Charles S Sperry (DD 697) - Naval Cruise Book

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People-lo-people in Naples Downtown Naples and Yacht Basin The Sperry enters Naples Bay with awnings rigged aft to praieci her from the'hol Mecliierranean sun.

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Tours were popular Naples Harbor with Vesuvius an background Naples The coast of Italy rose l1ke an oas1s out of the desert Our at sea perrod had been educatxonal but everyone was lookmg forward eagerly to reachmg Naples For many th1s was the f1rst t1me ever rn Europe and qurte a feelmg of excrtement was rn the a1r And here rt was at last the Romantlc Napol1 whose h1sto1y IS steeped 1n glory Once a center of Greek culture and afavor1te of the Roman emporers Naples today IS the second largest port and the thxrd largest c1ty rn Italy The Headquarters of the Commander m Chlef Allred Forces Southern Europe IS located just outs1de of Naples There was so much to see 1n Naples and the area around It that no one could have possrbly seen everythmg In the c1ty ltselfwasthefamous Castel St Elmo Vrrgtl s Tomb and the San Carlo Opera house where the great Mano Lanza once sang Located Just outs1de of the c1ty are the rums of the great ancrent Clty of Pompeu ly1ng 1n the shadow of magn1f1cent Mount Vesuvuls the rnstrument of her destructlon A thrtllmg cable car rrde to the top of th1s seml actrve volcano provrded a breath takmg vrew of Naples and 1ts harbor as well as many more m1les of the Italran coasthne The lovely httle Isle of Capr1 Wl11Cl1l1CSJllSt off the coast of Italy was also an attractxon to Spervjz men Thls lsland famous for ltS beautlful beaches and scenery IS also the home of the fabulous Blue Grotto And then of course there was Rome wluch really needs no explanatron Several Spewymen and M1dsh1pmen took the two day tour of Rome wh1ch was offered and saw perhaps the most beautlful c1ty rn all the world The s1tes of Eternal C1ty are well known but new to us and all 1n all th1s tour proved to be a most unforgettable adventure In add1t1on there were many fme restaurants 111 Naples wh1ch served a wxde var1ety of foods Some of the more popular ones were Sartu Przze e calzom zuppa dl pesce and of course spaghettr As the Sperry left sunny Naples all agreed that the cru1se was certalnly off to a flyxng start 'S '1 'V . ,'f.f..a. 4 .Lt ' .-4,2 be ff? ,A , - 1 .Ip- nflf f, '.lL,,z. 'J' I -,n ,rll I , '- VII V' ' Hug., - ,t ,- ,v'l In 1' ,- ,IW , ,f I I 1 ,'- ,sen - f , . 1 - a , . . . . . .a - - 9 7 s 1 , . a 7 ' ' 1 a : - ' ' a 5 , . 7 7 9 a ' 1 ' -

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ug , J N Ji A . Barcelona as seen from the bridge. B One of the many famous fountains The city of Barcelona, Spain is one ofthe favorite ports of the fleet in the Mediterranean. Barcelona offers something for everyone. This beautiful city which appears peaceful and restive to Americans is actually the most prosperous and industrial in all Spain with a growing population of over IVQ mil- lion. Immediately conspicuous as one enters the harbor is the statue of Christopher Columbus, point- ing the way to the New World, for, it was to Barcelona that Columbus returned in 1492 where he was met by Queen Isabella. Sperrymen who thought that they could speak a little Spanish soon discovered that the predominant language was not Spanish but a dialect called Castilian. Most of the people, however, are at least bi- lingual, and this proved to be no problem. Probably the most striking thing aboutthe city was the sharp contrast between the broad boulevards of the new cityQprincipally the Ramblasj and the narrow, winding streets of the old quarter. In some areas large fountains, rerniniscient of the Eternal City were found. Beautiful churches, quaint shops, and stunning examples of Spanish architecture abounded. It was, of course, impossible for everyone to see everything, but Sperrymen did take advantage of tours of the city of Barcelona, as well as a three day tour to Madrid, and a one day tour to Mont- serrat, the site of one of the world's most famous monasteries. The Patricia Kay underway The Christopher Columbus monument