Graceland, 30th November 2009

I didn’t know what to expect from my visit to Graceland (in Memphis, Tennessee). The whole experience is very tightly controlled, both in physical terms (the upstairs of the house, for example hasn’t been touched since the day Elvis died, and is certainly off-limits to tourists), and in the image that is presented of the King (there are absolutely no photos of the later ‘Fat Elvis’ period, and very little information in general about the latter years of his life). But, for all that, the visit was highly informative and the inside of the house, in particular, was fascinating to look at.

Looking through the formal living-room inside the front door, to the music room beyond. The whole house was decked out for Christmas when I visited, on 30th November 2009.
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The dining room, and with it Christmas tree number two.
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(Slightly poorly done) Panorama of the kitchen inside Graceland. Yes, that is the carpet.
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Christmas tree number three, with presents piled around it, in the ‘Jungle Room’ in Graceland.
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The TV Room in the basement of the Graceland mansion. Why have one TV when you can have three? Six photos stitched together: I shot the series partly to see how my panorama software would cope with the mirrored ceiling. It coped rather well, as it turned out.
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Four-frame stitched photo of the Jungle Room at the back of the Graceland Mansion. This room has to be seen to be believed. I know that when I’m putting green shag carpet in a room I put it on the ceiling as well as the floor. Also, check out the built-in exposed-brick water feature at the left-hand end of the frame. The photo (with difficult lighting) doesn’t quite do justice to the wooden-animal arms on the leather sofa and armchair.
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Elvis’ garden. Or, more specifically, his horse paddock and stables, just behind the mansion. The stables continue to function today.
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Tourists at the culmination-point of the self-guided Graceland tour: the graves of Elvis, of his parents (Vernon and Gladys), and of his paternal grandmother (Minnie Mae).
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A man photographs Elvis’ grave on his iPhone.
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The grave stones of Elvis and his parents, surrounded by the flowers and other tributes imported and sent by the continuing phalanx of Elvis devotees.
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I think that this memorial stood over the original grave-site of Elvis and his mother at Forest Hill cemetery. Their remains were moved to the Meditation Garden at Graceland after a failed attempt by grave-robbers to disinter the King.
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A flag near Elvis’ grave, sent by an Australian fan.
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Some of the next round of tourists going in to the Graceland mansion.
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On-board one of Elvis’ two planes, the Convair 880 Lisa Marie, named for his daughter.
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