Postcards from Travel Weekly

Memphis - Everything you've ever wanted (and some things you probably didn't)

2010-01-22T16:54:23Z

A visit to Memphis wouldn't be complete without dropping in to see the only original shop left on Beale Street. It was opened in 1876 by one Abraham Schwab, and is still owned by the family. The slogan runs: "If you can't find it at A.Schwab's, you're probably better off without it." This can be disputed - I'm not totally convinced that you might not be better off without a few of the items it does stock. A viking helmet, or the world's largest collection of ornamental pigs, for instance. However, the world would be a poorer place without Schwab's, and it's an amazing place to drop in and eyeball. You can pick up some amazing souvenirs to take home, and the mezzanine level between sales floors - the "Beale Street Museum" - is full of a fantastic collection of old junk. My favourite thing is the machine that tells your fortune and your weight simultaneously. I like to think it ties the two together, for instance - "You weigh 350lb. Today you will get out of breath climbing the stairs."

Memphis - Sounding good

2010-01-21T21:47:55Z

Lucky old Memphisians. In London, buskers tend to consist of fragrant chaps with dogs and penny whistles, sub-X Factor try-hards with transatlantic accents and earnest, bearded men blowing fiendishly into oboes. Not so in the home of the blues and the birthplace of rock and roll. i was walking back to my hotel from downtown when I bumped into Tony and the Titans busking in the pavilion on Court Square. I stopped to listen for a few songs, and I was pretty impressed. See what you think...

The live music in the clubs is pretty darn good too. I went to BB King's blues club on Beale Street and heard the Preston Shannon band play live. There are a number of things I love about this - one, Preston's jaunty solo. Two, the large guy on bass. That's a proper bass player. And three, the oldest swinger in town doing his one dance move, namely a sort of locomotion-esque choo-choo train impression, over, and over, and over again. Way to go, grandad.

Oh, and did I mention? Order the deep fried dill pickles. Sounds gross, tastes good.

Memphis - A shining example

2010-01-20T22:34:10Z

One of the highlights of my trip to Memphis has been my visit to Sun Studio, founded by record promoter Sam Phillips. It's smaller than the more famous Stax Records and a less slick operation, but it's really brought to life by the quality of the guiding. Visitors are escorted round in small groups, and it's a really memorable experience.

Standing right in the small studio where countless big names recorded, we listen to the first radio broadcast of an Elvis Presley song, 'That's alright Mama'.

Then our guide shows us the first microphone Elvis ever recorded with - yes, you can pose for photos with it - and tells us about the 'Million Dollar Quartet'. One day, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash all happened to be in the studio at the same time, and they started to jam. Sam Phillips recorded the results, but couldn't actually release them for many years because each of the stars were tied to binding contracts.

Sun Studio is really atmospheric - it hardly seems to have changed since those four famous faces were recording there. I like to think they got their Pepsi from this machine.

Memphis - Going quackers

2010-01-18T21:57:53Z

There are a number of things one expects to find in the lobbies of luxury hotels. Most of them can be seen in the historic Peabody Hotel in Memphis. Marble pillars, check. Chandeliers, check. Dark wood, thick carpets, check.

However, in this hotel, there's something extra too. Ducks, swimming in the fountain. Yes, every day, the Duckmaster - oh, didn't I mention? Yes, they have a specially employed Duckmaster. Step forward Mr Jason Sensat. Well, anyway, at 11am Mr Jason Sensat collects the ducks from their home on the roof and leads them into the lift. They emerge, triumphant, and parade through the lobby on a red carpet to the fountain, where they climb in splash around until 5pm, when the journey happens in reverse. Get there early - it's a popular sight.

This strange tradition started in 1933, when the hotel's general manager came back from a long weekend of hunting in Arkansas. After a long night's friendship with the whiskey bottle, he and a few chums thought it would be hilarious to put their live decoy ducks in the fountain. The hotel bellman, a former circus animal trainer, taught the ducks their march. The rest is history, and a well-developed line in souvenirs.

It seems that ducks aren't the end of it. Somehow I wonder if the crowds of children would be allowed so close to the red carpet if they were still doing the thing with baby alligators...

Memphis - A state of grace

2010-01-14T21:35:21Z

I defy anyone to find a more fitting way to prepare for a visit to Graceland than a visit to Arcade. This wonderfully kitsch diner was a cherished haunt of the King, and it serves his favourite - and in large quantities, perhaps ultimately deadly - dish, fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I opted instead for the sweet potato pancakes with eggs, syrup and grits. Delicious, though equally calorie-laden. I sat with Alicia and Brandy from Memphis CVB in Elvis's favourite booth. He would sit in my seat, with his back to the door, but where he could see who came in by looking in the mirror opposite.

Then it's off to Graceland. It's quite endearing really, full of shagpile and chandeliers, and with TVs in every room. There's a bar in the TV room, and even in the squash courts. My favourite was the infamous 'jungle room', which really ups the ante in terms of random impracticality. There are exhibits of Elvis's cars, his private jet, his platinum discs and costumes and a rundown of his film career. Just about the only thing you can't see is the infamous toilet...

New Orleans - Constant carnival

2009-11-20T14:25:35Z

They stretch the Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans out for as long as possible, with parades, balls and parties over a couple of weeks. But there's one place in New Orleans where every day is Fat Tuesday - at Blaine Kern's Mardis Gras World. A huge hangar on the banks of the Mississippi hides a magical land where the floats are made and stored. I was lucky enough to meet 'Mr Mardi Gras' himself on my visit.

We took a tour, watching the artists at work sketching the floats, sculpting and painting.

Then you can wander around the storage area, past disembodied heads, half-completed statues, and rank upon rank of finished floats, decorated with animals, fictional characters from the big and small screen and from myths and legends, celebrities, politicians and even religious figures. It feels entirely surreal and whilst not the same as experiencing Mardi Gras itself, it's a good second best if you visit outside of February.

As if that isn't enough, you also get to sample a slice of traditional king cake - which seems to basically be a large danish pastry, plentifully iced - and try on a few costumes yourself. This is me as Jay Leno, though I actually thought it was Bill Clinton at the time. A confusion that could have had far-reaching political consequences outside the protective walls of Mardi Gras World...

New Orleans - Tasty tunes

2009-11-19T22:29:09Z

Love music? Love food? Come to New Orleans, where they excel at combining the two. It also helps to multi-task when time is short, so you can tick off a few Crescent City must-dos in one fell swoop.

My first tuneful gourmet experience came at the Court of Two Sisters. This historic French Quarter restaurant serves a legendary jazz brunch, where you can sit under the shade of an ancient tree - which happily survived Katrina - at a white linen table sipping a cocktail, listening to a jazz trio and tucking in to perfectly-cooked Creole dishes from the vast selection at the buffet. Try jambalya, crawfish remoulade, turtle soup, plus Southern favourites like ribs, grits, and cornbread, but leave room for the desserts. The Bananas Foster is to die for.

The restaurant is also open in the evening, for romantic dinners too. They're really flexible about requests too, so are willing to open early if someone wants the place secluded for a marriage proposal.

My second experience combining music and food was a jazz dinner cruise on the Mississippi. I jumped aboard the Natchez, a classic old paddle steamer. The lights of New Orleans glinted in the background and in the company of newfound friends - a group of teachers from a Christian Brothers Academy - I tucked into another substantial buffet.

We were ably entertained by The Dukes of Dixieland - here they are, performing the old classic 'Oh When The Saints'.

New Orleans - Halloween-tastic

2009-11-19T14:11:42Z

As any child who ever watched E.T. will know, they do Halloween far better in the States. We make do with a plastic pumpkin or two; they go all out with proper costumes, serious trick-or-treating and any amount of candy.

And few places in the US can take Halloween more seriously than New Orleans. Every night is party night in The Big Easy, but October 31 almost rivals Mardi Gras in terms of celebrations. The streets are thronged with people as some rather spooky floats roll by, with the riders flinging 'throws' (small gifts) into the crowd.

The bars are full to bursting, and many houses in the French Quarter host parties, decorating their balconies with cobwebs, skeletons, pumpkins and broomsticks.

And dressing up is by no means just for the kids, as these photos demonstrate....

New Orleans - Cities of the dead

2009-11-18T17:19:32Z

Inspired by my ghost tour, I've decided to take a closer look at New Orleans spooky side. It's definitely a place where the dead keep coming back - sometimes, quite literally. When residents first started trying to bury their dead in the ground, the height of the water table meant they quite literally floated back up to the surface.

This obviously wouldn't do, and so began the tradition of overground burial. I went to look round the oldest remaining cemetery in the city, the St Louis Cemetery Number 1 on Rampart Street, which dates back to 1789.

The row upon row of mini-houses are fascinating to explore. Most graves will have a number of family members interred there, as a year and a day after burial the tomb can be opened and the remains bagged up and stored within the grave, leaving room for another coffin.

Our guide, Anna Ross of Historic New Orleans Tours, is a member of a group dedicated to saving these sites and knows the graves like the back of her hand. She's even campaigned to have an unused grave left for the use of musicians in New Orleans.

The cemetery has a few claims to fame. Anyone who has seen Easy Rider may recognise this statue of the Madonna, which you see Peter Fonda weeping over:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_first_rays/3852329955/

It's also home to Marie Laveau, the famous voodoo queen. Born in the 1790s Marie's reputation as a powerful voodoo priestess grew as she told fortunes, dispensed gris-gris (charms and spells) and healed the sick. Her tomb is covered in markings, as people still flock there and place three crosses on it in the hope she will grant them a wish. There are heaps of offerings, from photographs and flowers to small tokens like coins, lipstick, cigarettes and jewellery.

New Orleans - America's most haunted

2009-11-18T16:36:22Z

I couldn't come to New Orleans around Halloween and not make the most of the spooky activities on offer. Reputedly the city has more ghosts than you could rattle a ghoulish chain at, so a themed walking tour of the historic French Quarter was my best bet.

I was lucky enough to land an excellent guide - Ernie Sylvester of Haunted History Tours. A Louisiana native, he was weaned on these tales, and he's a born storyteller too, pacing the pavement, waving his arms, building the tension... until everyone is slightly wary about walking down a dark alleyway.

We ran the full gamut, with ghostly monks, serial-killer doctors, spectral soldiers and haunted hotels (luckily no one on the tour was booked into that establishment). It was also a great way to see the beautiful architecture of the Vieux Carre and learn a bit about its chequered history.

links for 2009-10-13

2009-10-13T20:01:45Z

Art in the open in Norway | guardian.co.uk

"Architects are highlighting beauty spots across Norway with a series of stunning installations, from viewing platforms to picnic areas"

(tags: norway design architecture)
Kilden Performing Arts Centre [Concierge]

Quick look at a new cultural attraction coming to Kristiansand in 2011 - part of a slideshow on cutting-edge architecture worldwide

(tags: norway architecture)

Zambia: Walking safari

2009-10-03T12:21:30Z

It's all very well heading out into the bush in the protection of a huge safari vehicle, but how about pulling on some boots and stomping around on foot? Zambia is the home of the walking safari, so we decided to give it a whirl.
Off we went, accompanied by Keenan and an armed guard. The idea is to avoid getting dangerously close to any big game, but the guard is there as a precaution just in case. Walking safaris are great for spotting the small things you wouldn't notice from the car. We saw elephant prints, a hippo skull, the strange fruit of the sausage tree and jackal poo - white from all the calcium in the bones they eat - amongst other things.

It was a great, really atmospheric experience. You get a much better feel of the scale and realise just how vast and wild the bush is.

Zambia: Walking safari

2009-10-03T12:21:30Z

Zambia: The smoke that thunders

2009-10-03T11:49:36Z

A trip to Zambia wouldn't be complete without a visit to one of the seven natural wonders of the world, Victoria Falls. Scottish explorer David Livingstone - who the neighbouring town is named after - is believed to have been the first European to see this vast torrent, and subsequently gave it the name of Britain's Queen.

However, the original indigenous name, and the one now officially used in Zambia, seems far more fitting. Mosi-oa-Tunya means 'the smoke that thunders'. We visited at the end of the dry season, so we didn't get to see the falls in full flow. However, the torrents were still pretty spectacular.

The falls sit on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe - this bridge is crossing point.

The drop below the walkway from which you view the falls is vast - we decided the sign below gave pretty good advice.

Zambia: Big cat diaries

2009-10-01T19:46:31Z

There's nothing quite like spotting big cats, as we discover in the South Luangwa. With a thrill of excitement we spot two lionesses. They don't hang around - our guide says Keenan says they are off to find water for an evening drink.

Like a man with the scent of big cats in his nostrils, Keenan keeps driving. He's right - within minutes we see Nip Nose, one of the lions who live in the area. He's watching over a kill - the carcass of an impala. We watch with bated breath as Nip Nose waits, and waits.

Eventually, like any hungry man, Nip Nose cracks. He makes a start on the impala, ripping at it with his huge teeth. However, we haven't got time to hang around and find out what the two lionesses have to say when they return and find Nip Nose has started dinner without them. We've got a date with a more elusive big cat - a leopard. South Luangwa is a particularly good place for sightings of these spotty beasts.

With all the languid poise and grace you could hope for, our leopard is lounging on a branch. He's almost too lazy to take any notice of us, only the odd flick of the tail gives any clue that he's awake at all. But for one moment his eyes open, and I find myself in the extremely privileged position of locking gaze with a leopard. A truly magical moment.