Roanoke (CL 145) - Naval Cruise Book

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Natives pose for us alnring annual celebration in tlicir village ncar Athens Back to Athens, and this time we viewed with a great deal of awe and respect, the Good Friday and Easter observance. Arriving in Piraeus on Good Friday afternoon, we found everything closed up tight, and upon inquiry we learned that a general fast period was in effect from Maundy Thursday night until Easter Sunday morning. That night wg went to Constitution Square in Athens to view the Good Friday procession from the Cathedral, a pro- cession that commemorates the bearing of the body of Christ to the tomb. In all Greek Grthodox churches, a Good Friday evening service is held, followed by the procession through the streets at nine o'clock. The Cathedral procession was im' pressive because of its size and because of its quite evidently being a religious procession, not a parade. While thousands of people lined Constitution Square and the surrounding streets, every last one holding a lighted candle, components of all military and city organizations walked by to the slow cadence of two excellent bands. At the center of the procession, following the archbishop and other priests of the Cathedral, marched a band of pallbearers carrying on their shoulders a simple casket, and, as the casket passed by, hats were removed, heads were bowed and the sign of the Cross was made. Then Sliipls offccrs rest at Gu5's after wild has trip to Corinth 'Q vi 1244

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Greek thiltlrzn wait for their itcftraam .intl :aka ui Roanoke niesslialls came a male choir singing with deep religious fervor, their voices echoing through the quiet streets as they poured forth the traditional funeral music of the Church. During all this in the streets of Athens, a con' stant procession of Christians was wending its way with lighted candles up the Hill of Likkabettos, highest spot in Athens, to the church that sits high upon its pinnacle. Up the winding path they climbed, making a snaky line of hre visible to the entire city below. Thus we were privileged to view a Greek ob' servance that, strange to most of us, left us with the feeling that we had witnessed something extremely worthwhile, It gave us a good feeling. We liked the Greeks after that night, as we had perhaps not liked them before. A phenomenon of all Europe is the driver who depends on a wild use of his horn to get him through any and all tight spots, and no where was a better demonstration of this fast, hornfblowing technique provided for us than on our trip to Corinth. Never have we had such a ride, and never do we hope to have another like it. The driver of our bus either didn't trust his brakes or didn't know where they were located. He did trust his horn. There was nothing, he felt, that his horn couldn't move or scare, so we made the harrowing sixtyfmile trip at 45ir fd P- ,fp- ss p A, ,ei JI? I Playing Santa Clausn to the Grcclc war orphans was fun