Legends of Memphis

Today started just next door, at Graceland. Neither of us is a big Elvis fan, nor do we come from families of Elvis fans, so our expectations were pretty low -  but we really enjoyed it.

The Graceland mansion itself is actually quite unassuming - it looks like a family lived in it. Elvis had the same white couches for nearly 20 years. Of course, you can't describe the Jungle Room, with its green shagpile carpeting on the floor and ceiling and its inside waterfall as unassuming, but it's actually not as bizarre as you'd expect. Elvis came across as a fun loving family man, who spent his money on his mates, his mum, charities, and of course, toys (20 golf karts, assorted cars, 2 jets, snowmobiles converted to run on grass). You kind of got the impression that he'd grown up poor, and he was like a kid in a candy shop once he got money, but he always shared it around. His mother, father and grandmother all lived at Graceland with him, and are all buried there with him too.

His car collection was extensive, and many of his vehicles also appeared in the films he starred in. There were Ferraris, Rolls Royces, a white Lincoln with gold alligator skin-effect roof, a John Deere tractor, an MG, to name just a few. The Lisa Marie aeroplane is also at Graceland - and you can go on board. Like Graceland itself, it's a freeze-frame display of 70s style.

Mark was quite inspired by the extensive collection of Elvis' onesies and other clothing - expect some major changes in this area. The second half of 2010 should involve capes, coiffes and gold-studded everything.

Disappointingly, though, we haven't seen a single Elvis impersonator.

We went into Downtown Memphis and after a quick wander along Beale St, headed to the National Civil Rights Museum. It's located at the old Lorraine Motel, where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. Much like the JFK exhibit, the site of Dr King's assassination has been preserved - it runs a chill down the spine to see it.

The first part of the museum is a recent short film about the last few days of King's life. Most of the film is a series of interviews with Rev. Billy Kyles - a Memphis preacher who was at the epicentre of the Memphis sanitation workers' strike - the reason King was in town. Rev. Kyles was a friend of Dr King but also a co-combatant in the struggle for civil rights in the shockingly segregated south. Rev. Kyles was standing next to Dr King when he was shot and killed on April 4 1968. The film was very moving, and set the scene well for the museum exhibits which focused on the struggle for equal rights for African Americans from the Civil War through to the 60s - Rosa Parks, Ole Miss, etc.

We really enjoyed the Museum, but the major highlight was exiting and seeing a familiar face next to the gift shop. Mark spotted him first - and we couldn't quite believe it. The Rev. Billy Kyles was standing greeting visitors to the museum and chatting away. We were pretty excited. We got him to sign the DVD of the film that we'd bought and had a lovely chat with him. He was a charming, well-spoken, impeccably dressed gentleman - it was hard to believe we were chatting to a living legend, who had witnessed and precipitated such world-changing events. Although he still works full time as a preacher, Rev. Kyles (who is approaching 80) still makes time to come down to the National Civil Rights Museum and talk to the people about Dr King, and their cause - because as he says, it's not really over yet.

Feeling quite excited by our luck at meeting the Reverend, we headed back into Beale St where we dined, had a beer or two and listened to some amazing local blues acts. Beale Street is a much more sanitary version of Bourbon Street in New Orleans, although it's more authentic and has its own blues-y edge. It's a nicer place to hang out, really.

Photos to come.