25th Oct

I apologise now not for taking everyone's advice and packing light, you should see all the stuff we have accumulated in only this short time although buying 4 pairs of shoes did not help the situation. So we get the airport and my bag in 7 pounds (3kgs) over the limit and you have to pay $50 for the extra weight, so at the counter I throw stuff in Andrews bag and it works out so we are both under 50 pounds but we had to check in an extra case for $25. We are going to post stuff back when we get to Memphis to lighten our load and to keep Andrew happy………….lol

We travelled with Northwest to Memphis this time and we didn't even get seats together which hasn't happened to us before, how weird. Never mind we both watched movies on our DS and it was only a quick flight anyway. I can tell you we were happy to get away from the happiest place on earth for a while, for some people it was not the happiest place on earth with kids and parents arguing but you can only take so much Disney music and Mickey Mouse ears before you want to get back to a little reality………….lol

The weather in Memphis is a bit cooler than Orlando so that was nice for a change, no muggy days for a while. We were staying at the Heartbreak Hotel which is pretty much next to Graceland. After checking in we went walking the neighborhood to find a supermarket to load up on supplies and that evening we headed in to Beale street. It would be in between Rundle Street and a really small version of the Las Vegas strip with the neon lights and the bars, restaurants and gift shops open with the street blocked off. We are getting use to places being open late so don't know how we will cope coming home to shops shutting at 5pm, most things around are open until 11pm. Seen the cutest things though, there are heaps of horse and carriages around that you can take a ride on and most of the people who do it have their dogs with them on the front seat, it was so cute. At night it looks awesome because most of the carriages are lit up, looks like a princess carriage, very beautiful.

Sun 26th

Sunday was our tour of Graceland. Tours started at 10am so because we were staying right next to Graceland we got to sleep in a little……yay. We upgraded our tour to include an extra room and backyard tour. The first thing I noticed was how small the house seemed. When I say they seemed small I mean by today's standards, back in the day the mansion would have been huge. So I really wasn't sure what to expect. I knew it wasn't Andrew's thing as he is not an Elvis fan but me coming from a family who loves Elvis we had to go. What a great place it was too, really glad we made the trip. Not only was I visiting for myself but I was visiting for my family also which made it special and I cannot wait to show everyone all the pictures. So after checking in you hop on a shuttle bus that takes you across the road to the mansion. There is an audio tour which you listen to as you walk through. The rooms, particularly the trophy room is pretty spectacular just the amount of music awards on display. There are also displays of costumes and clothing from Elvis's performances and movie roles and during his time in the army. The tour also takes you to outer buildings whi9ch include Elvis's dad's office where he managed Elvis, the squash room (although the squash court now displays Elvis's records, suits and awards). The lounge area next to the squash court is still the same including the piano which Elvis played on the morning of his death. The walk through finishes at the mediation garden and grave (including his mother, grandmother and father's grave). After touring the mansion the shuttle takes you back across the street where there are more exhibitions. There is Elvis's vehicles including bikes, racing cars the famous pink Cadillac. The next attraction we visited was the 2 planes with one being the Lisa Marie. Just like the mansion it was extravagant and was obviously a home away from home. The last attraction was the private Elvis which included footage of Elvis going and returning to army duty and displays of his uniforms. There were heaps of people and to think a person can still draw so many visitors and interest after all this time is amazing in itself.

So after we finished at Graceland we took a taxi to the Civil Rights Museum which is the location of where Martin Luther King Jnr was assassinated, the Lorraine Hotel. This is one of the best museums I have ever visited. From the history of how the museum came about, including keeping the motel where Martin Luther King Jnr stayed and lost his life to presenting civil rights history is brilliant. The museum also includes the building across the road where the shooter stayed and fired the shot. Also on display there is evidence and information regarding the case. It was good to not only learn more about Martin Luther King Jnr but also to see the struggle and achievements of civil rights in this country, especially with the upcoming presidential election. I would definitely recommend this as a must visit for anyone visiting Memphis.

27th Oct

Our next day in Memphis we began by sending about 13kgs worth of stuff home. I have chosen to forget how much it cost and therefore have wiped it from my memory. After that issue we headed off to the Memphis Zoo and what a great zoo it is.the best animal and where we probably spent most of our time was at the Polar Bear enclosure. One of the three bears was very active, swimming in the pool and with an underwater viewing area it was awesome to see him swimming around.We stuck around for a while and was lucky enough to see them being fed, with the male diving down to the bottom to get the fish. We got some pretty awesome pictures and video. Even though we did spend a bit of time there, we did actually get around to the rest of the zoo…….lol with the meerkats and the tigers being other favourites of the day. So being the last day in Memphis we headed back to the hotel to get our stuff packed and making sure we were not going to be over the limit at the airport again. I think for what we wanted to do in Memphis we done quite comfortably and 3 nights and 2 days was enough. So next up is Vegas and we are pretty excited about that.