Three groups of men of Ambulance Co. 139 were fortunate in having their
permissions read "Aix-les-Bains," furloughs which will never be
forgotten by the men who went there.
Aix-les-Bains is a famous watering place in a picturesque valley along
the French Alps, not far from the Italian border. It is situated at the
foot of Mt. Revard, and within fifteen minutes' walk of Lake Bourget,
the largest and one of the most beautiful lakes in France. Next to Monte
Carlo, it was once the most renowned gambling center in the world.
Everything possible was done to make our vacation a happy one. The men
were quartered in the very best hotels, getting the best of service and
everything to be desired in the line of eats. There was mountain
climbing, entertainments of all kinds provided by the Y. M. C. A., and,
best of all, companionship with real, live American "Y" girls.
"Grand Cercle," the celebrated gambling casino of Aix-le-Bains, is now
the most beautiful Y. M. C. A. hut in France. It is a large, imposing
and luxuriously appointed building, costing several million francs. Its
various saloons are ornamented with magnificent mosaics by Salviati, of
Venice. Just beyond the vestibule is the "Gallery de Glaces," from which
most of the rooms of the casino can be entered. To the right is the
beautiful writing and reading room, the library, and the theatre, which
seats over a thousand persons. There is also the "Salle de Bacchus" and
the "Royal Bar." The bar is still doing a thriving business, but in
place of the former bar maid are the attractive American girls, serving
hot chocolate and coffee. At the "Salle de Bacchus" one could buy all he
wanted to eat at extremely low prices. To the left again are the rooms
formerly used for gambling purposes. The largest is used for lectures
and informal social times, and the smaller, where the larger stakes were
played for, is the center for the religious work program.
The men were privileged to take trips to the summit of Mt. Revard, five
thousand feet above the sea level, by means of a little cog railroad.
From there they could see the Jura Mountains, the Alps, and the
snow-covered top of Mt. Blanc, the highest peak in Europe. When the
last furlough men were at Aix-les-Bains, early in February, "skiing" was
in vogue on Mt. Revard, and many were the tumbles taken in the attempt
to learn that fine winter sport.
Another interesting trip was the hike to Mt. Chambotte, twelve kilos
away, where the men could also enjoy skiing and tobogganing. Then there
was the bike trip to the "Gorges" where they saw deep gashes worn in the
face of the earth by the unceasing mountain streams. Twice a week there
were trips by steamboat to Hautecomb Abbey, on which they could get a
wonderful view of the lake and the mountains. There, in the historical
old Abbey, are quite a number of beautiful oil paintings and statues,
taken care of by three old Monks. On all of these trips the Y. M. C. A.
furnished a competent guide, who explained the interesting points.
At the "Y" casino, there was some form of entertainment at almost every
hour of the day. If there wasn't a vaudeville performance in the
theatre, there was either a moving picture show in the Cinema Hall or a
band concert in the ball-room, and sometimes all three were in process
at the same time. Each Thursday night was "stunt night," when different
stunts and dances were put on in the theatre by the soldiers on leave,
assisted by the "Y" girls.
Such entertainment as this gave the men a new lease on life. All of the
men going to Aix-le-Bains returned saying that they had one of the best
times of their lives, and regretted that they could not have stayed
longer, as it was more like home than any place they had been in France.