Fort Mandan (LSD 21) - Naval Cruise Book

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MALAGA, SPAIN He awakes at morning in a foreign land, he draws his breath in labor in the wool-soft air of Europe: the wool-gray air is all about him like a living substance ... Although the bull sometimes wins, he is more often the loser in the Spanish National sport of bullfight- ing. This Toro was one of the largest ever killed in Malaga. THOMAS WOLFE ' Twas in a little Spanish town that we first breathed the wool soft air of Europe. We anchored at Malaga and went ashore for our first liberty since departing Little Creek, and for three days built ou r castles in Spain. We missed the bullfight by two days, but took in the simple, picturesque landscape, the wine, and the senoritas. For some of us, the glories of Granada lived again as we marveled at the beauty and magnificence of the Alhambra, the pastoral calm of the olive orchards, the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas, and the colorful display of wandering gypsies. Malaga itself was a resort town, small but scenic. To the rear of the town, the mountains of Malaga stretched up and blended into blue sky and white clouds. Before it lay the expanse of the Mediterranean Sea. At night we rode in horse-drawn carriages, frequented wine cellers, chatted with Spanish people, and simply walked, absorbing all anew ex- perience had to offer. When we pulled into town the picturesque boulevards in Malaga were lined not only with trees, but with sailors too. The old Cathedral of Malaga, graced with a fountain at th e main entrance, provided a source of beauty. The Spanish carbinarri and traffic policemen are frequent sights around the square, and through- out town.

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ATLANTIC OCEAN Now and then we ran across other ships out in the middle of the Atlantic . . . But our alert lookouts were always there to spot them . . Nothing like a coffee break and bull session to break the monotony and help pass the hours . . We had to eat too--and the delicate preparation of our food was performed by master chefs . . . Say, who ' s that following us? Now and then we played games within our own squadron. Finally came the glorious day when, after two weeks of steaming, we pulled into our first port and rigged the gangway.

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GRANADA Sailors photographed sailors in the shutter- bug scramble to capture the beauty of the hills of Granada and the Alhambra palace. The Moorish architecture of the Alham- bra was breath-taking, as witnessed by this shot of one of the many courts there. 1 21 M m s . mm- 3 We encountered several Spanish gypsies in Granada who peddled castanets, told for- tunes, and asked for American cigarettes. In the Cathedral of Granada are the embellished tombs of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who backed Christ- opher Columbus.