We arrived at the Heartbreak Hotel in Graceland late on a Monday evening after driving across from Nashville. We had booked a package deal of one night in the hotel with a full tour of the famous mansion and grounds the following day. Walking into the lobby of the hotel feels like you've walked into a bizarre cartoon of some type. With the walls painted purple (and in need of a touch up) and an old style TV set showing programs from the 1950's, you know this certainly isn't the Hilton and it's no Days Inn! In our room, which was designed in loud bright colours, hung portraits of Elvis over the beds and the TV's in all the rooms show non-stop Elvis movies 24-7. Well I knew we were in for something completely different when I got the email back confirming our booking which signed off with "Thankyouverymuch!"

After throwing down the bags I headed for the hotel bar / restaurant where it was a tough decision between the "Kings Burger (with all the trimmings)" or the King's favourite, the "Deep Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich". I opted for the former. Of course you have to be very quiet while eating and drinking in the main dining area or you could easily disturb the crowd of die hard Elvis fans gazing in total admiration at the big screen showing a live Elvis concert from the 70's doctored with a modern day backing band and souped up into surround sound. "Respect while the King is on!" I heard one obviously quite perturbed fan say quite sternly to a group of English people "nattering" away in the corner.

The following morning we left the hotel and strolled over the footbridge to the reception area to join the eager crowds and hop on the bus that would take us across Elvis Presley Blvd and through the famous (and heavily grafittied) gates to the mansion. On boarding the bus you're given an individual headset which guides you through the various areas of the impressive grounds. And yes siree bob it sure is impressive, as well as being absurdly tacky! I guess you just have to take a step back and realise that this was all the product of not only a different time, but a lifestyle so out of the ordinary that a 'young lad like meself' growing up in Waterford in the 80's and 90's would have at least a little trouble trying to fathom it all. What's also hard to fathom is what a nice little goldmine Graceland must be in respect to the huge crowds it attracts. This was a Tuesday morning in late October and judging by the queues of people (of all ages) waiting you'd be forgiven for thinking that the man himself must have popped out of the grave to do a one off show in his living room! Well maybe the fact that this year marks the 30th anniversary of his death might have something to do with it.

Apart from the upstairs rooms, namely his bedroom and the bathroom where he sang his last goodbye to the world, the entire mansion is on show. The living room, dining room, kitchen, TV room (which contains more than one TV so Elvis could watch different programs at the same time..), his parents bedroom, the pool room, chill out room, Vernon's office, etc...all open to the public and all in the same condition they were in over 30 years ago! At the back of the mansion lies the family plot which is beautifully kept, with gardeners tending to the large amount of wreaths, flowers, writings, poems, etc left there every day by fans. It reminded me of last year when I was in Paris strolling around Pere Lachaise cemetery and coming across Chopin's grave. I was impressed at the time as to how that grave was so beautifully well kept but it definitely comes second to the Presley clan. But however impressive the entire grounds of the mansion is, it certainly pales in comparison to both his shockingly huge collection of cars and motorcycles and his private jets, especially the "Lisa Marie". How one person could accumulate what I can only describe as a ridiculous amount of material possessions made me really think that this was a guy who never felt fully secure or even content. But then again what do I know, it was a different time and a different lifestyle..

In the late afternoon we got back into our trusted Ford Fusion, which we had now decided to christen "Priscilla" (well Lisa Marie got a plane named after her so fairs fair!). We asked her politely to take us to the city of Memphis and she happily agreed...