I cant believe that we are 13 days into our USA adventure already. Have you missed any of our trip thus far?
- Day 1 – Beverly Hills
- Day 2 – Santa Monica and Venice Beach
- Day 3 – Disneyland
- Day 4 – Hollywood
- Day 5 & 6 – New York
- Day 7 – Niagara Falls
- Day 8 – New York (Central Park to Broadway)
- Days 9, 10 & 11 – Nashville, Tennessee
But now, where did I leave off?
Yesterday we farewelled our dear friends in Clarksville, and hit the road. Our destination?
Graceland!
Arriving mid morning, we wasted no time in getting our tickets and taking a tour of this famous mansion.
Which was so very elegant on the outside….
Yet so very unique on the inside!
While the upstairs section is closed to the public, we had access to the ground floor, where some rooms were quite luxurious…
But most were very colourful and different.
What?! You don't have a mirror on your ceiling?
The outer buildings of the Estate were also open, but had been converted into museums celebrating the life of Elvis, and documenting his achievements both in music and film.
And, while I knew my dad would love Nashville, I just knew my Mum would go crazy over Graceland. After all, she did name her only daughter after Elvis’ daughter ;) True story.
Our tummies were beginning to rumble by this stage, so lunch in a nearby diner did not take much convincing.
Complete, of course, with a ‘holy-freakin-awesome’ vanilla shake….
And a bun-less burger and side salad.
Twas pickle-licious!
The remainder of our afternoon was spent wandering through the other Elvis exhibits, including his planes…
As well as his car museum.
I was actually quite amazed at how well preserved so many of the items in the museum were. I have absolutely no doubt that the legend that is Elvis really will live on for a long time.
It was an extremely hot day, so by late afternoon we were eager to check into our hotel and escape the heat. Lucky for us, our hotel was only a short walk away at none other than….
The Heartbreak Hotel!
I was expecting the rooms to be small and a bit touristy, but they were nothing of the sort. Rather, we opened the door and were greeted with a huge light room…
Complete with Elvis art above the bed, and a view of the heart-shaped swimming pool.
We didn’t have too long to linger in the air conditioned comfort of our room, however, as we had dinner plans.
Courtesy of the famous Beale Street, in downtown Memphis.
Packed with character and charm…
Beale street was alive with energy as live music blasted from many of the restaurants and bars.
You could quite easily spend hours on this street, popping in and out of the bars, listening to the various bands and artists. However, we had dinner on our mind, and were pleased to find that we were rather spoilt for choice when it came time for dinner.
And, we were very happy with our selection.
For who could not be happy when GF pulled pork, baked beans and fries are available (for her).
And a ribs combo plate (for him).
Oh and I did I mention the talented blues singer serenading the crowd? T’was quite the wonderful evening indeed!
Our bellies full, our hearts warmed, we started to make our way back to the Hotel.
But not before catching the sunset over the Mississippi River.
Which certainly was a magical end to a magical (albeit short) stay in Memphis indeed.
Oh, but I must leave you with this giggle-worthy sight. Cops riding segways?
Priceless!
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