Leyte (CV 32) - Naval Cruise Book

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VATICAN CITY WE WERE fortunate to be in Rome at the commencement of the Holy Year. One group saw the Pope open the Holy Door of St. Peter ' s, while others had a private audience. A FULL morning was spent in seeing the spacious Vatican Art Gallery and Museum as well as the in- terior of St. Peter ' s. Michelangelo ' s paintings on the walls and ceiling of the Sistine Chapel left our necks cramped but our minds elevated. 9 ' 0? ' w At the entrance to the Vatican Museum we were plagued by peddlers St. Peter ' s mighty dome— 403 feet high. Interior of St. Peter ' s— longest Cathedral in the world (even longer than the LEYTE). St. Peter ' s Square, where 300,000 people gathered Christmas Eve.

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THE REMNANT OF THE ONCE MIGHTY ROMAN EMPIRE T OME has the most fascinating history of all • - cities. For over one thousand years, Rome was the undisputed mistress of the known world; for almost two thousand years, the seat of the Catholic Church; and since 1870 the Capital of Italy. In Rome we found everything— traces of the Pagan civilization, the foundations of Christianity, the Art of the Renaissance, and Monuments of the recent past. Arch of Constantine, commemorating the vic- tory granted the Roman Emperor which convert- ed him and Rome to Christianity »i- Coliseum— 60,000 capac- ity arena where gladia- tors and beasts met in battle Italian National Monu- ment and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. iHfc . i tf ? Gate of St. Paul, part of the Old Wall of Rome. Ruins of the Forum. Cicero made famous orations here. On Ides of March, Caesar met his violent death.

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ORAN AND MERS-EL-KEBIR ALGERIA AFTER leaving Naples we operated for four days and arrived in Mers-el-Kebir on the 7th of January. The ship was moored to the long jetty there and eventually we had bus service right from the gangway to Oran. Although the weather was good most of the time, a strong north wind had waves breaking over the sea wall one day. It was pleasant to get back to a town with French atmosphere, and most of us enjoyed French cooking again. Prices were reasonable in most places. We all bought at least one fez and played Arab for awhile. We spent the French francs we had left over from the Riviera and, in general, had a very good time. In nearby Sidi bel Abbes, the French Foreign Legion had its headquarters so a large number of us made the trip and had a very interesting after- noon. The guides were very helpful and showed us around the place in fine fashion. The focal point of interest was the Legion Museum with its Trophy Room where we could see visible evidence of the many campaigns in which the Legion had partaken. 111 mm imiM - A French Transport with replacement troops, moored just ahead of us. Other sights of interest were the Cathedral of St. Joan of Arc, the Arab sections, and the long tun- nel cut through the mountain between Oran and Mers-el-Kebir. Although we had a very enjoyable time in Oran, the end of the cruise was in sight, and we were all very happy to head toward Gibraltar for the last stop on the way home. The native girls were a little bashful.