A morning city tour pick up from the hotel at 9.15, after breakfast of course!

We saw downtown Memphis, the Mississippi River and across the river to Arkansas. Unfortunately I can't tick it off as we didn't cross over. So sad.

We passed Beale Street, the entertainment are and drove down millionaires row - a legacy from the cotton days of this part of Tennessee. We saw where Elvis made s first recording at Sun Studios, with a giant guitar hanging outside. The tour passed by where Dr Martin Luther King was assassinated - The Lorraine Hotel. At lot of the tour involved seeing and hearing about the medical research be conducted in the city and particularly as a exult of comedian and actor Danny Thomas' legacy.

We stopped at the world famous Peabody Hotel to see the parade of the mallard ducks. Tunis tradition has been going on for nearly 80 years. There is a Duckmaster dressed in a military official style uniform, who tells the history of the duck parade. At 11am he goes up to the penthouse where the ducks live! There is a red carpet leading from the elevator doors to an ornamental pond in the hotel lobby. Children are sitting in the floor and adults crowding around waiting. The door s opened and out waddles the 5 ducks, one Mail and four female. The walk the rd carpet to the delight of all there, videos and cameras working to catch the moment. They waddle down the red carpet and up a couple of steps to their fountain. They stay there all day and reverse the journey at 5pm.

The theme of eating our way around took on more meaning today. The tour included a lunch at a diner in Beale Street. I ordered a pulled pork burger and Joanne a catfish meal. Wesharedthen walked the shops before leaving for Graceland and the afternoon tour.

Graceland, Elvis Presley's home is a property about 15minutes from Memphis with a theme park atmosphere across the road. We had platinum tickets so our tour included all the exhibits: the mansion itself with it's many splendidly decorated rooms, kitchen, dining room, pool room, jungle room and racquet room. All decorated with original furniture and clothing. Moving on to other exhibits; his gold and platinum recordings, his numerous performing jump suits, instruments and other exhibits of his movies and concert performances. We finally saw his grave site, that of his parents, his twin still born brother and his paternal grandmother.

Our photo today is of us both outside the entrance to the mansion.

Back across the road to the many shops and other exhibits, his cars including a pink Cadillac, numerous motor bikes and more costumes and movies and concert videos. Finally we inspected the "Lisa Marie" his personal jet. The tour was a great insight to the King of Rock and Roll.

We were driven back to Memphis and dropped at Beale Street, where we indulged in dinner. This time we shared another Memphis favourite "bar-b-q'ed pork spare ribs". We then walked the street, sat and listened to a blues group for over an hour, talked to a couple from Kentucky, and enjoyed the atmosphere. There are plenty of bands performing in bars and restaurants. Again street drinking is encouraged - buy a drink, wander around, listen to the music, buy a new dink or just walk on to the next venue. The crowd was generally well behaved and it certainly did not yet have the edge of Bourbon Street in New Orleans - but is was still only 9.00pm.

An early bus to Nashville tomorrow.