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Today we set out in the morning for Memphis, and arrived at lunchtime to the threat of rain. We checked into our hotel, had a quick lunch, and headed off to Graceland.
Graceland was so different from my expectations. I had imagined an over-the-top, gaudy mansion with gilt and gold everywhere. What we saw was actually a very nice house that was large but comfortable. You could see that with a little redecorating, it could actually be “homey.” Eric described the house as a tribute to the ’70s, and it was. The kitchen was spectacular in its ordinariness.
As the tour went on, the glitz and glitter became more prominent, peaking in Elvis’ racquetball court, which has now been turned into a celebration of Elvis, the Las Vegas Years.
Eric and I are not big Elvis fans, but I think that the girls are now. Ellie belted out a rousing rendition of ‘Hound Dog’ in the souvenir shop, then recreated it while standing next to a statue of Elvis in our hotel lobby.
After Graceland, we drove into Memphis and explored. The city surprised me. It is beautiful, clean and filled with the smells of its many barbecue joints. We braved the pouring rain to see the famous duck parade at the Peabody Hotel (overrated, but the girls liked it and the hotel was gorgeous), walked Beale Street, and had ribs at Rendezvous, which is well known for their Memphis-style dry rub BBQ ribs.
Once the rain stopped, we drove down to the Mississippi River to take a peek at the river boats. We also took a drive over to the National Civil Rights Museum, which is located in the former Lorraine Motel, the site of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Motel facade has been preserved, and is a sobering and chilling reminder of what happened in 1968 and brought the news clips to life. The museum was closed, so we just walked around. Nora had studied Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this year in school, and was very interested.
I think the highlight of today for the girls, though, was swimming in the guitar-shaped hotel pool.
The hotel is just steps away from Graceland, is completely Elvis-themed, including photos on the wall and in-room Elvis movies.
Even better, as far as I’m concerned, is that it has memory foam beds. The beds in the hotels the last few nights have been less than ideal.
I think that we could happily spend 2 or 3 more days in Memphis. The city has a lot to offer. But instead, we are continuing on with our journey in the morning. We’ll check in from somewhere on the road.
Our Radical Sabbatical 