Cotten (DD 669) - Naval Cruise Book

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-1- 78866 Christmas in Athens, Greece, 5000 miles from home - a lonely prospect with loved ones far away. But how could the Christmas spirit be better aroused than by bringing a little joy into the lives of others. This the Cotten sailors accomplished with great success, entertaining thirty Greek orphans and under-privileged children on board ship Christmas day. The party was a typical American type Christmas celebration with ice cream and cake, movies in chief's quarters and wonderful Christmas toys brought 8000 miles from japan for the occasion, distributed by a jolly, white-bearded Santa. The husky sailors who led the tots around the ship by the hand and saw to their needs felt many times rewarded in the spiritual lift they got from this experience and the looks of awe and thanks which the children gave their American hosts bridged any language barrier which may have existed. Of course one could not stay in Greece, the center of ancient civilization, without at least a quick glance at the surrounding remains of the golden era and many braved the rain and icy blasts to tour the ruins of old Corinth and the Acropolis. Every day, busses left the pier loaded with shutter-bugs bound for Athens and the wonders of the Parthenon, the temple of Dianna and the ancient stadium. In all respects the Cotten men found Greece a warm and friendly land and if ever again it became necessary tospend Christmas in a foreign land, Greece would be a first choice for a great many of the Cotten sailors. A f ' -Cx , '. , , I . Q P-W '

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anned By this time we were all a little weary. We had traveled a long way and had seen a great variety of peoples and places such that the thrill of a new port no longer carried the fine edge that went along with previous stops. In general, we were a long time and a long way from home and ready to return. ' Surely, there could be no better port in the world to be scheduled at this particular time than Cannes, for here at the queen city of the Cote D'zure we experienced a needed morale boost by absorbing a little of the atmosphere that goes along with the playground of the world. Unfortunately the winter season denied us the use of the fine beaches and summer sports facilities, but the French hospitality and genius for happy living knows no season and we wasted no time in becoming a part of it. Now that we had returned to western civilization, things about us were quite a bit more familiar g sightseeing and curious onlooking took second place to enjoying the ubiqui- tous fine food, drink and companionship of the Riviera. Many of us took advantage of the ready access of Nice and Monte Carlo to visit the world famous gambling casinos and view some of the homes 'belonging to international social figures whose names are common place in our home town newspapers. And, when it came to shopping around town, it would be hard to find a man who did not fall victim to the attractive odors and prices of French perfumes. , New Yearis Eve saw many a bottle of French champagne serve the cause of interna- tional good will, and the following morning there were many of us who were wishing that these relations were not quite so good. But, apart from any vineyard stimulus, when january second came and we departed for Gibraltar there were many who were not quite as anxious to beheading home as they had been, and all of us were saying Thanks, Cannes, for a good time, we will be looking forward to seeing you again on our next Mediterranean cruise. -xr 3 Q-1 i if -v up A Z-, X ll: 1 XXXX X f, Q , N E7 E : Q Q