During storms, the peninsula is often severely flooded by the sea waters, which temporarily turn it into an island.  

headland of Hel Peninsula (2)

 

The name of the place, "Hel" may make you think about those hellish type weather conditions. Considering etymology, it is related to the word "Valhalla" (Norse mythology).

Hel Peninsula - air view (3)

From the mainland, you can get to Hel by a small cruiser or by train. However, boats tend to be chosen more often. In the summertime, we did go there from time to time. I am not much of a beach-type person, but fried fish meals at local food places were quite enjoyable. On the other hand, I did not fancy the summer crowds of tourists there. Once, when we were coming back home by the last boat scheduled on that day, the ship was so overcrowded that its immersion was deeper than usual. The seawater was shaking the cruiser from one side to another. It all was a bit scary but we safely got to the harbor.

In 1938, my Grandfather was stationed there with his Military Gendarmerie unit (MP equivalent). Shortly before WW2 started in September 1939, he was transferred to the Gdynia city war port area, and his family (including my Mom) moved there from Hel as well. 

Photo taken in Hel, 1938 - Mom, with her parents and sister

In the above photo, you can see the Hel pier in the background. The picture was taken when Mom and her family were waiting for the arrival of a state/military official, his wife, and his entourage. Possibly, the state man was admiral Józef Unrug, but Mom cannot recall who exactly it was. Mom remembers, though that he wife of the official put candies into the pockets of her dress.

I have colorized and enhanced the copy of the original photo using the online MyHeritage tools. Its quality improved, but the colors are not completely true to life, close enough, though. The girls' vests were really red and their dresses (made by their Mom Irena) had red cherries on the white background.

 

More about Grandpa Józef and what happened to him after the war started in another post here.

More posts about Grandma Irena here and here.

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

 

Sources:

1. Map of Poland - By Qqerim - own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3835854

2. By Jg44.89 - Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84888904

3. By Martin Hoffmann - Own work (Original text: self made), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57112944

DIY: Joy of Sewing And Clothes Making

My mum used to make clothes for us. She was not a tailor and she had not taken any tailoring courses. She just learned everything on her own. She had an old Singer's sewing machine which she had received from her mother. Grandma was not a tailor either but she was also a very creative and resourceful lady: during WWII, when shoes were not available in stores, she learned how to make shoes and made them for her children. She could make clothes too.

Mum with her mum

 Anyway, the machine was very good - you could sew anything and everything with it - from a leather school bag and shoes to a thin silky blouse. And mum made us wonderful clothes - all kinds: trousers and jackets, dresses and vests. In the evenings and late in the night she sewed, no matter how tired she was after a work day in the office and doing all the home chores after work. I loved the pieces of clothing she created for me!

When sewing and tailoring magazines appeared in the newspaper kiosks, she also used some of the patterns included in those magazines, to make all kind of fashionable pieces of clothing for us and herself. I especially liked Burda magazine trends, and later, I was also buying it myself.
At some point, I thought that making my own clothes could be fun. After all the years of watching mum while she was sewing, I decided I was ready - bought myself a sewing machine and started my home sewing 'career'. Mum helped me of course, especially at the beginning: I always had problems with fitting the sleeves in a blouse or a jacket, so she sometimes did that for me. Dealing with a lining was not my favorite part either. I simply found finishing the inner, lining part boring. Maybe because the lining is something which is usually not really seen when you wear eg. a jacket.

My sewing was not that kind of masterpiece work which mum did but I enjoyed it although it was a very time-consuming activity. Yes, making a piece of clothing takes rather a lot of time. But I did manage to create quite a few things including shirts, jackets, hats, skirts and dresses. I also learned that little details, for example, buttons, make a difference. It is enough to sew on new, colorful or nicely shaped buttons or a more interesting zipper to change the look of a boring dress or shirt.

The hat made by myself

These days I do not make my own clothes anymore but, thanks to my past sewing experiences, I know what to do with a needle and threads when something needs fixing. From time to time I improve a dress or some other items: shorten or narrow something. However, with no sewing machine and doing everything by hand (when I was moving I had to leave the machine at mum's), completing a simple project lasts ages. That is why I hardly ever sew nowadays.

Some of the clothes I have made.