Round The World and other travels

... and from one King to another!

Strangers in the Night

We were woken up in the middle of the night by a serious disturbance in the room next to ours. This was not the kind of alcohol-fuelled high spirits that we had recently experienced in a South Yorkshire hotel; this incident involved people screaming at each other, a stream of foul language and objects being hurled against the walls. Once again, however, the main participants appeared to be female - perhaps a mother and daughter, in this case. At least one of them sounded like she might be on drugs. Bruce wasted no time time in calling the front desk and asking for a couple of security staff to be sent up as quickly as possible.

I have no idea how the security personnel went about it, but they seemed to be reasonably successful in restoring some semblance of order. It was a thoroughly disgraceful incident and not one that you would expect to encounter in a five-star luxury hotel. Ugh - some people!

Graceland

Following another Starbucks breakfast, we retrieved the car and drove the relatively short distance to Graceland on quiet, Sunday-morning roads. Graceland Mansion was, of course, the home of Elvis Presley, often referred to as the 'King of Rock and Roll'. Five years after his death in 1977, the house was turned into a museum and visitor attraction - one which, in the present day, operates on an almost industrial scale.

We turned into the visitor centre, which is on the opposite side of Elvis Presley Boulevard from the mansion and its grounds. In addition to car parking, this more westerly site is home to the main visitor reception centre and exhibitions featuring the star's car collection and his two private jets. Additionally, there is a related commercial venture in the form of the Heartbreak Hotel. We began by having a look at the cars.

RIGHT: Before being transported to the main site, we were able to make a start on 'The Cars'

Soon enough, it was time for us to be equipped with interactive guides in the shape of tablet computers, and to board the shuttle vehicles that would take us safely across the busy road to the original house and grounds. Due to sheer weight of numbers, visitors had little option but to move through the mansion itself in a slow-moving single file, via the pre-determined route. The main highlights included the living room, dining room, kitchen and pool room. The quirkiest by far and a real flight of fancy was the Jungle Room, with its green carpet, elaborate wood carvings and Polynesian feel.

BELOW: The great outdoors

The tour continued with a brief outdoor spell to see the swimming pool and gain an appreciation for the scale of the estate. It then progressed through the Trophy Building, home to the star's astonishing collection of awards. A further exhibition of memorabilia was housed in the converted Raquetball Building, the original game court having been removed.

RIGHT and BELOW: The Trophy Building

ABOVE: Meditation Garden

Appropriately enough, the final stop on the tour was Meditation Garden, final resting place of Elvis and various members of his family, and a chance for his many visiting fans to pay their respects.

It also seemed a suitable opportunity for me to reflect on what I had seen. Not for the first time, my preconceived ideas had been wide of the mark. I had read reports that the house was a shrine to bad taste, and I had also been put off by seeing TV images of hard-core fans who regarded a visit to Graceland as some kind of quasi-religious pilgrimage. In the event, the reality had been much more enjoyable. What I saw was, first and foremost, a family home of its time - one created by a young man of humble origins who had made it to mega-stardom, and could afford to incorporate a few capricious touches into his private retreat. For me, the story of Elvis and this insight into his home life were simply a real-life illustration of the American Dream.

Safely returned by shuttle bus to the west side of the boulevard, we had time for a look at the two private jets before heading back into town.

ABOVE: And finally, the private jets

Downtown revisited, in bright sunshine

We drove back to the hotel car park and began walking through the city centre re-taking some of the previous day's pictures in much more flattering conditions of bright sunshine. Being on the lookout for a suitable eatery, we jumped at the chance of a brunch-style midday meal at the Belle Bistro, consisting of a breakfast sandwich and a Bloody Mary.

In a deviation from the original plan, which would have seen us visiting an art gallery, we then decided to stay outdoors and lap up the warm sunshine while it lasted. Our continuing walk took us to the Riverfront and to the boarding point for the Mud Island Tram (sadly out of service for the winter), then past the Fire Service Museum, Shelby County Courthouse and the oldest public building in town, Calvary Episcopal Church.

Majestic finale

Picking up on a little pledge made to ourselves the previous morning, our evening entertainment began with cocktails at the Peabody Hotel - and not a single duck to be seen or heard, on this occasion! This was followed by an excellent dinner at the Majestic Grille on Main Street - a fitting way in which to mark the end of our stay in Memphis, home of the blues and birthplace of rock and roll.

Sunday 09 Nov

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