Plantations, paddle steamers and moonshine

Us on The Trace Parkway

Mount Locust Plantation House

We’re on the road reasonably early today not because we have far to go but we want to travel on the Natchez Trace Parkway which is a national park and has a maximum speed limit of 50mph. The problem is that I can’t find much information on where to join it, I know that it is 444miles long and has some information centres but not where we are. We eventually manage to get on it 45 miles before Natchez and start to thoroughly enjoy the slower pace of travel through tree lined avenues, we don’t pass another car. The first stop we come to is a place called Mount Locust an original plantation house. It’s not as grand as I imagined but then it is very old. There’s still a wooden porch with a rocking chair and the rooms are laid out with beds and dining furniture, out the back is the cellar (a place where they stored collected water) and the large bell. It still rings well, how do I know, well Dave had to try it out! The place feels like you can hear the slaves singing in the cotton fields, and see the travellers coming up the Mississippi to the house, walking their way back to Nashville and beyond. Our next stop on the Trace is Emerald Mound, it’s an ancient Indian burial and Temple mound which took 300 years to build. Dave is amazed, how did you manage to sneak a temple into a blues music tour he wants to know, sheer genius I say!

Dave in his Rocking Chair!

The Trace ends in Natchez and we drive to the end of the road where we are staying for an impromptu picnic. What a view from the top of the bluff, the Mississippi river stretches out for miles in-front of us, there’s a wooded area far below us and perched on the top of the bluff are a row of gorgeous old houses in all sorts of pastel colours. Time to check in and meet our hosts, Paul and Kristine. Their main house is a tall, Victorian house that looks a bit like the haunted houses you see in old black and white movies. The welcome from Paul includes a potted history of Natchez which is apparently his short version and only lasts 45 minutes! They are both very friendly and great hosts. Kristine walks us to our home for the next 2 days, The Hideaway. It is a lovely one storey Victorian villa with a front porch and a back deck. There is a huge living room, kitchen dinner, and 2 bedrooms all furnished with older furniture in keeping with the villa but it has all the latest mod cons of air conditioning etc.

The Hideaway

Unpacking now takes only 5 minutes, we’ve both learnt not to waste time on this process, then it’s off for a walk down the bluff for a drink in Bowies before going to the Pig Out Inn for an evening meal. We know America likes its fast food but this is beyond fast, the salad is ready prepared in a plastic tray, the pulled pork and beef is cut with the speed of light and the sides of beans plonked on our plates and plastic cutlery thrust into our hands all in the space of 1 minute. Have a good day y’all, follows us as we sit stunned in a red plastic dinning booth, “Can I help y’all” to the next customer.

Well, dinner finished, it’s a short walk to The Inn under the Hill to wait for the live music. “I’m a damn yankie, where yee from?” greets us from a young man sitting by his Yamaha motor bike. Pleasantries exchanged, we go on to discuss North/South differences, travelling and politics all as we watch the Natchez River Paddle Steamer pass, then start to drift downstream. Another local man appears, nods to the boat‘s “gooin to daack”, where we ask as there’s only a road going into the Mississippi here. “Heere”, he nods and sure enough the steamer the size of a small cruise ship edges closer and drops the gangplank virtually on the front porch of the Inn. While this is going on our first friend is producing a clear glass jam-jar from under his T shirt, “try it” he whispers. “What is it?” we whisper back, “moonshine”, he says. The tiniest sip is enough to burn my lips and turn them instantly numb, heaven knows what it does to your stomach never mind the brain!!!! The band has now started playing, we make our excuses and move inside to listen, good blues music with a guest appearance by “The Grateful Dead’s” harmonica player.  But, we only manage to last an hour, that moonshine sure is strong.

Wine tasting and Blues Markers

With Lonnie at Williams Winery

Now we have no plans for today except that we think there may be a winery at Greenwood so we drive in that direction. We find the old fire house which has been converted into a winery but it says on the door that wine tastings are only on Friday or Saturday, but just as we’re about to leave the owner opens the door, come in he says, I have 4 folks here from Switzerland just starting a tasting come and join them. The tasting only costs $5 and covers 8 wines, a lot of blues and southern history along with lots of stories from Lonnie the owner and wine maker. Partway through, Lonnie’s friend drops by to take pictures for an article about Lonnie’s Fig wine. Not only does he want to photograph the wine and Lonnie, suddenly Dave and I and our 4 new Swiss friends are part of a fashion shoot! Many photos later, (oh how I wished I’d washed my hair and put on some makeup) and armed with ideas for blues history site to visit, we leave Lonnie.

Dave and WC Handy Marker

Next stop, the blues trail marker of where WC Handy first “got the blues” in 1902. It turns out to be a plaque by a deserted railway line in a very rundown collection of houses, I can almost hear the guitar being played with the knife and the train leaving the station. Round the corner is a plaque to Emmett Till the young man whose death sparked the start of the Civil Rights Movement. We continue on our travels spotting another blues trail marker for the Staples Singers and here we have our luckiest encounter of the day. A local man spots us taking pictures and directs us to Dockery, the birthplace of the blues a short drive away. Here there are plantation buildings that have been restored and tell the story of how the tenant farmers started singing to communicate with each other, pass the time and entertain themselves on a Saturday when work was done. It’s all accompanied by some video footage and traditional blues music over loud speakers throughout the farm buildings. It’s so eerie to hear those voices it takes us back in time.

Dockery Restored Plantation Buildings

We continue on to Cleveland and the Grammy museum but a Taylor Swift exhibit is not enticing so it’s a short drive home for a meal in Nola, a local Indianola restaurant where we discover grits and shrimp.

Indianola and BB King

Clarksdale Crossroads

Our journey today will be on more country roads rather than a fast interstate highway as we’re going to Clarksdale, which has a big history with “The Blues”. The journey takes us along roads that are slightly raised above the level of the surrounding fields, past tin shacks, wooden “shotgun” houses and large brick built homesteads, such a variety. Farm machinery looks just abandoned where it finished working and there’s lots of flooding beside the roads. The Crossroads are marked by a couple of guitars above the crossroads of 61 and 49, so insignificant really for a point on the map that has inspired so may blues songs. We are hoping to lunch at Ground Zero Blues Club but after a few circuits of Clarksdale we find it is shut because of Memorial Day. Ahh, this might mean we will struggle to see other places on our list, and yes, every other café we look at is shut…

BB King Museum

The Super 8 at Indianola is just like our Travelodge at home but it is clean and spacious if not homely or quaint. We set off to just find the BB King Museum and end up touring the place for 2 to 3 hours, it is the one place that is open today. The museum is a wonderfully set out and gives a excellent account of BB Kings life, civil rights, musical and personal life. I feel like I know this man before we leave. The most poignant bit is visiting his grave at the back of the museum, both of us alone on the 29^th May, 2 years to the day from when he laid in open coffin here before his burial the next day.

By now we are starving, and after investigating many cafes, restaurants and bars we eventually find an open one, Guadelahara, a Mexican restaurant provides us with good filling Mexican food, corn chips and salsa, filled empanadas and steak and shrimp on rice. With full stomachs we stagger back to the hotel and notice that no one else is walking around here.

Graceland

The storm has passed on and the air is fresher but as we walk downtown we can see the damage caused, lots of branches of trees are down. We’re eager to get to the Rock and Soul museum early as today we are going to Graceland.

The drive takes about half an hour, just time for us to soak up some video of the King himself, playing music. We check in and collect our tickets and get booked on to a tour which is in an hour and a half, we’re both a bit disgruntled, what should we do till then? We’re directed to the large halls of exhibits, costumes, life story, cars, motorbikes, fairground stalls, the halls of exhibits go on and on, no need to worry what to do at all. I do notice that all the costumes on show are from when Elvis was a young, slender man!

Dinning Room at Graceland

Reception Room at Graceland

It’s time to board the shuttle bus to take us to Graceland, we’re no sooner sat down on it before we’re going through the famous music gates and up to the mansion. What strikes me first is that the house itself is not that big. The tour is all with ipads and headphones, the living room with its 15-foot sofa, the dining room all laid out for dinner, the kitchen remodelled in 1970. The tour continues through more exotic rooms a basement den with mirrors on the staircase ceiling, a bar and at that time state of the art TV and music system, on to the Jungle room a very exotically decorated room with tall carded chairs, green shag pile carpet on the floor and ceiling and animal statues. Finally, the Racket Court with its bar and piano where he recorded his final 2 songs, the office space, swimming pool and memorial garden where Elvis, his mum, dad and grandma are all buried and a plaque to his twin brother who was still born. It’s been fascinating, yes there was obviously money spent here on the house but the overall impression was of a much-loved family home. Finally, there are his airplanes to view, gold plated bathroom sinks, leather and suede huge armchairs and a bed, flying Ryanair will never be the same again!

Racket Court Room & piano

The trip back to Sun Studios is again accompanied by more Elvis film clips, we collect our tickets and again we have an hour and a half to wait. We’ll go and get something to eat round here! Well, it is Sunday of the Memorial Day holiday and nothing is open except McDonalds, the girl serving us has the thickest southern drawl accent I’ve heard yet, the only thing I understand are the numbers she shouts every couple of minutes. Somehow, we manage to order.

The Sun Studio tour is the bit Dave has been most looking forward to and although it is only 2 rooms, it’s packed with memorabilia and the tour guide is excellent with a very good sense of humour and lively delivery style.

Singing in Elvis's Mike

Finally, tonight blues music on Beale Street, we start in the Juke Joint, where a band are on the tail end of their set but they’re really rocking the joint. On to the Rum Boogie Café for typically southern fare, BBQ chicken, beans and salad and of course live music. There’s a 7-piece bad set up playing blues soul music, Ride around Sally, Soul Man, the tour of our youth continues. The vocalist has a great falsetto voice and the guitarist, the biggest set of teeth you’ve ever seen all constantly smiling and their trousers, huge baggy pants in pink or cream! After, this it’s time to just join in with the locals and cruise up and down Beale Street soaking up the atmosphere, listening to the music and ogling the folks and how they’re dressed, nothing it seems is too short, too brief, too tight whatever shape your body is!!!

Football, Ducks and Blues

Wow, this morning I’m treated to breakfast in bed! Is this because we have a big day ahead? We set off for The Brass Door, why, well this is the place that the Memphis Gooners meet and today is a very important day, Cup Final Day and Arsenal v Chelsea at that. There’s only a couple of gooners there when we arrive but the place soon starts to fill up. There are old Arsenal shirts, new Arsenal shirts, Arsenal T shirts even one guy wearing a kilt with an Arsenal tie and long red Arsenal socks! It’s fortunately the right result for all us gooners and as the trophy is lifted the whole pub toast Arsenal’s success with shots of the best Jamieson’s whiskey.

Dave & The Memphis Gooners

Dave floats out of the pub and I steer him to the Memphis Rock & Soul Museum for a self-guided tour. The museum is not huge but it is well put together and all the exhibits give a real insight into the development of the blues music and civil rights. We’re both ready for some live music now, but how do you choose when there is so much available, there’s a couple of guys playing acoustic blues in a park, bar after bar with full bands or solo artists. We eventually settle on Bar 152 on Beale Street and listen to Skyelor Anderson, a local 22year old musician and so talented.

The Duck Parade at The Peabody Hotel

As it gets towards 4.30 in the afternoon, Dave notices I’m getting a little fidgety, the reason – well I’d like to go to The Peabody Hotel. I want to see the march of the ducks as they exit the hotel fountain and waddle to the elevator to go to their Duck House on the roof. And it appears lots of other people want to see the same thing, we manage to find a space on the mezzanine floor and listen to the story told by the Duck Master, before in a couple of seconds the ducks climb out of the water and run to the elevator. We’re both very happy now, Dave because of Arsenal’s win and the music, me because of 5 little ducks!

Two happy people shower and get ready for a night out in downtown Memphis, I haven’t seen the Mississippi yet so we walk the 2 blocks towards the river. As we get nearer we can hear music and once we reach the high level walkway overlooking the river we can see there’s a festival going on, there’s blues, country, rapping and an introducing stage but we can’t work out how to get down there so we walk on by to main street. The restaurant that catches our eye is Agave Maria It’s decorated in black and red but even so it’s not as dark as last night. The food is Mexican, chicken empanada’s, shrimp quesadillas and short rib ropa vieja, all gorgeous.

Now, we set off for the delights of Beale Street, but it is Memorial Day weekend and there’s traffic control on the crowds, enormous queue’s and full body searches going on, not for us, we retreat to The Flying Saucer and listen to a very young but good Nashville band before leaving for another try to get to Beale Street. Big mistake, the promised storm hits as we cross the street to join the queue. Sudden everyone, cops as well are running for cover. The storm is violent, rubbish spiralling high into the air, wind we can hardly walk against, Dave manages to drag me to cover in a covered car park where we shelter for half an hour as the worst of the storm passes. The thunder and lightning is spectacular and the rain sheets down as you see in old black and white movies, eventually it eases to just heavy rain and we make a run for it, 4 blocks later and resembling Mr & Mrs wet T shirt we arrive home. Wow what a day!!!

On to Memphis

It’s with a touch of sadness we leave Nashville and our lovely riverside

Beale treet

urban home for the last 3 days and travel south to Memphis. The journey is slow probably due to the Memorial Day weekend traffic, everyone’s making an early start. In Memphis, we find our next apartment, which is larger than the last and beautifully decorated in a more southern style and with references to Elvis and BB King.

The walk to Beale street is short but hot and sweaty, so a drink in the Irish bar is very refreshing, but their pints are more like buckets. Another strange thing are the plastic palm trees, 2 large teddy bear statues and live goats which according to the sign jump from the tree house in their enclosure! Only in an Irish pub! The 2 artists sing and play their way through a good selection of acoustic blues music until they receive a request for “Sweet Caroline”, they oblige with the singer looking up the lyrics on his phone and reading them as he sings and the guitarist manfully strums away in time.

"The King"

The area round the apartment is lovely, as is the restaurant Spindini, a modern Italian which serves us up a wonderful pizza and Italian sausage and beef stuffed pasta. Unfortunately, the place is so dark it is like “dining in the dark” and we couldn’t see what else was on offer. The stroll back takes us past a cigar shop with 6 black men smoking the most enormous tree trunk sized cigars, nite y’all they say, and you we reply.

Nashville

The Pub

After all that music, last night it’s hard to get moving this morning and eventually we walk to the Riverside Park and catch the free “music city” bus to tour the city and end up at The Gulch There really isn’t a great deal here but there is a bar, called originally “The Bar” and it’s supposed to be a British Pub, well it even has cheesy bollocks on the menu, just like we find at home? After lunch, the bus takes us to the footbridge which claims to be one of the longest foot bridges in the world, it isn’t as long as the Louisville Big Four and there’s no nice little town at the other side only the Nissan Stadium.

For the last week or so we’ve been trying to buy just a few staples from a supermarket or corner shop, trouble is we can’t seem to find either in the cities. We have come to the conclusion that the Americans must send out for everything or buy it on line because even milk is hard to find!

Tonight, we’re going to use the services of uber again to find a restaurant called “Demos”, and once we arrive we’re pleased to realise we only have 15 minutes to wait for a table. Now, the barmaid decides I look under 21 and will only serve me a lemonade, hmmm, not going quite so well. Fortunately, the waiter decides I do look over 21 and serves a bottle of wine with 2 glasses plus a very good pot roast and a steak. For desert, it’s another helping of live music courtesy of AJ’s and The Stage. The latter is playing more country music tonight and everyone seems to sway, foot tap and sing along in perfect time, we’ve never heard most of these songs before but they’re obviously really popular here.

The Nissan Stadium from the pedestrian bridge