Lloyd Thomas (DDE 764) - Naval Cruise Book

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our fo Lggwifzerfancl On 9 March, nine men from the U.S.S. Lloyd Thomas left for Switzerland. Leaving Ville- franche shortly after eight in the morning, we soon found ourselves traveling along the Var River, twisting and turning, and slowly climbing the passes of the French Alps. After a short stop for lunch in the French city of Digne, we were on our way again. Soon after leaving Digne we could see Mount Blanc, which is the highest point on the European continent. That evening found us in Geneva where we-were able to see a little of the night life of that international city. The following morning we were hustled into a waiting bus for a tour of the interesting and historic sights of Geneva, the United Nations Palace, Red Cross Building, and the monument in honor of the Reformation movement. After a short shopping spree and lunch, we climbed back into the bus and again were off on our way, traveling along scenic Lake Genevafthrough the city of Lausanne, slowly making our way north- ward. All along the roadside, we could see the chalets of the Swiss. - About sundown, as we came to the crest of a hill, we suddenly saw the city of Bern stretched out in the valley beneath us. A short stop here for coffee and again we were off for our final destination, Grindelwald. Now out of the rolling hills of central Switzerland, we started climbing into the Swiss Alps. Lying between the Lakes of Thun and Brien is the famous Swiss summer resort of Interlaken. It was here that we picked up our guide who was to take us some seven miles further to Grindelwald. 6: Here at last, at our destination, we were welcomed by an excellent dinner and treated to the friendly hospitality of the Swiss people. After supper small groups left to explore what Grin- delwald had to offer in the way of night spots. Some went to the Rendezvous where they listened to good American music and danced, while others stayed in the hotel for a quid evening. The next morning was a busy one. First the sporting goods store to be outfitted with skis, poles, and shoes, and then back to the hotel to change. That afternoon was one of anxious anti- cipation for a try at skiing. 'Catching the cog railway that takes skiers to the Jungfraujoch, WC were on our way. The Jungfraujoch, ll,330. feet hlgh, IS the highest railway station in Europe- At Kleine Scheidegg, which is about half the distance to the top, the ski run starts. From the train master, who emphatically express his de- SITC? for us to purchase round-trip tickets, to the Swiss ski instructor, who advised us not to make A

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Each sailor has his own experiences of Nice to tell his family-the elderly English couple Who talked of their son in the British Navy, the French girl in the perfume shop who spoke per- fect Berlitz English, the lady from Chicago who stopped and asked for a simple explanation ofa the Franc system! And each hand will tell his family he enjoyed his stay in France, for the French know what Americans expect of France and see to it that we are not disappointed. Villefranche, with its fine foods, unpro- nouncable wines and gifts for the family will be remembered as our favorite liberty during the Mediterranean cruise and is one port we will look forward to visiting again on our future tours of duty. This is Nice? . .

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1-'-f ghe run, just about everyone considered the run much to difficult for skiers such as we. Much to our dismay we found that they were absolutely right. The first of a party of five arrived at the base of the run an hour and a half after starting, while the two beginners .made it in a little less than three hours. We might mention here that, the average Swiss skier makes this run in some- thing like twenty minutes, but the fact that we finished without any broken bones was a victory in itself. The phase of the skiing which hurt our vanity most was the embarrassement we felt in watching children of nine and ten zip by as we were extracting ourselves from various snow- banks. But it was not only our vanities that hurt when we got back to the hotel! XfVhile our intrepid sportsmen were attempt- ing to ski, another group, with more sense, went up to the Jungfraujoch where we were treated to the scenic beauty of the Alps. Here is located the lungfrau glacier, which moves slowly down the inountainside. In the glacier itself a tunnel is cut leading to a little bar-room carved out of the ice and containing all-ice fixtures. Farther on is an underglacier 'ice-skating rink with a large high-ceiling ha-ll supported by ice columns. The following morning, those who did not want to try the ski-run again, took the chairlift up to First . It is a strange feeling to glide over the mountainside and it is diflicult to say what is most impressive. It may be the continu- ally changing scenery, the quiet swi-ng over snow- covered chalets, or a small stream darting amongst tall evergreens laden with snow. The view during the climb is incomparably beautiful and one who has visited First can never forget the sight of those majestic mountains and glaciers, or the picture of the storybook village of Grindel- Wald nestled in the Alps. Shortly after dinner we said our goodbyes to the people of Grindelwald and were on our way back to Geneva. We did not leave without sadness. 'While in Grindelwald, we were treated wonderfully. Many of us thought that if we were given a choice of living anywhere in Europe, it would be among the Swiss. Passing back through Interlaken we took our last look, at the Alps of the Bernese Oberland. That afternoon found us in Bern where we were shown some of the sights of the Capitol City. Our visit included a short stop in the Kornhauskeller for beer, a place with much local color, including a Barva- ri-an Band costumed in green shorts, brightly colored suspenders and typical alpine hats. The band, to our American ears, gave out plenty of OOMpah-OOM-pah , but littlemelody. Back into the bus and off for Geneva. That night in Geneva, we took advantage of 'our last taste of Switzerland. Those who were able to walk reasonably well after their skiing experiences went out on the town. But many of us nursed our aches and bruises, took hot baths and hit the sack. The next morning, tired but well-satisfied with our short stayin Switzerland we headed back to Nice, loaded with Swiss chocolate, Cuckoo clocks, and a wonderful impression of the Swiss people and their beautiful country.