Along The Mississippi - Part 8

Concluding our magical journey along the Mississippi on the new Queen of America of American Cruise Lines. Final stop, Memphis...

It isn't quite our final morning on the river but we are due to sail into our final port of call at 11am today, Memphis, Tennessee, the end of our 414-mile journey from St Louis, which has been so captivating and different almost every mile of the way.

After the usual cheery breakfast in the Dining Salon, Riverlorian Jim provides an outline view of The River City and Memphis itself hoves into sight by 10am on a glorious autumn morning. Sadly, with the river level rather low, we have to moor upstream at Mud Island rather than in the heart of the city itself, so it's not quite walkable distance. But, ACL have laid on buses to take everyone into the downtown area, and we take advantage of the 15-minute ride to get our first view of the home of Elvis and BB King.

Happily, the bus drops everyone off at the main entrance to Beale St, the heart of Memphis' music district, and we are immediately wowed by the sense of history and sheer musical style of the place. Sadly, we don't have time to try any of the cafe's - and the Memphis ribs - but we do spend some time looking through the great music shops and the famous Schwab's general store, as well as a few other stores.

We get several great recommendations for live music and make a promise to return here when we have a LOT more time to spare. Just the sounds coming from the Memphis Music store are enough to whet our musical appetites and this is clearly THE place to be in the evening.

For now, we have an afternoon city tour and trip to Graceland booked, so we need to catch the bus back to the Queen at mid-day. It is our final lunch on board, but a memorable one, with a main choice of Herb Marinated Chicken Caesar Salad or a Grilled Reuben Sandwich, both of which hit the spot for us. Then it's off to Elvisville...

We weren't quite sure what we'd make of the home of one of the world's most iconic musicians. Neither of us have ever been Elvis fans and, apart from knowing something of his story, we were relatively ignorant of his Memphis roots. Which is probably why Graceland (the mansion itself, rather than the rather tacky array of attractions and gift shops around it) was such a compelling visit.

We really did gain a useful perspective on the young musician's life and, while it completely glossed over his later years, it was a compelling, as well as quite haunting, perspective. We had around two hours of the three-hour tour here but we could have done with at least another half-hour to see a bit more. Needless to say, true Elvis fans will probably need all day!

Back aboard, it was time for one last Cocktail Hour with our favourite staff, Elizabeth and Theo, pouring the drinks, and then off to dinner with a table-full of our favourite companions from the week. Tonight's speciality was Surf & Turf, with beef tenderloin and lobster tail, and it again lived up to the fairly high standards we'd come to expect of the Galley (along with another great soup course).

Happily, The Mills Brothers (or the new version, at least) were back for another encore performance in the Magnolia Lounge, and this seemed to provide an extremely fitting conclusion to the week - a touch of nostalgia and touch in fairly gentle fashion.      

Tomorrow morning we just have time for breakfast, then it's off to the airport at 8.30am for the flight home, but we will be taking some great memories with us, and a real thirst to see more of this kind of river-cruising in future.

Next up - Mississippi epilogue. 

 

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Along the Mississippi - Pt 7

Continuing our blissful journey along Old Man River on the new Queen of the Mississippi of American Cruise Lines. Day 6, New Madrid, Missouri...

All was quiet this morning as we awoke to another day on the Mississippi. We should have been underway since 6am, en route to our next destination, but a quick look out of our balcony revealed thick fog on the river. This would delay our departure from our mooring in Columbus, so breakfast took on an even more leisurely air than usual (highlighted by the daily poached egg special, today's being Eggs Benedict), followed by the second part of the Journey Through Time lecture from Riverlorian, Jim.

After the obligatory fresh-baked cookies in the Sky Lounge, there was also a Galley Tour with Chef Eric, which offered a great look at where all our wonderful meals were concocted, and we marvelled at how Eric's team produced so much in such a relatively small space.

Happily, the fog did clear soon enough for us to head back down-river again and, before long, we were in sight of New Madrid, tucked up behind a high levee. Once again, this is not a big town (although its 1,500 population handily out-numbers the 160 back at Columbus!).

It does boast a charming riverfront walk and this afternoon's tour is strictly a walking one with a local guide, hence the small-scale nature of the place is fairly evident.

After another excellent lunch (highlights being a gorgeous Harvest Pumpkin Soup - the latest in a long line of spectacular soups served up by the galley - a Cobb Salad and a Warm Stuffed Apple for dessert) it was time to gather for our shore excursion. 

There was a small bus for those who really couldn't make the walk but the majority did opt for the (gentle) stroll along the levee and into town, taking in the handful of historic pointers along the way, which included the 19th century Hart-Stepp House (now an art gallery) and a Boardwalk overlook of the river that showed various flood levels over the years (happily, none higher than the levee).

A stop at the small Historical Museum provided the necessary history overview of the town, once again with some major Civil War connotations, while a visit to the Higgerson School (below) featured an enchanting talk from a descendant of the school's founders, a lady who had been both student and teacher in this building (which was built in the Higgerson community in 1930 and moved to New Madrid in 1998 after the community died out). A visit to the Visitor Center and gift shop, and some shopping at the art gallery concluded a laid-back visit in glorious sunshine.

With such a low-key afternoon, there was still time to enjoy afternoon tea in the Sky Lounge and a stroll on deck, listening to the enchanting sound of the ship's Calliope.

Once again, Cocktail Hour at 5.30pm led nicely to the evening's main meal, with Chicken Bordelaise, Potato Encrusted Striped Bass and Chicken & Shrimp Jambalaya all on the menu. The Bourbon Pecan Pie was every bit as good as it sounds and, not for the first time, to waddled off to the Magnolia Lounge for the evening entertainment.

There was a real sense of anticipation about the highlight here, too, as this was billed as the first of two successive appearances by The Mills Brothers. Now, this may seem a trifle odd for those old enough to remember the Brothers in their pomp (basically 1928-82) but this jazz/pop/vocal quartet from yesteryear have been revived by John Mills III (son of Donald Mills, one of the original quartet) and Elmer Hopper of The Platters.

With a three-piece backing band from Huntsville Alabama, led by pianist extraordinaire Peter Harrison, the 'new' Mills Brothers proceeded to thrill the audience with a series of classic hits from their full repertoire, including 'You're nobody til somebody loves you, 'Yellow Bird,' 'Paper Doll,' 'Lazy River' and a version of the Platters' 'Only You.'

It was fascinating to hear such genuine 'goldie oldie' classics given a modern revival and, with the benefit of the band doing their best Count Basie impression, it proved to be a thoroughly engaging evening. John Mills' own song, 'Still...There's You', was an absolute show-stopper and a fitting climax to another great day on the Mississippi. 

Proof positive that a trip along the 'Lazy River' with American Cruise Lines really can be both surprising and enchanting.

Next up - the big finale, Memphis

 

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