Graceland, Elvis, Riverboats, The Mighty Mississippi, and Beale Street; what do they all have in common besides Memphis? These are the sites we traveled to today! If you didn't have Elvis mania before touring Graceland you certainly will get it afterwords. His decorating taste were certainly a bit odd but reflected the artist he was. From the rooms of yellow and navy to the heavily draped room literally from floor to across the ceiling, to his "jungle room" with green carpeted ceilings, you can feel what a passionate man Elvis was. His trophy and rec rooms are all adorned with gold and platinum records, tons of awards, and the reasons Elvis was called "the king!" I found his meditation garden to be the highlight of the mansion tour for me. It was a place built for peace and tranquility. The sorrow that overcomes you as you pass by the five grave sites of Elvis, his twin brother, mother, father, and grandmother is most unexpected. If you happen to be a car aficionado, then Elvis's collection can brighten your sadden heart. From his limo to his golf carts, he had only the best. Oh to be Lisa Marie..... I mean an jumbo jet named for you. The plane was just as flashy as he was, with 24 carat gold plated seat belt buckles! When we finished up Graceland we headed off to the Island Queen for a 1.5 hour sightseeing tour. She was a mid size riverboat with three decks. Riding on this boat looking out across the Mississippi forces your mind to wander to days gone by and peaks your curiosity to learn a few of the stories that grand river must hold. Our narrator was just fabulous and let us in on a few of the rivers secrets and a lot of her history. It was a great trip back in time! From there we headed to the world famous Beale St.. I must say having never been to Bourbon St. which Beale is compared to, I really didn't know what to expect. What we found was a city block barricaded and in between those barricades was a world all its own. There were tons of restaurants and clubs and pubs and excentric little shops all booming with rhythm and blues. One didn't have to try to listen to hear one musician after another from the street to the side walks to inside the restaurants singing the blues. There were local kids performing for money in streets, men selling flowers, and of course a few locals peddling in the parking lots. I was about to throw a few bucks to this group of four boys who were tumbling in the street, when I decided to ask a local bartender how much these kids make in a day. Keep in mind, three of them were probably 6-8 and the fourth about 14-16. Her answer," A hell of a lot more than I do!" I then inquired if the boys had a genuine need for the extra money, again her answer surprised me. It was a quick and flat "NO!" So I kept my four bucks and instead offered advice to the eldest! Male Cheerleaders very often get full ride scholarships to college and being able to throw (for the gymnasts in the crowd), a round off, back handspring, whip back, back handspring, whip back, back handspring, back handspring, scissor kick layout, in a row, in the street, and learned it in the park by himself, should be doing something with that talent! Carriage rides are aprrently pretty big down by the river as we saw a street lined with the most beautifully decorated carriages. Most looked to be straight from Cinderella's fairy godmother! We walked around some more soaking up the Beale St. vibe before heading to the hotel for a quick swim and bed. It was a good day!
No comments:
Post a Comment