Baltimore (CA 68) - Naval Cruise Book

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Our return to the French Riviera found us in St. Jean, a small and exclusive summer resort, dotted Wth private chateaus and viUas. The water was crystal clear - with several nearby beaches. The water mask and breathing snorkel made their greatest bids for popularity here, with paddle boats running a close second (largely because you could go out near the ship in them and kid the men who hadn ' s rated liberty that day). A few hardy soids even got as far as water skiing. With Beaulieu and Villafranche on either side of us, and Nice undergoing Texas Week on the Riviera) only a 20-minute bus trip away, the lack of whoopee in St. Jean was more than compensated for; Bastille Day brought fire- works, street dancing, and La Marseillaise right to the fleet landing, and gave us a rousing send-off from this picturesque little town. ST. JEAN AND BEAULIEU i(

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up, up and over the i Libertv hounds. Arm? off the gunwales. 4 v

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1 aK W S PARIS Her wonders fabled in song and story, Paris held tor those lucky enough to make the tour all the excitement of a childhood Christmas. The some- thing that drew thousands to see her every year and made other thousands welcome captives was about to be discovered by the Navy. A train ride through the midlands and chateau regions of the Rhone Valley terminated in those first iews of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, the Champs Elysees - places as well known throughout the world as Main Street and Park Avenue. Our tours took us to Napoleon ' s tomb ; Versailles - with its famous Hall of Mirrors ; the Lou Te - where we caught a fleeting glimpse of Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, and Notre Dame with its famous rose window . Afternoons were full of half bottles of chilled wine at the outdoor cafes that lined every street. The big evening event was, of course, the great and extravagant Folies Bergeres - with amazingly overdressed scenery and underdressed performers. Those able to find their way on their own might have ended up in the dives of Pigalle, the plush splendor of the Bal Tabarin, the artists ' colonies of the left bank, or the cosmopoUtan atmo- sphere of the Ritz bar or Maxim ' s. The Navy wallet - tliin at best - was considerably pared down in the shops along the Rue St. Honore, where the latest in Paris style could be had at exorbitant prices. But Paris - even with the frustration of a mere two days there - worked its wonders on the Navy, sending them back to the ship full of the gaiety and excitement of the most wonderdul city in the world. bailors reBect in Hall of Mirrors.