Our Final Port - New Orleans LA is next

We're still moored at Nottoway Plantation between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. It's a grand house dating back to before the Civil War. The plantation and adjacent resort belongs to Mr Ramsay, an Australian of Ramsay Health. Last night we had the Thanksgiving dinner here on board. Quite an affair. Then at 9.30 pm they lit a huge bonfire at the mansion which was interesting to see from the American Queen.

This morning, the buses picked us up and drove us to Baton Rouge, the capitol of Lousiana. There we  visited the USS Kidd, a famous destroyer now permanently moored at the US Naval Museum in Baton Rouge. After our return to our boat, we saw a matinee show about songstress Patsy Kline. It was very good.

So, one more dinner tonight and a Big Band Christmas Show and we sail our last leg for 'Nu Olans' (New Orleans) where we arrive early tomorrow morning.

We'll spend four nights in a B&B, hopefully with acceptable WiFi.

Until then....

St Francisville La

We've docked on St. Francisville this morning. That's in the state of Louisiana. It has a population of 7800 of which 6300 are in jail. You may have guessed, the Louisiana State Penitentiary is here and that's where we ended up this afternoon for a visit. It's a very big place, more like a township. Our bus drove straight into the prison compound for a couple of miles along cattle paddocks, produce fields. Nothing we've seen before. The prisoners are in a series of camps on a 18,000 acres. There are 60 prisoners on Death Row. a very large number of prisoners are in for life, meaning they will never ever be released. They'll die in the prison. The yanks don't namby-pamby their criminals. We could take a leaf out of their books.

The Blogger outside Angola Prison

Death Row and Execution Chamber

Kathy is trying the chair for size

We were taken to the previous death row and execution chambers and then we met some of the lifers who are now mentoring other prisoners to take up trades such as plumbers and builders, although some of them will never be released. Naturally a lot of them have now found god. The end result is the prison has very little violence and is a model to many other US prisons. It was quite an experience.

The Angola Prison Farm

Vicksburg MS

After a leisurely day sailing down the Mississippi, we stopped at Vicksburg MS early this morning.

Vicksburg, also referred to as 'Red Carpet City of the South' is steeped in American History. We joined a Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour through this historic town this morning.

Unfortunately the internet on the American Queen is extremely slow and won't let me upload picture, which is a shame because we visited the famous battle field where Yankee General Ulysses S Grant battled it out with Confederate General Pemberton. It took 47 days siege before Pemberton surrendered to Grant.

Funny thing was, when we boarded the bus to go to the battlefield, the tour guide gave everyone a card with a character of the battle. I was to be General John E Smith of the Union Army. Turns out that General John E Smith was born in the canton of Berne in Switzerland, just as I was. Except he was born in 1861 and was 6'1". How strange is that?

We then also visited the Coca Cola Museum. Vicksburg was the first place in the world where Coca Cola was bottled (as if you didn't know that).

Now we're sailing through the night to Natchez for our next stop. Hopefully the internet will improve.

Until then.....

We Are Sailing

This afternoon, we are boarding the American Queen for our river cruise to New Orleans.

More of Memphis

We explored a little more of Memphis today but my opinion hasn't changed. Yesterday, we purchased 'Hop On - Hop off' Bus tickets for the exorbitant price of $22. This morning we walked down to the city's Welcome Place where the bus is supposed to pick up every hour. Well 10 o'clock came and went, without a bus. After 20 minutes, Kathy went in to see the 'Welcome' people who phoned the bus company. They promised to send a bus which eventually arrived another 20 minutes later.

First stop for us this morning was Sun Studio where a lot of Rock Stars recorded their songs, including Elvis, Johnny Cash and many more.

The front Room of Sun Studio

Sun Studio was opened in 1950 by rock pioneer Sam Philips. During the next few years, he recorded many artists such as Rocket 88, Howlin' Wolf, BB King, James Cotton Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Radio WDIA in Memphis was one of the first stations to play Sam's recording. When the building of the radio station was being demolished, Sun Studio went in and salvaged the radio studio which is now proudly displayed in Sun Studio.

The studio of Radio WDIA

The microphone which recorded all the greats including Elvis and Roy Otbison

We then took the bus to the National Civil Rights Museum. It's situated on the site of the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was murdered. I could not believe what I was seeing and hearing about how the whites treated the slaves and after slavery was abolished, the African Americans. It was plainly inhumane. 

It then explained the struggle they had to be able to get educated and later get the vote. Unbelievable.

The Lorraine Motel. The wreath shows where Martin Luther King was murdered

The Lorraine Motel, now site of the Civil Rights Museum

It was getting past lunch time so we decided to dodge the beggars in Beale Street and check out one of their restaurants. I had a burger with a dark Irish beer and it was wonderful.

My lunch

Lunch at Silky's to the sounds of a live blues band

After lunch we rocked up again at the Hop On Hop Off bus stop where we were let down once again. We waited twenty minutes for the bus but it never turned up. It was starting to rain,so we walked up the street and took a city bus for a dollar.

Tomorrow we're boarding the American Queen for New Orleans.

Graceland Memphis

Not impressed with Memphis at all, it's pretty grotty. I actually call it Beggarsville. Every few metres along any street you are accosted by someone being very friendly, then asking for money. Beale Street which is the live music street is also packed with beggars.

The temperature has lifted and it was quite warm, as we made our way to Elvis Presley's home, Graceland. It's basically a Theme Park dedicated to the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Amazing how much money he had even from an early age. He bought Graceland when he was 22 in 1977, for the sum of $100,000. Today the entire money-making machine is owned by Lisa-Marie, his only child and a singer in her own right.

Graceland, the Main Building

One of the living Rooms

The stairs leading to the Basement Media Room

Elvis liked to watch several Channels simultaneously

One of the Trophy Rooms

Even the Racket Ball Room has been converted into a Trophy Room

In 1977, Elvis was playing with friends in the above Racket Ball Room, when he told friends he is going for a lie down. That's where he suffered a massive heart attack and died at the age of 42.

Elvis is buried next to his mother and father in the grounds of Graceland

You soon see how much money he had. There are two Rolls Royce motor cars in his collection besides numerous other cars including Cadillacs and Jeeps and even a John Deere Tractor is in his collection.

But the most famous car in his collection is his pink Cadillac which he gave to his mother, because she favoured it.

We had a bite to eat in the Diner in a typical 50s booth.

Rob, Kathy, The Blogger and Moi.

One of his guitars

You can see how much money Elvis had, not only by the number of cars and the opulence in the house, but on the backlot are a couple of airplanes. The larger one is a Convair Delta 880 jet liner. Elvis had the interior converted into a dining room, lounge room and bedroom.

Convair Delta 880 'Lisa Marie'

Lockheed Jetstar

Both airplanes are for sale as Graceland is planning major renovations. Neither of the planes are servicable.

Memphis TN

We left Gatlinburg this morning at 7.30 AM where it was -12 Deg C. and still dark. It took 8 hours to get to Memphis where the temperature is 12 Deg C, basically a heatwave for us. We haven't experienced above freezing temperatures for nearly a week.

We have a few days in Memphis before we board the American Queen. We're staying at the Sheraton Memphis Downtown.

Tomorrow we'll go exploring.