Columbus (CA 74) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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FRANCE prance, the land of beautiful women and wonderful wine, once more opened its hearts and homes to the sailors of the COLUMBUS when the ship visited Toulon and old, familiar Villefranche on this cruise. We were In Toulon from 11-15 December and then went on to Vllle for the holidays from 19 December to 5 January. As on previous visits to Ville, many found their way to Nice for liberty, the perfume factory for bargains, and Monte Carlo for sightseeing and picture taking. While in Toulon there was little in the way of recreation, since the port seemed to compare on a small scale to Norfolk as a sailor ' s town. The visits to the French battleship RIChlELIEU for dinner and supper each day did a great deal for morale, however. The people of Villefranche and the Riviera sector did their best to make our Christmas and New Year celebrations a happy occasion. Most of the night spots and many of the shops were decorated and in at least one Nice store there was a St. Nicholas on hand in person. A large group of French children were entertained on board at a Christmas party, where they watched movies, enjoyed dinner and received a small gift. Ville is a small but rather attractive town, rising in terraces along the rocky shore. The old town with staircase streets and dark archways is typical of the 18th century seaports. The harbor is one of the best between Marseilles and Genoa. Situated some three or four miles from Nice, Villefranche is provided with frequent service by electric tramways and buses. Nearby Nice, a city of a little more than 200,000 is a playground for European and American vacationers during the summer. Located on the beautiful Riviera as it is, the city makes an ideal resort. The surrounding area has many beautiful regions to be explored. A continuous series of tramways follows the coast from Nice to Mentone, the most beautiful part of the French Riviera. The Grande Corniche, which is part of the great military road constructed by Napoleon I in 1806, and connects the two towns also is an exceptionally fine drive. The distance is about 19 miles and it touches neither town nor village except La Turbie. It Stairway to Vll Liberty Landing