Smalley (DD 565) - Naval Cruise Book

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Merry Christmas to all the best food the Navy had to offer, and it was probably by far the most sumptuous and extravagant meal that these children ever had or will sit down to. There were presents for all and then a movie program of cartoons in the mess hall. During the morning the Piraeus Police Clee Club came aboard and serenaded the orphans and the crew. On Christmas Day a few lucky men of the Smalley found that they had been selected to fill invitations for Christmas dinner at the homes of various American citizens, both civilian and military who were residing in Greece. At the end of our stay in Piraeus when the last 50,000 drachmae note was burning a hole in our pockets, we repaired to the john Bull Bar, the uhellis kitehenv of the Piraeus water- front. Who will ever forget the john Bull? Here you could get a beer or a bruise. lt all depended upon what you were looking tor. Our four-day stay in Creece went quickly and it wasnit long before we were steaming back down the channel and out to the open sea. Our consolation, however, lay in the tact 45 l that we were well on our way home now and that in less than three weeks would be sighting the shores of the United States. Chow down ,yi

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, .-- 1- Santa Sakadales that had to any extent survived the depreda- tions of the elements, time, and man: the fain- ous Parthenon and the Erecthyum. Although practically all the statues and famous sculptur- ings had been destroyed or removed over the centuries, there was still enough left to make our visit an impressive one that would he remembered long after other places that we had seen were forgotten. if i 'lliene xx.is nnnr to Xthens than oltl ruins, lla' lliseiixeletl llils xxlieli We Xhldll tltiwll lIlt0 the eenlei ol the inoilein eitv ll'ith its depart- nient stores .intl xx itle tiaillie elogtgetl streets it eonld lnixe lieen any large ilnierieun city, 'lhuneh the ilziys xxeie eolal and windy with no sign ol the sun, ue xxaillu-tl along the avg- nues. tulxingg in the sights. ln the evening per- haips ai len ol us stopped in git one ol' the many night elnhs in Mliens. lt was here that We cliseoxiereal hoxx eaisy it was to run up a hill registered in the inillions. lint with the exelizinge ratio git Siltttltlll clinic-liiinie to ti dollar, our zilzirin soon clisaippeauecl when we hegan to eonx ert our ex enings entertainment hill into ternis ol greeiiliaelts.'l Despite the impressive exeliange rate, priees were fantastically high. . . y lnllation was rznnpant in Greece. Un tfhristnias live we went to our respective ehurehes for the traditional mid-night service. The Clhristinas spirit truly prevailed among the inen ol' the Snmlley. On the 25th of Decem- her. the results ol' three mouths of planning hore lruit when the ship played Santa Claus to thirty Greek orphans. There was a feast of 4 3 , 3 if i 2 1 I lv ' fam- lt's in the img 44

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i 3 1 3 is 'l i A 6711141455 Cotc D,Azur New Yearls Eve on the Riviera! Tliat's bet- ter than Times Square. You could even forget that you had been away from home for seven months. Real French champagne, plus gam- bling casinos, European jazz and can-can dancers-that was for the Smalley. When our liberty boats first passed those sleek sloops and private schooners in the Cannes yacht basin, close to our anchorage, we knew we had hit a port where people really knew how to live. Cannes offered a few cafes and restaurants, but its grandeur was mostly proclaimed by its exclusive hotels, such as the Martinez. Nearby Nice reigned as the most cultured French city of the Cote D7Azur with its ritzy shops, well- kept parks and intimate night clubs which most of the Smalley sailors hastened to enjoy. Some of the crew went directly to the beau- tiful ski resort of Auron which was nestled in the snow-covered Alps which could be seen rising majestically in great contrast to the bar- ren desert of Arabia which we saw only a few weeks before. Even though it was mid-winter, the sunny Mediterranean afternoons permitted pleasant tours around the famous Cote D,Azur. Bou- langeries, epiceries, perfume, and clothing shops were seen everywhere filled with an easy-going clientele which included school children, farm folk, sahled demoiselles and professeurs. After two days of sight-seeing, Smalley men were ready to celebrate New Year's Eve. Cafes and night clubs in Nice and Cannes were brimming with high spirits and good cheer. Le vin-superb, la musique-torride, les fem- mes-mais oui! Fun was expensive, but after payday in France-clcst la vie. XV hen we weighed anchor on the second day of january and headed for Cibraltar and our last leg home, we realized we were leaving one of the best ports of the cruise. To be sure, everyone had a whale of a time on the Riviera. NEW P K limit: XP . 'Sill lg l lv ix i ,g Q crsi sf BON lf. 46