Opted for a day tour with Memphis BestTours as a way to spend our day. The morning was spent touring around Memphis in a small bus seeing the sights of the city, lunch in Beale Street, and then the afternoon at Graceland.

The morning tour was interesting, but we didn't have many opportunities to get off the bus and see the site. A bit disappointed we didn't stop at Sun City Studios, the recording company that launched the careers of many Blues, Country and Rock stars of the 1950s, including Elvis, Johny cash, Jerry Lee Lewis.

But I did learn in the tour that Memphis was an important centre for medical research, in particular, children's health issues. Danny Thomas, a Lebanese migrant who became a famous comedian in USA, established St Jude Children's Research Hospital. He was an extraordinary benefactor who has made a huge contribution in improving the health of children suffering from cancer and other significant diseases. Danny believed that "no child should die in the dawn of life". This hospital had its genesis in a promise Danny made to St Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes, Danny vowed "show me myvway in life, and I will build you a shrine". In 1957 he founded a fundraising program to build the hospital, and it is now a major research hospital in the world.

This was a wonderful story to hear about the goodness, generosity and passion of a man who wanted to make a difference in the lives of children.

On the city tour we saw the Pyramid, the bridge to Mud Island, Main and Beale Streets, and we went to the Peabody Hotel.

The Peabody Hotel is famous for the ducks who come from their penthouse on the top floor, via the lift, accompanied by the Grand Duck Master, to the lobby. Once in the lobby they waddle in a straight line via their red carpet to the central fountain, where they hop in, splash around, and stay all day until it is time to return to their penthous for the evening! Huge crowd had gathered to watch these famous ducks, including us, as we tried to catch a glimps of 5 very ordinary brown ducks being treated like royalty. All rather weird, but here we were in Memphis craning our necks to see ducks! I only managed a glimpse, but that was enough to be satisfied, they were cute ducks. Apparently the hotel does not serve duck on the menu!!!

There was a gift shop in the lobby full of duck things - toys, books, ceramics, etc. A whole tourist industry made out of these ducks, which had begun in 1937 from a dare with some mates. Two men had gone out duck shooting with a couple of duck decoys, got backntonthe hotel and put the decoy ducks in the hotel fountain, it created a stir, so they replaced them with real ducks and so the tradition began. The Peabody Ducks at Memphis are famous.