famous singers, guitars & ducks

Today was sooooo busy, first we hopped on a bus and traveled about 15min into town to visit Sun Studios where Elvis and many other famous artists were discovered. They had the original recordings from when Elvis first walked in off the atreet as an 18 year old to record a song for his Mother's birthday. It was really cool when we got to walk in Elvis’s steps and also got to take a photo with the microphone used by him and all the other famous musos.



After the tour we hopped on the same bus and headed toward the Gibson guitar factory. They made us wear safety glasses (which made Bob look stupider than Mum & me even though we had our regular glasses on underneath them). Inside the factory you could see the entire process of how the guitars were made. Did you know on the end of the Gibson guitars, the pattern is in the shape of a moustache? No-one else is allowed to copy them.

You would think that everything would be open on a Tuesday... right? Wrong! Unfortunately the hotel that Marten Luther King Jr got shot in, which is now a museum, was closed. That was a bummer however we read all about it on the signs and got our picture taken next to it.

I thought America would be polluted but it is beautiful place to visit. We walked next to the Mississippi river today. As we were walking along we saw the most massivest ever barge, (which for you who don’t know is a large pontoon that is pushed by a small boat.). Some guy said they go up and down the river all the time carry grain, coal, oil or whatever is needed at the time. Interestingly, we also saw a heap of places where buildings had been demolished and nothing had replaced it - quite strange for the CBD of a large city.

Have you heard about the American civil war? Well today we went and learned a lot about slavery (which I think is totally whack and mean). We went to a place where slaves were smuggled, where they stopped during the day on their journeys to freedom for sleep and food - only safe to move about at night. There were trap doors and a cellar. We learnt all about slaves and how they were so badly treated, I’m so glad that all of this has stopped!!!!!

Ducks being in a hotel! Yep that's right, today we went to a hotel where 5 ducks live! We had heard there was a hotel where some ducks walk to or from the fountain in the hotel atrium each day (depending on what time of day) via the red carpet - it's called the Peabody hotel…. The fella said they've been doing it for 75 years (not the same ducks, they change and retrain them every 3 months).
That concludes our day!!! Nashville

tomorrow once we've toured Gracelands - the bus driver said they reason they don't let you upstairs is because Elvis is still alive and living up there! Perhaps we will see him...