Hi Amanda viola. Thank you for responding. Well i loved Memphis this is my second trip but this time myself and two friends went alone without a tour bus. There would be so much to write but I will confine myself to what stood out the most. Well of course Graceland is the number one, we walked down every day from Brooks Rd down Elvis Presley Boulevard which was a nice experience feeling those places Elvis would have known. The mansion itself and the meditation garden is so special I could have stayed forever the time never seems long enough. But the EPE remorselessly exploit Elvis' image to sell the ever expanding merchandise, which at the time you resent but when you get home somehow you are glad you did buy those tee shirts and key rings, its still a little bit of him and his home. I took the Elvis Memphis tour with Mike Freeman which was wonderful, a packed five hours of visiting different notable Elvis sites, off the beaten track, like Vernon's home he shared with Dee Stanley, the Audubon Drive home, and Lauderdale Courts when we went inside I was the only visitor, that was very special as I sat on the sofa and looked out the living room window, imagining Elvis coming up the street waving to his Mama.
We also visited Forest Hill cemetary and saw where Gladys' grave had been, we went inside the Mausoleum. It was the creepiest place I ever experienced, . all those dead people sealed up behind the marble facade the whole place smelt of death! Thank goodness Elvis was taken back to Graceland out of that awful crypt along with his mother. The fans still lay flowers there to mark the spot where he had been. The centre of Memphis is quite small only three streets, but there are many widely spread suberbs. We rode the buses,and being the only white faces there everyone was calling out "where y'all from?" Obviously not from round these parts! We saw indelible poverty in Memphis unbelievable for America, more like Africa in some places, but we only found kindness and smiles from the people. Sometimes I think Memphians are a bit bemused by all these foreigners coming over to express their love and loyalty to Elvis although everyone knows its his legacy that brings in millions of dollars. Peabody's Hotel is very quirky with the parade of the ducks for the daily ritual of their bath in the fountain. Its only a short walk from Laudadale Courts. Will tell you about my trip to Tupelo next post.
Let's see what comes next...
