Hell, the Sandbank

An approximately 3 meter high stack of boulders has formed an artistic marker on the Hel Peninsula since 2013. The “Kashubian Hill” in Hel marks the symbolic beginning of Poland here in the north.

I had to admit that I didn't know anything about Hel before my trip. The Bay of Danzig, yes, I'm familiar with that, but not Hel. Well. Maybe it's simply because the military has been present here at the western end of the peninsula of the same name since the 1940s and had established its own facilities here. This meant that this area was a restricted area and little was reported about it.

Remnants of military use can still be found here in the forest and near the beach, but they are unspectacular and very weathered. However, I realized again that we in Europe still have a lot of scars in our collective consciousness. In some cases pus has formed again; a big old wound has opened in Ukraine; 'Burn gangrene' is my diagnosis. There is no expert treatment in sight.

But back to the trip: Hel is really a gem with its bright, wide and long sandy beach on the Baltic Sea side. The other side of the peninsula towards Putziger Wiek [part of the Bay of Gdańsk] is not quite my favorite. The place itself is characterized by tourism, with locals in particular vacationing here. Those who have rent rooms; Fortunately, there are very few large hotels

The journey was a bit tiring. In particular the journey through the industrial and suburban belt around Gdansk. But Hildegard also managed that with flying colors and I now have better skills in stop-and-go traffic. Now she is standing in the courtyard of the accommodation with the chain already greased and waiting for the journey to continue.

In the meantime, I planned a day's beach vacation and today I was even able to swim in the Baltic Sea, which was around 20°C warm.

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