Oriskany (CV 34) - Naval Cruise Book

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P ' 3 F 4 ROM Athens to Crete took the Uriskuny one day. About 3,500 years ago western civilization moved in the other direction, taking hun. dl-eds of years to cover the distance. when the ship sailed into the water oil' lraklion, the major city on Crete the P0mp and power of the islund's ancient kings had for mil- 7 leniums been gone to dust. .-X few bricks and stones. tile water drains and red-painted columns were all that remained. By comparison, the city of lraklion will probably not recall in some future, thousands of years from now, any such ghosts of dead glory. lrakli0n's buildings were unimposing and hardly meant for kings and queens and courtiers. There were no traces of ancient designs in lraklion architecture. Cultural influences of other kinds were evident. The city's life displayed Venetian, Turkish, Greek, German, and American modifications. Harbor fortifications were built when Venice ruled Crete several hundred years ago. The clothes of hillsmen reflected Turkish design. Lettering of signs over stores and restaurants was Creek. The most popular second lan- guage seemed to be Germanfin part a result of wartime occupation by Nazi troops. And American tastes came out in appeals of young boys around town who asked Oriskany sailors for cigarettes. People of Iraklion passed the time in simple pleasures. Evenings, they sat outside restaurants drinking coffee and eating ice cream. In the two or three restaurants recommended by Cretans themselves, meals were ala carte-courses being chosen on a visit to the kitchen. Six flights up, atop the tallest building in lraklion, local bigwigs dined in a roof garden. For sailors, swimming and bicycling ran neck and neck in popularity. But two-thirds of the crew just walked. Others visited the ruins of Knossus, capital of King Minos 5,000 years ago. Most impressive were the plumbing, the paintings and the Minoan column. Water was carried to the palace through a five-inch clay pipe, To keep cool in lr-:'f::mw, er'-1-gfrfrefg ' Grid the ciczrk of bmrroomz, V' w f'1 1 , l the Q d days looked better on Crete direct from the mountains. Waste moved down underground ducts toward the river. A filter system for drinking water consisted of channels and precipita- tion tanks. Several clay bathtubs, in almost perfect condition, had been scrubbed clean since last used. One of them, for the Queen alone, stood in a private room from which the bather could watch entertainers sing and dance. According to the guide, the Queen was entertained by ladies- in-waiting. ln paintings, the ladies were bare of foot and breast. Modern women in lraklion were much more modest. They wore shoes from Greece and ltaly, and dresses ordered by mail from America.

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x , i ,Wu , k - to gqgmx XR , x . x 32421. I k WWW I K 1 5 A., zu - ' ' irfig, it-.. Above-Enclosed by u high wire fence, The Navy Canteen in Athens provided coffee, doughnuts and sandwiches, feminine conversation and ping pong for fellows wanting to relax without pinching the budget. , , , ill! IQNS Continued l Our own bond danced while the Columbus played. Below-This was how we left the city, half-Americqnized with Trans-World Airlines and Coca-Colo, half-tied to the ancient alphabet and trolley-cars. ,,g0,g.,-0 - , .

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Five thousand years ago, ladies hur- ried down the steps, glancing at the green hills beyond. Sir Arthur Evans, the archeologist, began the diggings at Knossus some 50 years ago. What he found Ted to revision of Greek history. King Minos ordered the construction of this palace long before the peo- ple of Greece quit living in mud huts. But some Athenians and Corinthians saw the Minoan marvels-the tall building, with its graceful columns and capitals, the waterworks, the labyrinth, the earthenware and the painting and sculpture. Many Cretan ideas were copied, improved and refined. When, finally, civilization moved on from Crete, a great culture was forming in Greece. But the debt remained-and was evident to Oriskany sailors who visited King Minos' palace. l A li l I Continued . , S4-P .ff Rn tyywi rf f f X ll ' I Both ancient Greeks and Oriskany sailors felt the sul!!! 9 1 1' Kn OSSUS-anyone could get lost in its male of PGSSUUV'