Columbus (CA 74) - Naval Cruise Book

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Steps Leading Into the Acropolis Med. Located on one of the main streets of the city, it pro- vided ample room for the large fleet present and there was music and dancing every night in addition to free chow. A good port or the tourist sailor, and the Good-time Charlie was Athens, Greece. Birthday at Athens Ancient Theater

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GREECE f you ' re an average sailor, you ' ll quickly remember that In Athens, Greece, there was a USO that gave away food and drinks free. What you probably won ' t remember Is the name of the nearby hill on top of which are a lot of broken- down stone buildings. But if you remember or not, Athens Is a city whose history dates back more than 3600 years. Naturally, therefore, the main points of interest are ancient ruins and the like. The Acropolis , the hill just mentioned, was a place of worship in the days before Christ. The Greeks erected temples there to the various gods in the magnificent 5th century B.C. Time has dealt hard with the Acropolis but man has dealt worse. Over the ages he has used it as a handy quarry, breaking up its statues and reliefs for stone to build new walls, hie stored gunpowder in some of the temples, Including the Parthenon, and it blew up. Later, when man ' s respect for the Acropolis returned, he carted off some of its finest sculptures to the museums of Europe in sheer artistic greed. But the attrition is done, and a great bulk of the works on the Acropolis survive, still radiant with bygone perfection. The country is chiefly an agricultural one, with little manufacturing. With American aid, however, industrial output last year was almost 20 percent better than the prewar level. Agricultural production has surpassed former output also. Greece rejected a surrender ultimatum from Italy in October 1940, and when attacked she threw the Italians back into Albania. Nazi support resulted in the defeat and occupation of the country by Germans, Italians and Bulgarians. By the end of 1944, the Invaders withdrew. At the war ' s end, Communists tried to seize power and civil war resulted. This brought help from the Marshall Plan and a special investigation by the U.N. ECA help stimulated economic recovery and civil strife was proclaimed at an end on 16 October 1949. The crew was to have manned the rail for a visit on board of King Paul and Queen Frederika during our stay there but choppy seas forced a can- cellation. One of the American Express tours, how- ever, gave a few sailors a glimpse of the Royal Palace at any rate. The USO canteen, which was mentioned ear- lier, was one of the better ones encountered in the General View of the Acropolis

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BEIRUT, LEBANON ' Lebanon is practically a brand new country, having celebrated its ninth anniversary of Independence from French rule just a week before we arrived on 26 November. Stopping in Beirut with the COLUMBUS was only the carrier ROOSEVELT and two cans ' , but still there were plenty of swabbles in the city and the USO canteen was crowded to capacity every night. Many Americans living in the city invited sailors to their homes also and these proposals were invariably accepted eagerly. Beirut was a good town for sightseeing, for It is a crossroads for air routes and old caravan routes. It holds a fair sample of the whole Arab world, together with the best of the new world, showing mingled influence of Arabs. Turks. French, British, and — as a glance at the autos choking the city will prove — Americans The ancient ruins of Baalbek, about an hour ' s ride from the city provided one of the best sights for the sailors who usua ly took the one-day tours in every port. Not only did that town contain the greatest and most photogenic Roman temple ruins in the Middle East, but the tour also Included a trip across Mt. Lebanon and Into the great inland Bekaa valley between Lebanon and Syria — a really unforgettable trip through the most picturesque region of all the Arab countries. In downtown Beirut, probably the most familiar spot was al-Borj, which is a long, narrow square with large and impressive palm trees waving overhead. But other sections that many sailors found of interest Included the gold market, a wide street flanked on either side with dealers in gold coins and jewelry. Much of the jewelry Is also made there. In addition, the big, open air fruit, vegetable and poultry market off Parliament Square was an Intriguing spot to see. The co-educatlonal American Uni- versity, which has been of importance in the Middle East since the li sponsored a dance and social hour for the fleet several afternoons during the visit. This gave the men a rare opportu- nity to meet some fellow Americans, thousands of miles from home. Although perhaps not the best port we visited, Beirut proved to be above average for the purposes of liberty and recreation. And Abe, vy else should ve go dere? Town Clock