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
I love birch trees and blueberries! Both grow in Washington state, where I lived for 21 years. And I am looking forward to someday experiencing a Baltic Sea beach.
ReplyDeleteWell, at least we can buy blueberries here. The nicest beaches are the ones by the open-sea, but they are usually rather crowded in the summer. The ones by the Baltic Bay are OK too, but they are smaller.
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