Memphis 1: I'm going to Graceland, Graceland, Graceland in Tennessee

If you are coming to Memphis then it's illegal to miss Graceland.  We aren't Elvis fans but feel we must make the pilgrimage to South Memphis.

We arrive early and, having opted for the Elvis Experience, get piled into a small theatre for a short, poorly edited video on the life of the King.  We file out of the theatre, have photographs in our happy excited groups before joining a queue for the bus to the mansion.  Note that at the end of the tour the photos are available for purchase at $34! There aren't many takers.

Armed with iPads and headsets we load onto small buses and ferry a short distance down Elvis Presley Boulevard to the gates of the Graceland.  Rather like the idea of the pearly gates, I'd half expected a shimmering light from the sky and the sound of trumpets.  Sadly no, just another guide shuffling us through. This really is a factory - it's like the McDonalds of tours. 

We're moved through the house too quickly. This is a shame as it's fascinating, mostly because everything stopped in 1977 when Elvis died. The peanut butter and banana sandwich he was eating is still on the kitchen bench!  Not really.  He died after a game of racket ball - on his racket ball court built out back of the house.  For anyone interested in 70s interior design, only the kitchen and living room are typical of the era.  And his parents' bedroom which, in comparison to the rest of the house, looks like a monk's cell. 

The other rooms are definitely the 70s, but the extreme version and on steroids.  Like the bright yellow TV room with three TV sets; the Jungle room with its green carpet on the floor AND the ceiling and with a waterfall on one wall.  My favourite is the pool room with its fabric pleated ceiling and wall coverings, which took 10 men three days to complete, and stained glass lights.  If you're familiar with the Australian movie "The Castle" you can imagine a lot of things going straight to the pool room.

Elvis seemed quite fond of monkeys - the decor includes lot of monkey statues and, along with a menagerie of other animals, Elvis had two pet monkeys.  Is it possible Lisa Marie married Michael Jackson because of some deep rooted monkey issues?  

Waterfall wall in the Jungle room

Our tickets get us in to Elvis Presley motors which hold 15 - 20 of his cars. Everything from the pink Cadillac to a custom built Rolls Royce. Then there's the motorcycles, Harley Davidson golf carts (yes, who knew?) and dune buggies.  

With 1.5 million items in the archive there's far to much to have on show, and let's face it, most of it too boring for all but the most avid Elvis fan.  Seriously, who can get excited about a typewriter or a lamp.

Now jumpsuits are another matter! All the same cut and style, and clearly he wasn't as fat as we thought, but with different extravagantly bejewelled designs.  

For non Elvis fans we enjoyed it more than we expected and stayed longer then we thought.  He may be dead, but the King lives. 

Stockholm syndrome

While we weren't kidnapped in Stockholm we were captivated - another very cool Scandinavian city. 

Stockholm from City Hall tower

As with Helsinki, I was here 36 years ago and this time my 'wanna see again' pick is the warship the Vasa. The Vasa was built on the orders of King Gustavus II between 1626 and 1628. He had an expansionist strategy that included a war with Poland and the Vasa was to be the flagship. 

A scale model of the Vasa

However it turned out to be a good example of the Emperor's new clothes. The King, busy at war, kept sending the shipbuilders instructions that made the ship less stable - she carried two enclosed gundecks with brass cannons, had a high stern to allow for boarding other ships, and a narrow hull which couldn't carry enough ballast, all making the upper structure too heavy. 

The shipbuilders didn't want to go against the King's instructions so no-one spoke up about the structural problems and the Vasa sank on her maiden voyage. About 1300 metres out from the dock a light breeze was enough to capsize her, and there she lay for the next 333 years. A good case study and more info here

The Vasa in 1980, yet to undergo any significant restoration

In 1961 she was recovered, largely intact, and housed in the Vasa Shipyard, where I saw her in 1980. For almost 20 years they had been spraying the ship with a preservative solution and I still remember the smell. There wasn't a lot to see at that time except for the ship itself and I was keen to see what progress had been made. 

In 1988 the ship was moved to the very fabulous Vasa museum, where we saw her more or less fully restored.  Just the sight of the ship itself is breathtaking - she's a huge galleon and the restoration is meticulous.  It is easy to spend a half day at the museum, such are the excellent story boards, displays and detailed information on everything from the shipbuilders selection of the trees for the build, the intricate carving and paintings on the hull, through to the food and drink carried on board. Incidentally, along with my photos I found the entry ticket from 1980 - it cost 3SEK - Swedish Kroner - this year we paid 130SEK. 

The Vasa now - see the museum site for better pics

Also historical and almost as fascinating is a tour of Stockholm City Hall, the home of the Nobel award ceremonies. We find Blå hallen - the Blue Hall - where the awards dinner takes place, isn't blue (just as the Red Square isn't red); the Gyllene salen - the Golden Hall with its 18 million gold mosaic tiles is gold, and as ornate as any we have seen.  It is amazing that they cram 1300 guests into the dinner.  We are told there is a strict measure for the amount of room between each seat, and it seems there's barely enough room for the 210 wait staff to move. They must select them for their slim physiques!  If you would like to recreate the place setting for the Nobel dinner, you will need the specially designed dinner set. 

Setting the table for your Nobel guests 

Elsewhere in Stockholm is the Nobel Museum, home to all things historic and current related to Alfred Nobel, the prizes and winners. We searched out our very own New Zealand Laureate Ernest Rutherford. This took a little bit of doing as we were searching under Physics - after all he is known as the father of nuclear physics - but in 1908 he received the Nobel prize in Chemistry.  again, the museum is well laid out, very information rich and with interactive elements that engage the visitor. Well done Stockholm.

We end our Nobel day with a delicious dinner at a cellar-like bar called The Hairy Pig - what could be less appropriate?  Who needs a Nobel dinner set?