Graceland, Memphis

Graceland was not how we imagined it would be. It is in a very poor part of town and the building itself is smaller than we had thought. We enjoyed the tour but it was tinged with sadness as it ended in the meditation garden at the graves of Elvis, his mum and dad and his Gran. We saw all of Elvis's cars and the two private jets, which were amazing. We also saw lots of video footage of concerts and interviews and a collection of his clothes.

Next to Graceland was the Heart Break Hotel which is an awful concrete monstrosity. Why anyone would pay $555 a night to stay there is beyond me!

After Graceland we drove to the banks of the Mississippi River where we saw the paddle steamers and the suspension bridge. We then drove downtown to Beale Street, where we saw B B Kings Bar.

We didn't really feel safe in Memphis, so didn't wander about too much. We were glad we stayed away from the centre of town.