Wow, how good is the RV site for Graceland Memphis? Literally a 1 minute walk (if that) from the entrance to Graceland. Outrageous price for a campsite (more than some hotel rooms) but well worth the money so booked for 3 nights.
Guess what we did the next day …. Yes, we visited Graceland. Although we are not Elvis fans we both really enjoyed the tour and found it moving. He really did appear to be a genuinely nice person who was keen to help others. We both found it a little distressing that there seemed to be nobody in his life who could keep him pointing in the right direction ….. the Graceland mansion (covering 14 acres) itself is surprisingly modest. Bought in 1957 for 100,000 dollars Elvis kept it until his death. The fact that he moved his parents here gives an indication of the kind of son he was. Both Emma and I were surprised by the conflict evident in his spending …. the swimming pool is around 8ft by 6ft and yet the seat buckles of his jet aircraft are 24ct gold …. weird!!!! What came through more than anything was a sense of sadness as to what was lost when so much more could have been gained.
We set out the next day to explore downtown Memphis….. First hit Sun Studios and then walked to the main business district (this actually reminded us that we were in a place where once again, we needed to be careful). The streets here are deserted and the few people that we came across were, well, just a little (read that as quite a lot), scary!
Memphis itself seems like an average wealthy/scary kind of place. I’m sure that if you were on a tour you would love the place but just wandering around the non-touristy places it feels a little intimidating.
Having said that, once we got to Downtown Memphis we did all the touristy things starting with going to the Peabody Hotel to witness the daily procession of the Peabody ducks into the hotels fountain … great fun and VERY touristy!!!!!
Next we came across the Memphis BBQ Championships by the river. Great fun but we were a little bewildered by the fact that they had chosen Turkey as their sponsored country. Lots of info on Turkey and lots of pictures of pigs wearing BBQ aprons wearing Fezzes or sporting the Turkish flag. Given the fact that Turkey is a Muslim country (whose Religion prohibits the consumption of pork and who banned the Fez in the 1920‘s(?)) we both found this to be ever so slightly weird/distasteful!
We went on to visit the Lorraine Hotel, sight of Dr Martin Luther Kings assassination in 1968 and now combined site of the Civil Rights Movement Museum. We spent 4 hours here before weariness and hunger (and the last bus) forced us to leave (oh, how weak we are). The museum itself is very comprehensive and through it’s detail of the minutia is very moving. Without reading about the struggles of the time it is difficult to gain an understanding of sacrifices that have been made in the USA by both black and white activists (the deaths of white activists have been well documented, the deaths of their black counterparts somewhat less so).
If one listens to Dr Kings last recorded speech ( the night before his murder), one can feel an almost palpable premonition of the fate that befell him. Throughout the museum tour I did not him hear / read of him once refer to impending death either literally or orally yet the night before his death his speech was full of references to his ‘departure’ and that fact that he may not be with "them" when ‘‘they reached the promised land".
THIS MUSEUM IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO VISITORS TO MEMPHIS BY EMMA AND MYSELF.
We detoured off our route to visit Shiloh which was one of the first major conflicts of the American Civil war leading to large losses of lives ( over 20,000 ). The site itself is huge and the driving tour covers 9.5 miles. To truly appreciate the site I think you need at least a week but our measly ½ day gave us an insight into the battle that took place here. Each battalion has commissioned an ediface in memoriam to their dead and the sculptures are truly beautiful … indeed, the whole area works not only as an historical testimonial to the struggles of a fledgling nation but also as an artwork park (my apologies to any Americans who may be offended by this remark) ….
Reached the once home of David Crockett in David Crockett State Park TN
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