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