We flew from JFK to Nashville, a short early morning flight on Sunday 28th October. The weather was noticably warmer than in New York as it's further south. And speaking of south, we were now indeed in the "good ol' southern states" far from the madding crowd of New York City. My first encounter with "southern hospitality" was in Nashville Airport when I enquired on purchasing 2 one way tickets to the city. The middle-aged lady behind the desk peered over her reading glasses at me with a face so stern it would stop a clock. "If you's are only looking to go to the football game, well you aint ridin on any of my buses, and that's the truth!" When I assured her that we weren't even aware of any football game being on, what with us being Irish (and carrying pretty big backpacks..), well her face changed to a big grin, she shook her head, laughed and said: " Well why didn't you say so honey, here's yaw tickets, and welcome to Nashville!"

We booked into a Days Inn, only a 25 minute walk to the downtown area, namely Broadway. A very different Broadway to New York City's one, this one filled with numerous honky tonk bars and restaurants. Bars such as the famous "Tootsies Orchid Lounge" play host to several live acts throughout the day and night. One bar we were in seemed to be putting on what I think might be called "live karaoke", basically you've got a live band playing the songs but you've also got members of the audience who might fancy themselves as the next Kenny Rogers, Waylon Jennings or in some sad cases even Garth Brooks hopping up on the stage and assuming frontman duties. But these bars are incredible, not only in the exciting lively vibe they possess but also it's clear that some of these are steeped in history...'country music' history that is. One could spend hours walking along by the inside walls of these taverns looking at the many pictures, writings and musical artefacts going back years. This town sure prides itself on being "Music City USA" with artists of all genres playing the various venues of the city, and many having made the move to live here, but it's country music that sits quite comfortably on the throne!

Unfortunately we missed out on catching a gig at the famous "Grand Ole Opry" as we were only in town for a couple of days, but we did stop for a picture at the "Ryman Auditorium" which was the original home to the Opry back in the good ol' days. We also took a tour of the "Country Music Hall of Fame" which was a fantastic way to spend an entire morning (and most of the afternoon too!). It was very impressive, giving the entire history of country music going back to the beginnings, with a huge collection of instruments and general antiquities that belonged to the famous and the not so famous, those still living and performing and those now playing at the great big in the sky.

After almost two full days in Nashville we picked up our car and took the interstate 40 west outta town. Next stop: The Heartbreak Hotel in Graceland...